objective c - PHP flattening JSON array of objects? -

i'm using afnetworking post json ios app. seems working fine, json i'm sending has following format:

{     "user":{         "firstname":"joe",         "lastname":"blogs",         "contact":{             "email":"joe@blogs.com",             "phone":"0800900800"         },         "list":[             {                 "name":"item1",                 "code":"itm1",                 "category":0             },             {                 "name":"item2",                 "code":"itm2",                 "category":3             },             {                 "name":"item3",                 "code":"itm3",                 "category":2             }         ]     } } 

i parse contents of json in mysql table. i'm able read info (firstname, lastname, contact etc) you'd expect json in php:

<?php     $json = $_post["user"];      $fname = $json["firstname"];     $lname = $json["lastname"];      $contact = $json["contact"];     $email = $contact["email"];     .     .     . ?> 

however when come iterate on "list" array, array appears flattened. if perform count:

$list = $json["list"]; $listcount = count($list); 

$listcount equal 9 (i.e. 3 objects in array x 3 properties on every object, if array has been flattened), rather 3 expect.

am misunderstanding how json arrays parsed in php or afnetworking processing json in way before posts?

update:

having var_dumped "list" array part of json , back:

["list"]=> array(9) { [0]=> array(1) {   ["name"]=>   string(5) "item1" } [1]=> array(1) {   ["code"]=>   string(4) "itm1" } [2]=> array(1) {   ["category"]=>   string(1) "0" } [3]=> array(1) {   ["name"]=>   string(5) "item2" } [4]=> array(1) {   ["code"]=>   string(4) "itm2" } [5]=> array(1) {   ["category"]=>   string(1) "3" } [6]=> array(1) {   ["name"]=>   string(5) "item3" } [7]=> array(1) {   ["code"]=>   string(4) "itm3" } [8]=> array(1) {   ["category"]=>   string(1) "2" } } 

so looks if each object in original array has been split out in it's own object in array.

for reference here's request using afnetworking in ios app:

user *user = [users objectatindex:0]; nsdictionary *userdictionary = [user serialiseuser]; nslog(@"user\n%@", userdictionary);  nsurl *url = [nsurl urlwithstring:baseurl]; afhttprequestoperationmanager *operationmanager = [[afhttprequestoperationmanager alloc] initwithbaseurl:url];  if (operationmanager) {     [operationmanager post:path                 parameters:userdictionary                    success:^(afhttprequestoperation *operation, id responseobject) {                        nslog(@"success: %@", responseobject);                    }                    failure:^(afhttprequestoperation *operation, nserror *error) {                        nslog(@"failed: %@", error);                        nslog(@"%@", operation.responsestring);                    }]; 

where serialiseuser produces original json/dictionary object above.

thanks in advance insight.

try decoding json below

<?php  $json = json_decode($_post["user"]);  print_r($json); ?>  stdclass object (     [user] => stdclass object         (             [firstname] => joe             [lastname] => blogs             [contact] => stdclass object                 (                     [email] => joe@blogs.com                     [phone] => 0800900800                 )          [list] => array             (                 [0] => stdclass object                     (                         [name] => item1                         [code] => itm1                         [category] => 0                     )                  [1] => stdclass object                     (                         [name] => item2                         [code] => itm2                         [category] => 3                     )                  [2] => stdclass object                     (                         [name] => item3                         [code] => itm3                         [category] => 2                     )              )           )  )