[SOLVED] Help with string extraction

[EchoFool]

I am getting lost on how to "extract" part of a variable's string leaving only what needs to be seen. I tried using explode function but that was not allowing it to save the tags around the text with it.

 

This is the paragraph im processing:

 

[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading![/quote]

Response 14455.

 

Now this whole paragraph above is in a variable as $Message

 

But i want to forward the message but to stop the user "editing" what is being quoted i want to some how extract the quote.

 

So from [24] to [/ QUOTE] it needs to take. So it then assigns it to a new variable so the new variable will become:

[24]Testing[25]Thank you for reading![/quote]

 

Leaving only for the main variable:

Response 14455. 

 

 

Can php do this? I know how to explode a string but explodes don't take the symbol that separates the information. I need this to also take the tags with it.

[DeanWhitehouse]

are u looking for bbcode?

[EchoFool]

No no. Just to break the string apart

 

From the the first char to the last char of

 

Then to the end of the string.

[DeanWhitehouse]

i am pretty sure that is kinda bbcode

will the start and end tags always be

[24]

[EchoFool]

Yeh the tags will be the same every time.

 

I just need to split that paragraph into two variables. Rather than one.

[DeanWhitehouse]

okay then you will need a regex, using preg_replace

and then you can convert [24]

to anything and this will save the result in a string.

[EchoFool]

Replace? I'm not trying to convert or replace anything how ever...im not sure if i have misunderstood you, or you have misunderstood me lol.

 

Just to sure, let me simplify it with a simple example say a string has:

 

Hello there!

 

And i wanted to "cut" this string so it become:

 

$Var1 = Hello

$Var2 = there!

 

 

Only for my real situation i need to cut the string "after" the last char of :

[/ QUOTE]

 

So "everything" after the ] char from [/ QUOTE]

Will go to $Var2 and everything before the ] include the ] itself goes to $Var1.

 

If i were to replace it I would loose tags. The tags need to remain otherwise when echo'd for later use it won't process in the BBCode.

[MadTechie]

You mean like this ?

 

<?php
$text = '[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading![/quote]';
if (preg_match('%(.*?\])([^]]*?\[\/QUOTE\])%si', $text, $regs))
{
$Var1 = $regs[1]; // [24]Test[25]
$Var2 = $regs[2]; // Thank you for reading![/quote]
}
?>

 

 

EDIT:

to be more exact, i guess you should have

if (preg_match('%(.*?\[25\])([^]]*?\[\/QUOTE\])%si', $text, $regs)) {

[DeanWhitehouse]

i didn't know about preg match, i was suggesting replacing the [24] and

with just a blank space

mad techie has a better solution

[MadTechie]

The RegEx matches everything until it hits a "[25]" and puts that into Var1, then matches everything until it hits a

and puts that into Var2

 

so, the results would be as follows (so it may not be what you want..

 

$text = '[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading!';

var1 = "[24]Test[25]"'

var2 = "Thank you for reading!"

 

$text = 'testing [24]Test[25]Thank you for reading!';

var1 = "testing [24]Test[25]"'

var2 = "Thank you for reading!"

 

$text = '[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading! can't find me';

var1 = "[24]Test[25]"'

var2 = "Thank you for reading!"

 

of course i could mod it to remove the [24] & [25] or only include the text inside them or almost anything but from what he said

So "everything" after the ] char from [/ QUOTE]

Will go to $Var2 and everything before the ] include the ] itself goes to $Var1.

 

i assume this is correct

[JasonLewis]

if (preg_match('%(.*?\[25\])([^]]*?\[\/QUOTE\])%si', $text, $regs)) {

 

Can I just ask, MadTechie, what purpose do the % at the start and end serve? Like, obviously they are declaring the start and end of the string like ^ and $, but do they do anything better?

