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# serialize

serialize -- Generates a storable representation of a value.

## Description

`string serialize`(mixed value);

serialize() returns a string containing a byte-stream representation of `value` that can be stored anywhere.

This is useful for storing or passing PHP values around without losing their type and structure.

To make the serialized string into a PHP value again, use unserialize(). serialize() handles the types integer, double, string, array (multidimensional) and object (object properties will be serialized, but methods are lost).

Example 1. Serialize() example
      1
      2 // $session_data contains a multi-dimensional array with session
      3 // information for the current user.  We use serialize() to store
      4 // it in a database at the end of the request.
      5
      6 $conn = odbc_connect ("webdb", "php", "chicken");
      7 $stmt = odbc_prepare ($conn,
      8                       "UPDATE sessions SET data = ? WHERE id = ?");
      9 $sqldata = array (serialize($session_data), $PHP_AUTH_USER);
     10 if (!odbc_execute ($stmt, &$sqldata)) {
     11     $stmt = odbc_prepare($conn,
     12                          "INSERT INTO sessions (id, data) VALUES(?, ?)");
     13     if (!odbc_execute($stmt, &$sqldata)) {
     14         /* Something went wrong.  Bitch, whine and moan. */
     15     }
     16 }
     17

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