Cannot Use Object as Array

Why This Happens

PHP distinguishes between arrays and objects. When you receive an object, such as from json_decode() without the associative flag or from a database query returning objects, you cannot access its properties with square brackets unless the class implements ArrayAccess.

The Problem

$data = json_decode('{"name": "Alice"}');
echo $data['name']; // Error: stdClass is not an array

The Fix

// Option 1: Access as object property
$data = json_decode('{"name": "Alice"}');
echo $data->name;

// Option 2: Decode as associative array
$data = json_decode('{"name": "Alice"}', true);
echo $data['name'];

Step-by-Step Fix

1. 1

   Check the variable type

   Use var_dump() or gettype() to confirm the variable is an object rather than an array.

2. 2

   Determine the data source

   Check if the data comes from json_decode, a database query, or an API response that returns objects by default.

3. 3

   Use the correct access syntax

   Switch to -> for object property access, or pass true as the second argument to json_decode to get an associative array.