使用json_encode通过onClick（）将字符串数组传递给javascript

Question

** Update - While my solution works (and I haven't yet heard why not to use htmlspeciatchars()), I am including a modified version of Jacob Mouka's creative solution which successfully avoids having to use it. **

I am trying to pass an array of strings to javascript via onClick() using json_encode. Just passing json_encode($array) did not work. I surmised that since json_encode($array) returns ["a","b","c"], the quotes were the issue. I was successful with wrapping the json_encode($array) with htmlentities() and then using JSON.parse(array) to turn the string back into an array.

I read all the posts on this site and none showed this combination as a solution and I wonder if I am making it more complicated than it should be. Is htmlentities() the correct function to use? Is there a simpler way of sending this array from an onclick() to a javascript function? Thanks in advance.

Javascript

<script>
function shohmultiple(array){
  alert("Aray as string: " + array);
  array = JSON.parse(array)
  for (i=0; i< array.length; i++){ 
    alert(array[i]);
  }
}
</script>

<?php $array=array("a", "b", "c"); ?>

HTML

<a href="#" onClick="shohmultiple('<?php echo htmlspecialchars(json_encode($array)) ?>')">Click Here</a>

Modified Solution from Jacob Mouka (for the workflow I am seeking)

Javascript

<script type="text/javascript">

function shohmultiple (array) {
    for (i=0; i< array.length; i++){ 
        alert(array[i]);
    }
}
</script>

HTML

<?php $array = array("a", "b", "c"); ?>

<script>
    // calling this before outputting <a href> works
    <?php  echo "var js_array = " . json_encode($array) . ";"; ?>
</script>

<a href="#" onClick="shohmultiple(js_array);">Click Here</a>

Answer 1

(edit after some testing)

The problem is actually that json_encode uses double quotes, which messes with the inline javascript (it uses double quotes too). If there was some way to force json_encode to use single quotes, that would fix it (but I don't think there is). A cludgy solutions is something like:

<script type="text/javascript">
<?php
    $array = array("a", "b", "3");
    echo "var js_array = " . json_encode($array) . ";";
?>
    function shohmultiple (val) {
        window.foo = val;
        console.log('got',val);
    }

</script>


<a href="#" onClick="shohmultiple(js_array);">Click Here</a>

Answer 2

If you want to avoid using htmlspecialchars(), encase your onClick with single quotes then escape the json string quotes. This does not ensure the ability to execute (if your json includes single quotes it will break) but it will work for the purposes of this question.

Try it like this :

<a href="#" onClick='shohmultiple(\'<?php echo(json_encode($array)); ?>\')'>Click Here</a>