preg_replace - referencing the captured text

[john mckean]

I am translating my javascript function to php and am having trouble referencing captured text.

 

Specifically, RegExp.$1 returns the captured text, but ${1} returns empty.

 

I have spent a great deal of time researching this, to no avail.

 

Thanks for any help.

John

 

This loop steps though the text looking for potential linkable URLs or email addresses.  Each match is replaced with a mark <1> .. <5> etc.  A subsequent loop analyzes each capture and replaces the mark with HTML link code or restores the original text.

 

The javascript:

  for (i=0;i<20;i++)
  {
  // Get a potential link and mark where it came from
   $text = $text.replace(/(\S+\.\S+)/,"<"+i+">"); // look for dots that are surrounded by non-whitespace characters
   tlnk[i] = RegExp.$1;
  }

 

My attempted PHP translation:

// Loop through the clear text 
  for ($i=0;$i<20;$i++)
  {
  // Get a potential link and mark where it came from
   $text = preg_replace('(\S+\.\S+)',"<".$i.">",$text,1); // look for dots that are surrounded by non-whitespace characters
   $tlnk[$i] = ${1};
  }

[sasa]

try

preg_match('/(\S+\.\S+)/', $text, $out);
print_r($out);

[john mckean]

Thanks for the reply sasa, but preg_match doesn't do the replace. 

 

Is there some way of seeing capture values on a preg_replace

as there is in javascript?

 

OR ...  Can you guide me to a foolproof function that makes links

from text URLs?

 

Thanks,

John

 

 

[sasa]

try[codeg<?php
function my_link($a = 'i_need_link'){
    static $i = 0, $array = array();
    if($a == 'i_need_link') return $array;
    $i++;
    $array[$i]=  $a[0];
    return "<$i>";
}
$test = 'blah blah www.a.com bla bla blaa b.com aaaa
    sss c.org bla';
$test1 = preg_replace_callback('/\S+\.\S+/', 'my_link', $test);
$links = my_link();
echo $test1,"\n<hr />\n";
print_r($links);
?> 

[john mckean]

Thanks sasa, it works great! 

 

That's probably the best example of preg_replace_callback I've seen.

I can use it elsewhere too.

 

Much obliged,

John