5

I have a plan to make search from txt file that I prepare, the txt file content similar like this below

a.txt

Amy Jefferson
Nathalie Johnson
Emma West
Donna Jefferson
Tanya Nathalie
George West
Emma Watson
Emma Jefferson

If the code was like this

a.php

$filename = "a.txt";
$example = file($filename, FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
$searchword = 'Emma Jefferson';
$matches = array();
foreach($example as $k=>$v) {
    if(preg_match("/\b$searchword\b/i", $v)) {
        $matches[$k] = $v;
        echo $matches[$k]."<br>";
    }
}

The result will only "Emma Jefferson"

Then if i use this code

b.php

$filename = "a.txt";
$example = file($filename, FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
$searchword = 'Emma Jefferson';
$matches = array();
foreach($example as $k=>$v) {
    $searchword2 = str_ireplace(" ", "|", $searchword);
    if(preg_match("/\b$searchword2\b/i", $v)) {
        $matches[$k] = $v;
        echo $matches[$k]."<br>";
    }
}

The result will be like this

Amy Jefferson
Emma West
Donna Jefferson
Emma Watson
Emma Jefferson

Unique result, but "Emma Jefferson" in the last result

So the question is how I can search Emma Jefferson, the result sort was like this

Emma Jefferson
Emma Watson
Emma West
Amy Jefferson
Donna Jefferson

So basically it search for "Emma Jefferson" entire word first, then "Emma" and the last one is "Jefferson"

UPDATE I vote for Don't Panic code for this problem, but i wanna say thank you for all contributor here Don't Panic, RomanPerekhrest, Sui Dream, Jere, i-man, all of you are the best!!

Pattygeek

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5 Answers 5

Reset to default
1

I don't know of a way to take the position of the matches into account with a regex solution, but if you convert the search string and the terms to arrays of words, it can be done.

With this approach, we iterate the text items and build an array of position matches for each word in the search term, then sort the result by number of matches, then position of matches.

$search_words = explode(' ', strtolower($searchword));

foreach ($example as $item) {
    $item_words = explode(' ', strtolower($item));

    // look for each word in the search term
    foreach ($search_words as $i => $word) {
        if (in_array($word, $item_words)) {

            // add the index of the word in the search term to the result
            // this way, words appearing earlier in the search term get higher priority
            $result[$item][] = $i;
        }
    }
}

// this will sort alphabetically if the uasort callback returns 0 (equal)
ksort($result);

// sort by number of matches, then position of matches    
uasort($result, function($a, $b) {
    return count($b) - count($a) ?: $a <=> $b;
});

// convert keys to values    
$result = array_keys($result);
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7 Comments

Hi Don't Panic, thanks for the respond :) but i still get the sort not like I want, this is what i get Emma Jefferson Emma Watson Donna Jefferson Emma West Amy Jefferson, meanwhile the result I want just like on the list I wrote above
Ah, I see, so it's not just number of matches, it's order of matches as well?
Yes :D that part is bit confusing me :D
@pattygeek I rewrote the answer after (hopefully) correctly understanding the problem.
@Don'tPanic, you should have mentioned that <=> only available since PHP 7
|
0

Complex solution:

$lines = file('a.txt', FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
$name = 'Emma';
$surname = 'Jefferson';
$emmas = $jeffersons = [];

foreach ($lines as $l) {
    if (strpos($l, $name) === 0) {
        $emmas[] = $l;
    } elseif ( strrpos($l, $surname) === (strlen($l) - strlen($surname)) ) {
        $jeffersons[] = $l;
    }
}

usort($emmas, function($a,$b){
    return strcmp(explode(' ', $a)[1], explode(' ', $b)[1]);
});
usort($jeffersons, function($a,$b){
    return strcmp($a, $b);
});

$result = array_merge($emmas, $jeffersons);
print_r($result);

The output:

Array
(
    [0] => Emma Jefferson
    [1] => Emma Watson
    [2] => Emma West
    [3] => Amy Jefferson
    [4] => Donna Jefferson
)
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2 Comments

Hi Roman, thanks for the respond :) the result just like I want, but the question, is it possible to make $name and $surname dynamic, because the search can be more than 2 words here
@pattygeek, if the search can be more than 2 words - how will you sort by 4 or more words separately? That will be pretty difficult situation for you. My solution solves the current issue
0

You would have to write a new loop or start sorting your Array afterwords, because the foreach-loop takes one element name at the time, tests if it matches your search word and if it does, the name goes at the end of your new Array $matches[]. So the

    if(preg_match("/\b$searchword2\b/i", $v)) {
    $matches[$k] = $v;
    echo $matches[$k]."<br>";
}

part does not know anything about the names that are or aren't already inside of $matches[].

