PHP, pass array through POST

Question

Which is the most secure way to send an array through POST?

foreach ($id as $array)
{
<input type="hidden" name="prova[]" value="<?php echo $array; ?>"/>
}
<input type="submit" name="submit"/>

or using implode() to create a single variable, pass the variable and then use explode() to get back the values into a new array?

Answer 1

Edit If you are asking about security, see my addendum at the bottom Edit

PHP has a serialize function provided for this specific purpose. Pass it an array, and it will give you a string representation of it. When you want to convert it back to an array, you just use the unserialize function.

$data = array('one'=>1, 'two'=>2, 'three'=>33);
$dataString = serialize($data);
//send elsewhere
$data = unserialize($dataString);

This is often used by lazy coders to save data to a database. Not recommended, but works as a quick/dirty solution.

Addendum

I was under the impression that you were looking for a way to send the data reliably, not "securely". No matter how you pass the data, if it is going through the users system, you cannot trust it at all. Generally, you should store it somewhere on the server & use a credential (cookie, session, password, etc) to look it up.