Putting JSON into HTML attribute using PHP's setAttribute, double quote issue

Question

I'm trying to figure out how to make $obj->setAttribute() use single quotes when setting the attribute, so that I can place a JSON array inside.

Here's the basics of what I'm trying to accomplish.

$code = '<img src="http://example.com/image.jpg">';

$array = array(
  'code' => htmlspecialchars($code),
  'string' => $string
);

$tag->setAttribute('data-stuff', json_encode($array));

Now that's all good and well, but the JSON uses double quotes, and the new tag also uses double quotes.

<tag data-stuff="{"code":"&lt;img src=&quot;http://example.com/image.jpg&quot;&gt;","string":"some string"}">

This is an issue, since the attribute needs to be using single quotes so it doesn't interfere with the JSON's double quotes. Further complicated by the fact that the JSON contains contains HTML converted to special chars. So if I were to convert the JSON to special chars, then when I try to decode it 'code' will be also decoded which can cause all sorts of problems when trying to grab it with JavaScript.

Does anyone know of a clean way in which I can convert the surrounding 'data-stuff' attribute's container tags to single characters? I'd much prefer that option than escaping the json quotes.

Álvaro González · Accepted Answer · 2013-01-15 10:52:11Z

3

You can try the saveHTML() method:

<?php

$code = '<img src="http://mysite.com/image.jpg">';
$array = array(
  'code' => htmlspecialchars($code),
  'string' => 'some string',
);

$doc = new DomDocument;
$tag = $doc->createElement("tag");
$tag->setAttribute('data-stuff', json_encode($array));
echo $doc->saveHTML($tag);

... which produces:

<tag data-stuff='{"code":"&amp;lt;img src=&amp;quot;http:\/\/mysite.com\/image.jpg&amp;quot;&amp;gt;","string":"some string"}'></tag>

answered Jan 15, 2013 at 10:52

Álvaro González

147k45 gold badges282 silver badges378 bronze badges

Sign up to request clarification or add additional context in comments.

3 Comments

Ian Over a year ago

That's what I already do, I didn't post the full markup. However according to my browser it's showing up with double quotes not single quotes.

Álvaro González Over a year ago

I didn't even use a browser to test. Make sure you are seeing the actual script's output (and not, e.g., as shown in Firebug's "HTML" panel).

Ian Over a year ago

Yeah I did that just a minute ago, I'm just being an idiot. It was just the browser making it appear as though it's double quotes. Good hour of my day wasted. Thanks man.

2 revs, 2 users 86% · Accepted Answer · 2022-11-21 14:03:26Z

0

(Posted answer on behalf of the question author).

Never mind, I've fixed it. I was viewing the code inside the browser, when I output it as a string it's showing up as single quotes, browser is just displaying double quotes in the view source.

edited Nov 21, 2022 at 14:03

community wiki

2 revs, 2 users 86%
halfer

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

Putting JSON into HTML attribute using PHP's setAttribute, double quote issue

2 Answers 2

3 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Hot Network Questions

Collectives™ on Stack Overflow

2 Answers 2

3 Comments

Comments

Your Answer

Sign up or log in

Post as a guest

Related