README.md

lua-phpserialize: A library to work with PHP serialize() format

phpserialize.phpserialize()

phpserialize.phpserialize(value, [php_base_index]) : string or nil, err

Parameters:

• value: value to be serialized
• php_base_index: base index for resulting PHP arrays (if any). Optional, default: 1.

Serializes primitive Lua values (including tables) to format, understandable by PHP's unserialize() function.

Returns string with serialized data or nil and error message.

Serializable Lua types with PHP counterparts:

nil => null boolean => bool number (integers) => integer number (non-integers, except -NaN, -inf, +inf) => double table => array (but see below)

Non-serializable Lua types:

function (would fail) coroutine (would fail) userdata / lightuserdata (would fail) numbers NaN, -inf, +inf (would fail)

Serializable table key types:

number (integers only!) => integer string (not representing integers only!) => string

Any other key type (including non-integer numbers and strings, convertible to integers, see below) would fail.

Table value may be of any of serializable Lua types (see above).

Notes on serialization of tables:

This function does NOT handle fancy stuff like metatables (ignored), weak table keys/values (treated as normal) and recursive tables (would fail). Non-recursive tables deeper that PHPSERIALIZE_MAXNESTING (default 128) are also can't be serialized.

Due to limitations of PHP's array type, table keys may be strings or integers only. PHP forbids string keys convertible to integers -- such keys are automatically converted to integers at array creation. To force unambigous serialization, non-integer numeric keys and string keys, convertible to integers are forbidden.

Note that it is not possible in Lua to have nil as table key.

See the copyright information in the file named COPYRIGHT.