What PHP array syntax is used?

Modern short-array syntax ([...]), not the older array(...) form, matching current PHP style guides.

How are XML attributes represented?

The same @-prefix convention as the XML to JSON Converter, so an id attribute on becomes an '@id' => ... entry in the array.

Is there a PHP Array to XML converter?

Yes, PHP Array to XML Converter parses exactly the array literal syntax this tool produces (including the <?php wrapper) back into XML, so the two form a round trip. PHP array literals still have no single universal parser the way JSON does, so that reverse tool only handles the modern [...] / array(...) literal syntax, not arbitrary PHP expressions.

How are strings escaped?

Single-quoted PHP string literals, with backslashes and single quotes escaped, the simplest and least surprising PHP string form for arbitrary text content.

XML to PHP Array Converter

Q: How are strings escaped?

Single-quoted PHP string literals, with backslashes and single quotes escaped, the simplest and least surprising PHP string form for arbitrary text content.

Overview

Introduction

Pasting XML data into a PHP script usually means manually rewriting it as an array literal.

This tool generates that literal directly.

What Is XML to PHP Array Converter?

A code-generation tool that converts XML to JSON.

It then recursively renders that value as an indented PHP array literal wrapped in a complete <?php file.

How XML to PHP Array Converter Works

XML is converted to JSON the same way the XML to JSON Converter does it.

The parsed value is then walked recursively: objects and arrays become nested [...] array literals with 'key' => value entries, and scalars become PHP literals (numbers, true/false, null, or single-quoted strings).

When To Use XML to PHP Array Converter

Use it when you need XML data available as a native PHP array for a script, test fixture, or config file, without hand-transcribing it.

It's also useful for generating a PHP constant or config array straight from an XML data export.

Often used alongside XML to JSON Converter, JSON to TypeScript Converter and PHP Array to XML Converter.

Features

Advantages

Produces ready-to-paste, properly indented PHP.
Handles arbitrary nesting and arrays automatically.
Runs entirely client-side.

Limitations

Every value becomes a PHP scalar or array, there's no attempt to infer richer PHP types.
The round trip through PHP Array to XML Converter isn't lossless: XML text content that started as a number or boolean comes back as a plain PHP string unless you cast it yourself.

Examples

Converting a small record

Input

<user id="1"><name>Ada</name></user>

Output

<?php

$data = [
    'user' => [
        '@id' => '1',
        'name' => 'Ada',
    ],
];

The XML structure becomes a nested PHP array assigned to $data.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Rename the $data variable in the output to whatever fits your script before using it.
Use XML to JSON Converter first if you want to double-check the structure before generating PHP from it.
Review the @-prefixed attribute keys, some PHP codebases prefer renaming them before use.

Developer Notes

Rendering is a straightforward recursive function with no PHP-specific dependency, indentation is 4 spaces per level, matching common PHP style conventions (PSR-12).