create and append json file php

To create and append data to a JSON file using PHP, the following steps are required:

• Define the JSON file path: Specify the name and location of the JSON file.

Code

    $filename = 'data.json';

• Prepare the new data: Create an associative array in PHP representing the data to be appended.

Code

    $newData = [
        'name' => 'Aditya Singh',
        'age' => 43,
        'city' => 'India'
    ];

• Read existing data (if any): Check if the JSON file exists. If it does, read its contents and decode them into a PHP array.

Code

    if (file_exists($filename)) {
        $currentData = file_get_contents($filename);
        $arrayData = json_decode($currentData, true); // true for associative array
    } else {
        $arrayData = []; // Initialize an empty array if file doesn't exist
    }

• Append new data: Add the $newData to the $arrayData. If the JSON file stores an array of objects, append the new data as a new element in that array.

Code

    $arrayData[] = $newData;

• Encode and write to file: Convert the updated PHP array back into a JSON string using json_encode() and write it to the file using file_put_contents().

Code

    $jsonData = json_encode($arrayData, JSON_PRETTY_PRINT); // JSON_PRETTY_PRINT for readability
    file_put_contents($filename, $jsonData);

This process ensures that new data is added without overwriting existing content, while also handling the creation of the file if it doesn’t already exist.