title: Cannot get clean URL from database - encoding issue?
body: <p>I have this bit of code in my script that creates a link to a PDF.</p>
  
  <pre><code>$pdf_filename = $row["outgoing_pdf"];
  $pdf_url = rtrim( "http://45.63.20.147/p3/" ) . $pdf_filename;
  $pdf_meta = array( $outgoing_pdf , $pdf_url );
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>Then it inserts the PDF using this:</p>
  
  <pre><code>update_post_meta( $post_id , "ptb_outgoing_pdf" , $pdf_meta );
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>However, in my database, I am getting this</p>
  
  <pre><code>a:2:{i:0;N;i:1;s:67:"http://45.63.20.147/p3/pdf/responses/76699168_ROA20100603173238.pdf";}
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I have been reading for weeks on how to get just the URL from that, but cannot figure it out. I appreciate any help in advance.</p>