sort array using array_unique from external XML (CDATA)

Question

I can't manage to sort an array alfabetically. It's an array with cities that I get from an external XML.

The XML looks like this, and it's the node localidad I am trying to sort.

<parada>
    <id>506</id>
    <localidad>
        <![CDATA[ Alvor ]]>
    </localidad>
    <parada>
        <![CDATA[ Alvor Baia Hotel (Bus Stop Alvor Férias) ]]>
    </parada>
    <lat>37.1296</lat>
    <lng>-8.58058</lng>
    <horasalida>05:40</horasalida>
</parada>

The relevant code:

$xml = new SimpleXMLElement($viajes);
foreach ($xml->parada as $excursion) {
  $newParadasarray[] = $excursion->localidad;
}
$newParadasarray = array_unique($newParadasarray);

foreach ($newParadasarray as $parada) {

  if (strpos($parada, 'Almuñecar') !== false)
                  echo '<option value="Almuñecar">Almuñecar</option>';

  if (strpos($parada, 'Benalmádena') !== false)
                  echo '<option value="Benalmádena Costa">Benalmádena Costa</option>';

  if (strpos($parada, 'Estepona') !== false)
                  echo '<option value="Estepona">Estepona</option>';
  etc.
}

I have tried with sort() and array_values() .

This is the output of print_r($newParadasarray) :

Array (
  [0]  => SimpleXMLElement Object ( [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) )
  [1]  => SimpleXMLElement Object ( [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) )
  [2]  => SimpleXMLElement Object ( [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) )
  [4]  => SimpleXMLElement Object ( [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) )
  [9]  => SimpleXMLElement Object ( [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) )
  [14] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) )
  [20] => etc.

Answer 1

The problem is that your assigning a SimpleXMLElement into the array, instead you want the content of the element, so just change the line...

$newParadasarray[] = $excursion->localidad;

to

$newParadasarray[] = trim((string)$excursion->localidad);

The cast (string) takes the text content and trim() removes the extra whitespace around it.

I am assuming that you have multiple <parada> elements, so that $xml->parada is returning the correct data.

Answer 2

If you're familiar with DOMDocument you could simply do this:

$doc = new DOMDocument();
$doc->loadXML($xml);
$array = array();

foreach($doc->getElementsByTagName("localidad") as $localidad) {
    $array[] = trim($localidad->nodeValue);
}

$array = array_unique($array);
sort($array);