NAME

PHP::Serialization - simple flexible means of converting the output of PHP's serialize() into the equivalent Perl memory structure, and vice versa.

SYNOPSIS

        use PHP::Serialization qw(serialize unserialize);
        my $encoded = serialize({ a => 1, b => 2});
        my $hashref = unserialize($encoded);

DESCRIPTION

        Provides a simple, quick means of serializing perl memory structures (including object data!) into a format that PHP can deserialize() and access, and vice versa. 

        NOTE: Converts PHP arrays into Perl Arrays when the PHP array used exclusively numeric indexes, and into Perl Hashes then the PHP array did not.

FUNCTIONS

Exportable functions..

serialize($var)

        Serializes the memory structure pointed to by $var, and returns a scalar value of encoded data. 

        NOTE: Will recursively encode objects, hashes, arrays, etc. 

        SEE ALSO: ->encode()

unserialize($encoded,[optional CLASS])

  Deserializes the encoded data in $encoded, and returns a value (be it a hashref, arrayref, scalar, etc) representing the data structure serialized in $encoded_string.

  If the optional CLASS is specified, any objects are blessed into CLASS::$serialized_class. Otherwise, Objects are blessed into PHP::Serialization::Object::$serialized_class. (which has no methods)

        SEE ALSO: ->decode()

METHODS

Functionality available if using the object interface..

decode($encoded_string,[optional CLASS])

  Deserializes the encoded data in $encoded, and returns a value (be it a hashref, arrayref, scalar, etc) representing the data structure serialized in $encoded_string.

  If the optional CLASS is specified, any objects are blessed into CLASS::$serialized_class. Otherwise, Objects are blessed into PHP::Serialization::Object::$serialized_class. (which has no methods)

        SEE ALSO: unserialize()

encode($reference)

        Serializes the memory structure pointed to by $var, and returns a scalar value of encoded data. 

        NOTE: Will recursively encode objects, hashes, arrays, etc. 

        SEE ALSO: serialize()

BUGS

        None known yet, feel free to report some!

TODO

        Make faster! (and more efficent?)

AUTHOR INFORMATION

 Copyright (c) 2003 Jesse Brown <jbrown@cpan.org>. All rights reserved. This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the same terms as Perl itself.