[SOLVED] Detecting if something is repeated 3 times

[Azu]

Can somebody please tell me what is wrong with this?

$str=preg_replace('/(.){3}/', 'X',$str);

It's supposed to only match something if it is repeated 3 times in a row, but instead it matches any sequence of characters that are longer then 2 characters.. =[

 

How can I make it so that the (.){3} only matches if the . is repeated 3 times in a row? It should match anything as long as it is repeated 3 times in a row hence the {3}. I need it to be so that the . will only change once it has finished checking the one it is on to see if it is there 3 times in a row, only then should the . change to another string..

 

Please help I'm stumped =S

 

It should find anything that is repeated 3 times and replace it with "X".

[paul2463]

the "." is a special character in regex (sorry if you know this) but should it not be

<?php
$str=preg_replace('/\.{3}/', 'X',$str); //with the . escaped and looking for 3 of them
?>

 

no where to test it at work so it is an untested guess - sorry

 

 

[effigy]

<pre>
<?php
$tests = array(
	'aaa',
	'aab',
	'aac',
	'aabaac',
	'aabbccc',
	'xxxyyyzzz',
	''
);
foreach ($tests as $test) {
	echo "<b>$test</b><br>";
	preg_match_all('/((.)\2\2)/', $test, $matches);
	print_r($matches);
}
?>
</pre>

[Azu]

Thanks guys.. can you please tell me what I am doing wrong now? :s

<?$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with="This is a teeeeest of repeating something over and over and over and over and over and over many tiiiiiimes like so so so so";
$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards="This is a teest of repeating something over and over and over many tiimes like so so";
$str=$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with;
while($str!=$old){$old=$str;
$str=preg_replace('/((.)\2\2)/','\3',$str);}
echo"<style type='text/css'>@import'http://69.89.21.68/~freethep/.css';</style><center><table><tr><td>This is how it looks to begin with</td><td>$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with</td></tr><tr><td>This is how it looks afterwards</td><td>$str</td></tr><tr><td>This is how it SHOULD look afterwords</td><td>$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards</td></tr></table>";
echo($str==$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards)?"It worked.":"It didn't work.";?>

Example: http://tso.hopto.org/test.htm

Anything repeated 3 times or more should be shortened to only being repeated 2 times.

[Wildbug]

If you want something that's repeated three times OR MORE, then you need a different regex.

 

preg_replace('/((.)\2{2,})/','$2$2',$str);

 

[Azu]

Thanks, that doesn't work either though

<?$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with=
"This is a teeeeest of repeating something over and over and over and over and over and over many tiiiiiimes like so so so so";
$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards=
"This is a teest of repeating something over and over and over many tiimes like so so";
$str=$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with;
while($str!=$old){
$old=$str;
$str=preg_replace('/((.)\2{2,})/','$2$2',$str);}
//REGEX STUFF--------^----------^
echo"<style type='text/css'>@import'http://69.89.21.68/~freethep/.css';</style><center><table><tr><td>This is how it looks to begin with</td><td>$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with</td></tr><tr><td>This is how it looks afterwards</td><td>$str</td></tr><tr><td>This is how it SHOULD look afterwords</td><td>$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards</td></tr></table>";
echo($str==$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards)?"It worked.":"It didn't work.";?>

[dustinnoe]

<?php
$str = "This is a line of text ending with...";
$str=preg_replace('/[\.]{3}/', 'X',$str);
echo $str;
?>

 

Try that.

 

Worked for me.

 

 

[Azu]

Doesn't work

 

Only applies to things that are just a single character long.

[MadTechie]

here this works

 

/((.*)\2{2,})/im

 

<?php

$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with=
"This is a teeeeest of repeating something over and over and over and over and over and over many tiiiiiimes like so so so so";
$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards=
"This is a teest of repeating something over and over and over many tiimes like so so";
$str=$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with;
while($str!=$old){
$old=$str;
$str=preg_replace('/((.*)\2{2,})/im','$2$2',$str);}
//REGEX STUFF--------^----------^
echo"<style type='text/css'>@import'http://69.89.21.68/~freethep/.css';</style><center><table><tr><td>This is how it looks to begin with</td><td>$this_is_how_it_looks_to_begin_with</td></tr><tr><td>This is how it looks afterwards</td><td>$str</td></tr><tr><td>This is how it SHOULD look afterwords</td><td>$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards</td></tr></table>";
echo($str==$this_is_how_it_should_look_afterwards)?"It worked.":"It didn't work.";
?>

[Azu]

Thank you! That works perfectly!