note 95330 deleted from intro.simplexml by danbrown

Note Submitter: Anonymous ---- Hi, I have a question about simplexml and encoding and decoding a simplexml object. When I have an empty node, it is turned into an empty simplexml element object when using simplexml. Empty nodes should have a string length of zero, and empty simplexml element objects do indeed have a string length of zero. However, if I json encode and json decode the simplexml object, the empty node is turned into an empty array through the json encoding and deoding, and whereas originally the node's string length was zero and the string length of an empty simplexml element object is zero, after json encoding and decoding the node is turned into an empty array with a string length of 5. Is there a way to prevent empty nodes from turning into empty arrays when you json encode and json decode simplexml objects? Using just simplexml, print_r gives: SimpleXMLElement Object ( [name] => James [id] => SimpleXMLElement Object ( ) strlen of the empty [id] simplexml element object is zero. Using simplexml then json encoding and json decoding, print r gives: Array ( [name] => James [id] => Array ( ) strlen of the empty [id] array is 5. I don't want the empty simplexml object turned into an empty array...I want to be able to test the strlen, and since it was an empty node to begin with after json encoding and decoding I want the strlen to remain zero, not 5. Any suggestions? Is this a bug?