The maybe_serialize() WordPress PHP function checks if data needs to be serialized and serializes it if necessary.
Usage
maybe_serialize($data)
Custom Example
Input: $data = array("a" => 1, "b" => 2);
Output: 'a:2:{s:1:"a";i:1;s:1:"b";i:2;}'
Parameters
$data(string|array|object) – The data that might need to be serialized.
More information
See WordPress Developer Resources: maybe_serialize
Examples
Serialize a string
Serializing a string returns the original string.
$data = 'Hello World!'; $result = maybe_serialize($data); echo $result; // Hello World!
Serialize a number
Serializing a number returns the original number.
$data = 42; $result = maybe_serialize($data); echo $result; // 42
Serialize a boolean value
Serializing a boolean value returns the original boolean value.
$data = true; $result = maybe_serialize($data); echo $result ? 'true' : 'false'; // true
Serialize an array
Serializing an array returns a serialized string.
$data = array('key' => 'value', 'number' => 123);
$result = maybe_serialize($data);
echo $result; // a:2:{s:3:"key";s:5:"value";s:6:"number";i:123;}
Serialize a serialized string
Serializing an already serialized string returns a serialized version of the original serialized string.
$data = 'a:2:{s:3:"key";s:5:"value";s:6:"number";i:123;}';
$result = maybe_serialize($data);
echo $result; // s:44:"a:2:{s:3:"key";s:5:"value";s:6:"number";i:123;}";