How to Generate JSON File in PHP

Minahil Noor Feb 02, 2024
How to Generate JSON File in PHP

In this article, we will introduce the method to generate a .json file in PHP.

  • Using file_put_contents() function

Use file_put_contents() Function to Generate a .Json File in PHP

The built-in function file_put_contents() could write the content into a file in PHP. It searches for the file to write in, and if the desired file is not present, it creates a new file. We can use this function to create a .json file. The correct syntax to use this function is as follows

file_get_contents($pathOfFile, $info, $customContext, $mode);

This function accepts four parameters. The detail of these parameters is as follows.

Parameter Description
$pathOfFile mandatory It specifies the path of the file.
$info mandatory It specifies the information or data that you wish to write in a file. It can be a string.
$customContext optional It is used to specify a custom context.
$mode optional It specifies the mode in which the data will be written on the file. It can be FILE_USE_INCLUDE_PATH, FILE_APPEND, and, LOCK_EX.

This function returns the number of bytes written on the file if successful and false otherwise.

The below program will create a new .json file and store JSON data into it

<?php 
  
// data strored in array
$array = Array (
    "0" => Array (
        "id" => "01",
        "name" => "Olivia Mason",
        "designation" => "System Architect"
    ),
    "1" => Array (
        "id" => "02",
        "name" => "Jennifer Laurence",
        "designation" => "Senior Programmer"
    ),
    "2" => Array (
        "id" => "03",
        "name" => "Medona Oliver",
        "designation" => "Office Manager"
    )
);

// encode array to json
$json = json_encode($array);
$bytes = file_put_contents("myfile.json", $json); 
echo "The number of bytes written are $bytes.";
?>

We use json_encode() function to convert the data stored in the array to a JSON string. Once the data is converted to a JSON string, file_put_contents() function creates a .json file and writes data into it. The output shows the number of bytes, which means the data is written successfully.

Output:

The number of bytes written is 207.

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