problem assigning array to variable

I'm sure this is a simple one. I have an array in a simplexml object. When I try to assign the array to a variable, it only assigns the first index of the array. How can I get it to assign the whole array. This is my code.

$xml = simplexml_load_string(FlickrUtils::getMyPhotos("flickr.photos.search", $_SESSION['token']));

$photosArray = $xml->photos;
//$photosArray = $xml->photos->photo;

//echo gettype($photosArray);
print_r($photosArray);

This is the result of the print_r($photosArray);

SimpleXMLElement Object
(
    [@attributes] => Array
        (
            [page] => 1
            [pages] => 1
            [perpage] => 100
            [total] => 4
        )

    [photo] => Array
        (
            [0] => SimpleXMLElement Object
                (
                    [@attributes] => Array
                        (
                            [id] => 5335626037
                            [owner] => 57991585@N02
                            [secret] => bd66f06b49
                            [server] => 5210
                            [farm] =&开发者_开发知识库gt; 6
                            [title] => 1
                            [ispublic] => 1
                            [isfriend] => 0
                            [isfamily] => 0
                        )

                )

            [1] => SimpleXMLElement Object
                (
                    [@attributes] => Array
                        (
                            [id] => 5336238676
                            [owner] => 57991585@N02
                            [secret] => 898dffa011
                            [server] => 5286
                            [farm] => 6
                            [title] => 2
                            [ispublic] => 1
                            [isfriend] => 0
                            [isfamily] => 0
                        )

                )

            [2] => SimpleXMLElement Object
                (
                    [@attributes] => Array
                        (
                            [id] => 5335625381
                            [owner] => 57991585@N02
                            [secret] => 60a0c84597
                            [server] => 5126
                            [farm] => 6
                            [title] => 4
                            [ispublic] => 1
                            [isfriend] => 0
                            [isfamily] => 0
                        )

                )

            [3] => SimpleXMLElement Object
                (
                    [@attributes] => Array
                        (
                            [id] => 5335625195
                            [owner] => 57991585@N02
                            [secret] => 49348c1e8b
                            [server] => 5126
                            [farm] => 6
                            [title] => 3
                            [ispublic] => 1
                            [isfriend] => 0
                            [isfamily] => 0
                        )

                )

        )

)

Thanks for youe help!

---

I fail to see an array in your example. However, $xml is traversable, so you probably mean that. $xml->photos selects only the first photo element though. You are probably looking for

$photosArray = $xml->xpath('//photo');

which indeed returns an array.

---

In order to return all photo, can make used on children()

You can cast the list of simplexml objects into array, like

$photosArray = (array)$xml->children();

/* or retain the simplexml object */
$photosArray = $xml->children();