Collection Products vs Collection Properties

[silas3]

This is for successful json encoding.

if i run: 

$collection = Mage::getResourceModel('catalog/product_collection');
$products = $collection->load()->toArray();

I get a lovely array of product properties + nested stockitem also as array of properties and that encodes fine. But if I run

 $simples= Mage::getModel('catalog/product_type_configurable')
                   ->getUsedProducts(null,$product);

I can't run : $simples->load()->toArray(); or just ->toArray(); and I can't json encode it properly. Sort of begs a coupla questions about the difference between the two fetches and what's the best way out without making an elaborate iteration with $item->getData()'s

[silas3]

I do see that 

getUsedProducts()

returns an array not a collection , but an array of product objects, is there a simple way to flip these to nested arrays ? (StockItems nested i mean) ?

[silas3 · Accepted solution]

This works:

$collection = Mage::getResourceModel('catalog/product_collection');
foreach($simples as $simple){
   $collection->addItem($simple);
}
$products=$collection->toArray();
return $products;