PHP How to parse a string and conver to variables

Question

Using PHP, I am looking to parse a string and convert it into variables. Specifically, the string will be a file name, and I'm looking to break the file name into variables. Files are nature photos, and have a uniform format:

species_name-date-locationcode-city

All files names have this exact format, and the "-" is the delimiter. (I can make it whatever if necessary)

an example of the file name is common_daisy-20130731-ABCD-Dallas

I want to break it up into variables for $speciesname, $date, $locationcode, $city.

Any idea on how this can be done? I have seen functions for parsing strings, but they usually take the form of having the name of the variable in the string, (For example "species=daisy&date=20130731&location=ABCD&city=Dallas") which I don't have, and cannot make my file names match that. If I wanted to use a string replace to change the delimiters to variables= I would have to use 4 different delimiters in the filename and that wont work for me.

Thanks for anyone who tries to help me with this issue.

Ioannis Lalopoulos · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-01 16:48:31Z

1

list($speciesname, $date, $locationcode, $city) = explode('-', $filename);

answered Aug 1, 2013 at 16:48

Ioannis Lalopoulos

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1 Comment

Mike Over a year ago

thanks, this is working exactly as needed. Thank you everyone else for their help as well.

doitlikejustin · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-01 16:48:52Z

1

Use PHP explode

$pieces = explode('-', 'species_name-date-locationcode-city');
$name = $pieces[0];
$data = $pieces[1];
$code = $pieces[2];
$city = $pieces[3];

answered Aug 1, 2013 at 16:48

doitlikejustin

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Guillaume Lhz · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-01 16:49:09Z

1

<?php
$myvar = 'common_daisy-20130731-ABCD-Dallas';
$tab = explode ('-', $myvar);
$speciesname = $tab[0];
$date = $tab[1];
$locationcode = $tab[2];
$city = $tab[3];
?>

answered Aug 1, 2013 at 16:49

Guillaume Lhz

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Mike Brant · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-01 16:50:30Z

1

You can explode the string on delimiter and then assign to variables

$filename = 'species_name-date-locationcode-city';
$array = explode('-', $filename);
$speciesname = $array[0];
$date = $array[1];
$locationcode = $array[2];
$city = $array[3];

answered Aug 1, 2013 at 16:50

Mike Brant

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Shih-Min Lee · Accepted Answer · 2013-08-01 16:48:26Z

0

http://php.net/manual/en/function.explode.php

$pieces = explode("-", $description);

answered Aug 1, 2013 at 16:48

Shih-Min Lee

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