[MadTechie]

In RegEx you need to tag the start and end of the patten, after the last tag you can add switches

 

Now i am using 2 switches S and I, (dot match new lines and case insensitive), the tag i normall use are / but this can be almost anything I used % because of the / used in /QUOTE

I could of done this (escape the / in /quote)

if (preg_match('/(.*?\[25\])([^]]*?\[\//QUOTE\])/si', $text, $regs)) {

if i didn't escape the / then it would think i wanted the switches to be

"QUOTE\])/si" instead of just "si"

 

but i find it easier to use % then again i could use # or @ or : or ~ etc

ie for # it would be

if (preg_match('#(.*?\[25\])([^]]*?\[\/QUOTE\])#si', $text, $regs)) {

 

hope that makes sense

 

[JasonLewis]

Yeah I know regular expressions. Was just wondering what the difference between the % and / were. Because I usually use /

 

Cheers, I just thought it did something differently.

[MadTechie]

Nope, they do the same thing just saves time when you have / in the patten

[JasonLewis]

Haha alright then. Shall remember.

Cheers.

[EchoFool]

You mean like this ?

 

<?php
$text = '[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading![/quote]';
if (preg_match('%(.*?\])([^]]*?\[\/QUOTE\])%si', $text, $regs))
{
$Var1 = $regs[1]; // [24]Test[25]
$Var2 = $regs[2]; // Thank you for reading![/quote]
}
?>

 

 

EDIT:

to be more exact, i guess you should have

if (preg_match('%(.*?\[25\])([^]]*?\[\/QUOTE\])%si', $text, $regs)) {

 

Close to that but the two variables should be become like this:

 

	$Var1 = $regs[1]; // [24]Test[25] Thank you for reading![/quote]
$Var2 = $regs[2]; // Response 14455.

 

So everything before the last char of "

" which is the ] is in one var... and everything after the ] goes to the second var.

 

The original string is:

[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading![/quote]

Response 14455.

[EchoFool]

Bump

[MadTechie]

Try this (i'm at work so can't test it but looks ok)

<?php
$text = '[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading![/quote] Response 14455.';
if (preg_match('%^(.*?\[\/QUOTE\])(.*)$%si', $text, $regs)) {
{
$Var1 = $regs[1]; // "[24]Test[25]Thank you for reading![/quote]"
$Var2 = $regs[2]; // " Response 14455." 
}
?>

[EchoFool]

Thankyou for your response. It works a treat!

 

Although to cover all eventualities of a forum post.... it is very common for a message to contain:

 

<?php
$Message = $MainMessage = '[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote] because i want to!';
?>

 

They may even have more quotes than that. And so at this stage it wouldn't split the message correctly as i just tried it, it cuts the first end quote then nothing after that. Though I still require it to cut into two $vars only no matter how many [ /quote ] tags are invovled.

 

It should end up like:

<?php
$message[0] = '[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote]' // the quotes
$message[1] = 'because i want to!'  // the post

 

Any ideas?

 

Thanks for your response.

[MadTechie]

Okay little different style but again may work (can't test here)

 

<?php
$text = '[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote] because i want to!';
if (preg_match('%(.*\b\[/quote\])(.*)%si', $text, $regs)) {
{
$Var1 = $regs[1]; // "[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote]"
$Var2 = $regs[2]; // " because i want to!"
}
?>

[EchoFool]

Okay little different style but again may work (can't test here)

 

<?php
$text = '[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote] because i want to!';
if (preg_match('%(.*\b\[/quote\])(.*)%si', $text, $regs)) {
{
$Var1 = $regs[1]; // "[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote]"
$Var2 = $regs[2]; // " because i want to!"
}
?>

 

Thanks MadTechie. The if statement doesn't seem to come out as true though anymore:

 

<?php
$Message = $row['Message'];
//hiiide quote				
if (preg_match('%(.*\b\[/quote\])(.*)%si', $Message, $regs)) {
{
	$Var1 = $regs[1]; // "[ quote] [ quote] test [/quote] why are you testing[/quote]"
	$Var2 = $regs[2]; // " because i want to!"
}
}Else{
Echo 'failed';
}

 

The failed is being echo'd. Why could that be?

[MadTechie]

ooops, remove the \b (shouldn't be thier)

 

if (preg_match('%(.*\[/quote\])(.*)$%si', $text, $regs))
{
$Var1 = $regs[1];
$Var2 = $regs[2];
}else{
//No quotes found
}

[EchoFool]

works a treat! Thankyou !