Create Multi dimension recursive regex with php pairs / array from preg_match_all

[imperimus]

Hi Folks,

 

Been getting into a little coding recently and trying to parse some templates that will need embedded objects found and processed in order to generate the output.

 

I have the following string which I need to be bale to extract the parameters from in order to process the next part of the code. I have manage to do this by doing multiple preg_match_all, but it is not very efficient and/or dynamic.

 

Example strings (the source might contain multiples): <==OBJECTSTART==>type=>sqltable,objectid=>4000001,options=>1|5|2<==OBJECTEND==>

 

<==OBJECTSTART==>type=>sqltable,objectid=>4000002,options=>3|8|5<==OBJECTEND==>

 

What I have so far I have go to the following for a regex expression:

 

/<==OBJECTSTART==>((.?),)(.?)<==OBJECTEND==>/

 

This gives me the information before the first comma but I have tried the usual + and * to give me a repeat iteration but no luck.

 

ideally I am looking for an array of objects that looks like the following

 

[0]=>

[type]=sqltable

[objected]=4000001

[options]=1|5|2

 

[1]=>

[type]=sqltable

[objected]=4000002

[options]=3|8|5

 

thanks in advance!

 

[imperimus]

With a little help I have ended up with the following Function:

function process_objects($data){
		$pattern = "/<==OBJECTSTART==>.*?<==OBJECTEND==>/";		
		preg_match_all($pattern, $data, $objects);
		if(!empty($objects[0])){
			foreach($objects as $objectarr){
				foreach($objectarr as $object){
					$line = preg_replace('/<==OBJECTSTART==>(.*)<==OBJECTEND==>/', '\1', $object);
					$pairs = explode(',', $line);
					$new_data = array();
					foreach ($pairs as $pair) {
						list ($key, $value) = explode('=>', $pair);
						$new_data[$key] = $value;
					}
					
					$replacement = get_object($new_data[type],$new_data[objectid],$new_data[options]);
					$data = str_replace($object, $replacement, $data);
					
					
				}
			}
			//
			return $data;
			
		} 
	}



	function get_object($objtype, $objid, $objoptions){
		$item = "<table><tr><td>this is an object: ".$objtype."</td></tr></table>\n";
	
		return $item;
	}

Seems to work, but not sure if it is the most efficient way to get there!

[requinix]

There's no way to get one regex to do that because (1) can't match more than one thing in a collection of other things, and (2) can't get array keys like that.

 

imperimus's solution is basically how you have to do it, though there's flexibility on exactly how of course:

1. Match all the OBJECTSTART to OBJECTEND "tags" and loop over each

2. Match all key=>value pairs inside each tag and loop over each

3. Add to an array