Splitting the difference with PHP

For 2023 (and 2024 ...) - we are now fully retired from IT training.
We have made many, many friends over 25 years of teaching about Python, Tcl, Perl, PHP, Lua, Java, C and C++ - and MySQL, Linux and Solaris/SunOS too. Our training notes are now very much out of date, but due to upward compatability most of our examples remain operational and even relevant ad you are welcome to make us if them "as seen" and at your own risk.

Lisa and I (Graham) now live in what was our training centre in Melksham - happy to meet with former delegates here - but do check ahead before coming round. We are far from inactive - rather, enjoying the times that we are retired but still healthy enough in mind and body to be active!

I am also active in many other area and still look after a lot of web sites - you can find an index ((here))

There are lots of ways of splitting a string into pieces - you can do it character by characters, at a specific character, and word by word. PHP provides functions for splitting strings in these ways - and more - into arrays of shorter strings.

To split a string into a list of single character strings:
  $first = str_split($record);

To split a string at a specific single character:
  $second = explode(" ",$record);

To split a string at a pattern - in this case at any number of white spaces:
  $fourth = preg_split("/\s+/",$record);

There are others too - str_getcsv will treat a string as a list of comma separated values, and split uses the deprecated "ereg" style regular expressions.

Examples in a full program at [here], and you can run the program [here].

(written 2013-04-27)

Associated topics are indexed as below, or enter http://melksh.am/nnnn for individual articles

H107 - String Handling in PHP
  [31] Here documents - (2004-08-28)
  [54] PHP and natural sorting - (2004-09-19)
  [337] the array returned by preg_match_all - (2005-06-06)
  [422] PHP Magic Quotes - (2005-08-22)
  [463] Splitting the difference - (2005-10-13)
  [493] Running a Perl script within a PHP page - (2005-11-12)
  [558] Converting between acres and hectares - (2006-01-08)
  [560] The fencepost problem - (2006-01-10)
  [574] PHP - dividing a string up into pieces - (2006-01-23)
  [589] Robust PHP user inputs - (2006-02-03)
  [608] Don't expose your regular expressions - (2006-02-15)
  [642] How similar are two words - (2006-03-11)
  [716] Evaluating arithmetic expressions in configuration files - (2006-05-10)
  [728] Looking ahead and behind in a Regular Expression - (2006-05-22)
  [1008] Date conversion - PHP - (2006-12-26)
  [1058] PHP Regular expression to extrtact link and text - (2007-01-31)
  [1195] Regular Express Primer - (2007-05-20)
  [1336] Ignore case in Regular Expression - (2007-09-08)
  [1372] A taster PHP expression ... - (2007-09-30)
  [1533] Short and sweet and sticky - PHP form input - (2008-02-06)
  [1603] Do not SHOUT and do not whisper - (2008-04-06)
  [1613] Regular expression for 6 digits OR 25 digits - (2008-04-16)
  [1799] Regular Expressions in PHP - (2008-09-16)
  [2046] Finding variations on a surname - (2009-02-17)
  [2165] Making Regular Expressions easy to read and maintain - (2009-05-10)
  [2238] Handling nasty characters - Perl, PHP, Python, Tcl, Lua - (2009-06-14)
  [2629] Curly braces within double quoted strings in PHP - (2010-02-09)
  [3020] Handling (expanding) tabs in PHP - (2010-10-29)
  [3424] Divide 10000 by 17. Do you get 588.235294117647, 588.24 or 588? - Ruby and PHP - (2011-09-08)
  [3515] PHP - moving from ereg to preg for regular expressions - (2011-11-11)
  [3516] Regular Expression modifiers in PHP - summary table - (2011-11-12)
  [3534] Learning to program in PHP - Regular Expression and Associative Array examples - (2011-12-01)
  [3788] Getting more than a yes / no answer from a regular expression pattern match - (2012-06-30)
  [3789] More than just matching with a regular expression in PHP - (2012-06-30)
  [3790] Solution looking for a problem? Lookahead and Lookbehind - (2012-06-30)
  [4071] Setting up strings in PHP - (2013-04-27)

H106 - PHP - Arrays
  [409] Functions and commands with dangerous names - (2005-08-11)
  [603] PHP - setting sort order with an associative array - (2006-02-13)
  [773] Breaking bread - (2006-06-22)
  [832] Displaying data at 5 items per line on a web page - (2006-08-14)
  [1116] PHP adding arrays / summing arrays - (2007-03-23)
  [1199] Testing for one of a list of values. - (2007-05-22)
  [1451] More PHP sample and demonstration programs - (2007-12-01)
  [1614] When an array is not an array - (2008-04-17)
  [2215] If nothing, make it nothing. - (2009-06-02)
  [2274] PHP preg functions - examples and comparision - (2009-07-08)
  [2915] Looking up a value by key - associative arrays / Hashes / Dictionaries - (2010-08-11)
  [2920] Sorting - naturally, or into a different order - (2010-08-14)
  [3004] Increment operators for counting - Perl, PHP, C and others - (2010-10-18)
  [3379] Sorting data the way YOU want it sorted - (2011-08-05)
  [4068] Arrays in PHP - contain different and even mixed data types - (2013-04-24)
  [4244] Disambiguation - PHP List - (2014-03-07)

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Learning about Object Orientation in PHP - a new set of examples

Some other Articles

Web site - fully back!
Further recent PHP examples
A comment on comments in PHP
Learning about Object Orientation in PHP - a new set of examples
Splitting the difference with PHP
Passing variable between PHP pages - hidden fields, cookies and sessions
Even early on, separate out your program from your HTML!
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This is a page archived from The Horse's Mouth at http://www.wellho.net/horse/ - the diary and writings of Graham Ellis. Every attempt was made to provide current information at the time the page was written, but things do move forward in our business - new software releases, price changes, new techniques. Please check back via our main site for current courses, prices, versions, etc - any mention of a price in "The Horse's Mouth" cannot be taken as an offer to supply at that price.

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