How to implement guide with json decoding of nested arrays in php 8.1: unexpected type errors
I've been struggling with this for a few days now and could really use some help. I'm collaborating on a project where I'm sure I'm missing something obvious here, but I'm working with an scenario while trying to decode a JSON object that contains nested arrays... The JSON structure I'm working with looks something like this: ```json { "users": [ { "id": 1, "name": "John", "preferences": { "notifications": true, "theme": "dark" } }, { "id": 2, "name": "Jane", "preferences": { "notifications": false, "theme": "light" } } ] } ``` When I use `json_decode` to parse this JSON string in PHP 8.1, I expect to get an associative array. Here's the code I'm using: ```php $jsonString = '{ "users": [ { "id": 1, "name": "John", "preferences": { "notifications": true, "theme": "dark" } }, { "id": 2, "name": "Jane", "preferences": { "notifications": false, "theme": "light" } } ] } }'; $data = json_decode($jsonString, true); if (json_last_error() !== JSON_ERROR_NONE) { echo 'JSON behavior: ' . json_last_error_msg(); } ``` However, I'm working with the following behavior when trying to access the `preferences` key: ``` PHP Warning: Trying to access array offset on value of type null in ... ``` I verified that the JSON is valid using an online validator. I've also tried different variations of decoding it, such as passing `false` as the second argument to `json_decode`, but I still receive the same warning when I try to access `$data['users'][0]['preferences']['theme']`. I have confirmed that `$data` is indeed an array, but the `preferences` key seems to be missing. Is there a specific configuration or option I need to consider when working with nested arrays in PHP 8.1, or have I possibly overlooked something in my decoding logic? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm working in a CentOS environment. What are your experiences with this? What's the correct way to implement this?