maybe_serialize( string|array|object $data )
Serialize data, if needed.
Contents
Parameters Parameters
- $data
-
(string|array|object) (Required) Data that might be serialized.
Return Return
(mixed) A scalar data.
More Information More Information
- Data might need to be serialized to allow it to be successfully stored and retrieved from a database in a form that PHP can understand.
- Confusingly, strings that contain already serialized values are serialized again, resulting in a nested serialization. Other strings are unmodified.
- A possible solution to prevent nested serialization is to check if a variable is serialized using is_serialized()
if( !is_serialized( $data ) ) { $data = maybe_serialize($data); }
Source Source
File: wp-includes/functions.php
function maybe_serialize( $data ) {
if ( is_array( $data ) || is_object( $data ) ) {
return serialize( $data );
}
/*
* Double serialization is required for backward compatibility.
* See https://core.trac.wordpress.org/ticket/12930
* Also the world will end. See WP 3.6.1.
*/
if ( is_serialized( $data, false ) ) {
return serialize( $data );
}
return $data;
}
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Changelog Changelog
| Version | Description |
|---|---|
| 2.0.5 | Introduced. |
User Contributed Notes User Contributed Notes
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Basic Examples
<?php // Strings are returned untouched. $data = 'Hello World!'; echo maybe_serialize( $data ); // Hello World! // Integers, floats and boolean values are also returned untouched. $data = 55; echo maybe_serialize( $data ); // 55 $data = 4.560 echo maybe_serialize( $data ); // 4.560 $data = true; $data = maybe_serialize( $data ); // $data = true; $data = null; $data = maybe_serialize( $data ); // $data = null // An array or object will be returned as a serialized string. $data = array( 1 => 'Hello World!', 'foo' => 'bar' ); echo maybe_serialize( $data ); // a:2:{i:1;s:12:"Hello World!";s:3:"foo";s:3:"bar";} // A serialized string will be serialized again. $data = 'a:2:{i:1;s:12:"Hello World!";s:3:"foo";s:3:"bar";}'; echo maybe_serialize( $data ); // s:50:"a:2:{i:1;s:12:"Hello World!";s:3:"foo";s:3:"bar";}"; ?>Expand full source codeCollapse full source code