Converting var_dump of Array Back to Array Variable

Introduction

Retrieving the original array from its var_dump output can be a daunting task. This article explores creative methods to tackle this challenge within PHP.

Challenge Description

Given an array with multidimensional elements, the goal is to construct a reusable function that reconverts the var_dump output back into a PHP array variable. This function should be efficient and handle complex array structures.

Naive Approach

Attempting to reverse the var_dump output using regular expressions might not be optimal. Parsing and reassembling the complex syntax is susceptible to errors.

Optimized Solution

Instead of relying solely on regular expressions, a creative approach involves converting the var_dump output into a serialized string and then unserializing it. This effectively re-creates the array structure.

Implementation

The following code defines the unvar_dump function that implements the above strategy:

<code class="php">function unvar_dump($str) {
    // Convert output to newline-separated format
    if (strpos($str, "\n") === false) {
        $str = preg_replace(['#(\[.*?\]=>)#', '#(string\(|int\(|float\(|array\(|NULL|object\(|})#'], "\n\1", $str);
        $str = trim($str);
    }
    
    // Perform regex-based replacements to prepare for serialization
    $regex = [
        '#^\040*NULL\040*$#m',
        '#^\s*array\((.*?)\)\s*{\s*$#m',
        '#^\s*string\((.*?)\)\s*(.*?)$#m',
        '#^\s*int\((.*?)\)\s*$#m',
        '#^\s*bool\(true\)\s*$#m',
        '#^\s*bool\(false\)\s*$#m',
        '#^\s*float\((.*?)\)\s*$#m',
        '#^\s*\[(\d+)\]\s*=>\s*$#m',
        '#\s*?\r?\n\s*#m',
    ];
    $replace = [
        'N',
        'a:\1:{',
        's:\1:\2',
        'i:\1',
        'b:1',
        'b:0',
        'd:\1',
        'i:\1',
        ';'
    ];
    $serialized = preg_replace($regex, $replace, $str);
    
    // Handle object and custom string keys using callback functions
    $func = create_function(
        '$match', 
        'return "s:".strlen($match[1]).":\"".$match[1]."\"";'
    );
    $serialized = preg_replace_callback(
        '#\s*\["(.*?)"\]\s*=>#', 
        $func,
        $serialized
    );
    $func = create_function(
        '$match', 
        'return "O:".strlen($match[1]).":\"".$match[1]."\":".$match[2].":{";'
    );
    $serialized = preg_replace_callback(
        '#object\((.*?)\).*?\((\d+)\)\s*{\s*;#', 
        $func, 
        $serialized
    );
    
    $serialized = preg_replace(
        array('#};#', '#{;#'), 
        array('}', '{'), 
        $serialized
    );

    // Unserialize the modified string to reconstruct the array
    return unserialize($serialized);
}</code>

Usage Example

To use this function, simply provide the var_dump output of an array as the input parameter. The function will return the original array.

For instance, given the following var_dump output:

array(4) {
  ["foo"]=>
  string(8) "Foo"bar""
  [0]=>
  int(4)
  [5]=>
  float(43.2)
  ["af"]=>
  array(3) {
    [0]=>
    string(3) "123"
    [1]=>
    object(stdClass)#2 (2) {
      ["bar"]=>
      string(4) "bart"
      ["foo"]=>
      array(1) {
        [0]=>
        string(2) "re"
      }
    }
    [2]=>
    NULL
  }
}

The unvar_dump function would return the original array structure:

array(
  "foo" => "Foo"bar"",
  0 => 4,
  5 => 43.2,
  "af" => array(
    0 => "123",
    1 => (object) [
      "bar" => "bart",
      "foo" => array(
        0 => "re"
      )
    ],
    2 => null
  )
)

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