How to Ensure JSON Serialization of Arrays with Non-Consecutive Keys?

Modifying Array Keys for JSON Serialization

When using the json_encode() function, arrays with numeric keys can be serialized as objects instead of arrays, leading to undesired output. This occurs when the array keys are non-consecutive.

To address this issue without resorting to regular expressions, consider utilizing array_values() on the outermost array structure. By calling array_values($array), you can discard the original array keys and replace them with zero-based consecutive numbers.

Example:

$array = [
    2 => ["Afghanistan", 32, 13],
    4 => ["Albania", 32, 12]
];

$output = array_values($array);

echo json_encode($output); // [[["Afghanistan", 32, 13], ["Albania", 32, 12]]]

This modification will ensure that the serialized JSON output is an array of arrays, as desired:

[["Afghanistan", 32, 13], ["Albania", 32, 12]]

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