javascript - Ajax call of php function does not send json array -

this javascript calls php function through ajax json datatype. data returned php should json array 3 items: html, todays_events, debug_text. on linux json returned isn't array. last item, debug_text returned, response['html'] null.

this ajax call.

    $.ajax({     url: "get_events.php",     type: "post",     data: { user_id: user_id, todays_only: todays_only },     datatype: 'json',     cache: false,     async: false,     success: function (response) {         if (response != '')          {             if ( trim(response["html"]) != "" ) {               var scroll_5_html = response["html"];               $("#scroll_5").html(scroll_5_html);              }             else {               var filter_select = document.getelementbyid("filter_today").checked;               if ( filter_select == true ) {                 noevents_text += "<br/>for today";               }               $('#scroll_5').html('<p style="width: 140px; padding-top: 140px; padding-bottom: 131px; margin:0 auto; font-family: \'trebuchet ms\'; font-size:12px; color:white;">'+noevents_text+'.</p>');                            }              todays_events = response["todays_events"];         }     },     error: function (request, status, error) {         /* alert ("status "+status+" error "+error+" responsetext "+request.responsetext); */     }, });     

#

the $print_html variable created html added in way

    $print_html = '';     $print_html .= '<div id="'.$node['id'].'" class="channel event" source="'.$node->source.'" channel_id="'.$channel_id.'" start_date="'.$start_date.'" onclick_string="'.$onclick.'"><a>'.$print_first.'</a></div>';      $print_span = $node->title.'<br/>'.$start_date;      if (isset($event_time) && $event_time != "" ) {         $print_span .= ' '.$event_time.'<br/>';     }     $print_span .= 'source: '.$site;     if ( isset($node->notes) && $node->notes != "" && $node->notes != "null" ) {         $print_span .= '<br/>'.'notes: '.$node->notes;     }      $print_html .= "<script type='text/javascript'>     var channel_top = $('.channel:last').position().top + 110;     $('#matting').append('<span id=\"tv".$node['id']."\" class=\"tooltip\" style=\"top:'+channel_top+'px;\">".$print_span."</span>');     </script>\n"; 

the todays_events variable array.

$todays_events = array();  if ( $event_added_flag != 1 ) {                                     $event_array[$nodeid.'_'.$iatt] = $todays_print_date.' '.strtolower($r_string);                                     $start_dates[$nodeid.'_'.$iatt] = $todays_print_date;                                     $event_times[$nodeid.'_'.$iatt] = $r_events[$iat];                                     array_push($todays_events, $nodeid.'_'.$iatt);  } 

the other variable $return['debug_text'] created shown before.

    $return['debug_text'] .= ' r_at '.$r_at.' r_events count '.$events_count;     $return['debug_text'] .= ' start_date '.$start_date.' print_date '.$print_date.'<br/>'; 

#

the data returned php as

$return['html'] = $print_html; $return['todays_events'] = $todays_events; $return['debug_text'] .= '\r\nfilter flag '.$todays_only;  echo json_encode($return); return; 

on javascript side response["html"] , response["todays_events"] contain "null". these contain html text. doesn't json_encode handle html?