How to decode JSON objects in Laravel and apply for each loop on that?

The json_decode() method is a PHP built-in function that helps convert a JSON string into a PHP object or associative array. It takes the input value as a string and returns a readable PHP object or array that can be easily looped through using foreach.

Basic JSON Decoding

Following is an example of the json_decode() method

<?php
$studentobj = '{"Neha":35,"Arbaaz":37,"Rehan":43}';
print_r(json_decode($studentobj));
?>

stdClass Object
(
    [Neha] => 35
    [Arbaaz] => 37
    [Rehan] => 43
)

Looping Through JSON Objects

The JSON object is decoded into a PHP object which can be looped using foreach as shown below

<?php
$studentobj = '{"Neha":35,"Arbaaz":37,"Rehan":43}';
$test = json_decode($studentobj);

foreach($test as $name => $age) {
    echo $name . "=" . $age . "<br>";
}
?>

Neha=35
Arbaaz=37
Rehan=43

Nested JSON Data

Let us now try an example with nested JSON data containing arrays of objects

<?php
$Studentdata = '[{
    "id":12,
    "name":"Rehaan Khan",
    "email":"rehaan@gmail.com",
    "age": 35
},
{
    "id":13,
    "name":"Arbaaz",
    "email":"arbaaz@gmail.com",
    "age": 30
}]';

$data = json_decode($Studentdata);
foreach($data as $student) {
    foreach($student as $key => $value) {
        echo "$key - $value<br>";
    }
    echo "<br>";
}
?>

id - 12
name - Rehaan Khan
email - rehaan@gmail.com
age - 35

id - 13
name - Arbaaz
email - arbaaz@gmail.com
age - 30

Decoding to Associative Array

The json_decode() function takes a second parameter as a boolean. If true, it returns an associative array instead of a PHP object

<?php
$studentobj = '{"Neha":35,"Arbaaz":37,"Rehan":43}';

$data = json_decode($studentobj, true);
print_r($data);
echo "<br>";

foreach($data as $name => $age) {
    echo "$name - $age<br>";
}
?>

Array
(
    [Neha] => 35
    [Arbaaz] => 37
    [Rehan] => 43
)

Neha - 35
Arbaaz - 37
Rehan - 43

Conclusion

Use json_decode() to convert JSON strings into PHP objects or arrays. The second parameter (true) returns associative arrays, making data easier to manipulate in Laravel applications.