So my suggestion would be:

$filename = "a.txt";
$example = file($filename, FILE_IGNORE_NEW_LINES);
$searchword = 'Emma Jefferson';
$matches = array();



$searchword2 = array($searchword, explode(" ", $searchword)[0], explode(" ", $searchword)[1]);
$isThisNameAlreadyInTheList;

foreach($searchword2 as $actualSearchword) {

    foreach($example as $k=>$v) {

        $isThisNameAlreadyInTheList = false;
        foreach($matches as $match) {   
            if(preg_match("/\b$match\b/i", $v)) {
                $isThisNameAlreadyInTheList = true;
            }
        }

        if (!$isThisNameAlreadyInTheList) {
            if(preg_match("/\b$actualSearchword\b/i", $v)) {
                $matches[$k] = $v;
                echo $matches[$k]."<br>";
            }
        }
    }

}
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3 Comments

Thanks Jere for the respond :) for this part $searchword2 = array("Emma Jefferson", "Emma", "Jefferson"); can it make to be dynamic, i try $searchword2 = explode("|", $searchword); but still confuse where to put "Emma Jefferson"
yep that was a mistake I made when I uploaded the code. It should be the right one now.
Sorry for late reply, Jere its work! but how if the result more than 2 words? can search without edit the $searchword2?
0

I would use a preg_match_all solution like so:

$searchName = "Emma Jefferson";
$searchTerms = explode(' ', $searchName);

$pattern = "/(\b$searchTerms[0]\b \b$searchTerms[1]\b)|(\b$searchTerms[0]\b \w+)|(\w* \b$searchTerms[1]\b)/i";

$output = [];
preg_match_all($pattern, implode(' | ', $example), $out);

foreach($out as $k => $o){
    if($k == 0){
        continue;
    }

    foreach($o as $item){
        if(!empty($item)){
            $output[] = $item;
        }
    }
}

print_r($output);

You could also bring the file in as a string and avoid the implode portion.

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3 Comments

Hi i-man thanks for the respond :) the result just like what i want ! but the pattern part, how i make it dynamic? thanks
I updated my answer to make the search term more dynamic split on a space between names
Sorry for late reply, i-man how if the search more than 2 words? is it still work?
0

You currently echo results immediately, so they ordered as they are in text.

You can search full string and partial matches, and then concatenate results.

foreach($example as $k=>$v) {
    if(preg_match("/\b$searchword\b/i", $v)) {
        $fullMatches[] = $v;
    }
    if(preg_match("/\b$searchword2\b/i", $v)) {
        $matches[] = $v;
    }
}
$matches = array_unique(array_merge($fullMatches, $matches));
foreach($matches as $k => $v)
    echo $v . "<br>";

Update:

Multiple words variant:

$words = ['Emma', 'Jefferson'];
$matches = array();
foreach($example as $k => $v) {
    $fullStr = implode(' ', $words);
    if(preg_match("/\b$fullStr\b/i", $v))
        $matches[0][] = $v;
    $str = "";
    $i = 1;
    foreach($words as $word) {
        if ($str === "")
            $str = $word;
        else
            $str .= '|' . $word;
        if(preg_match("/\b$str\b/i", $v))
            $matches[$i][] = $v;
        $i++;
    }
}
$result = array();
foreach($matches as $firstKey => $arr) {
    foreach($arr as $secondKey => $v) {
        $result[] = $v;
    }
}
$result = array_unique($result);
foreach($result as $k => $v)
    echo $v . "<br>";
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6 Comments

Thanks Sui for the respond :) , its work for Emma Jefferson on the top, but the rest still not like I want, the result of the code you give it to me was like this Emma Jefferson Amy Jefferson Emma West Donna Jefferson Emma Watson Meanwhile the result I want like this one Emma Jefferson Emma Watson Emma West Amy Jefferson Donna Jefferson
Is it possible to make it dynamic, I mean the search can be any words not only 2
I am sorry Sui, but why when i try your code, all data on a.txt reveal?
@pattygeek , you put in $words your search parts, right? This variant should sort answers in order of word appearing in search array. If you want sorting considering words count, you could combine that with preg_match_all() variant.
yes, this is the code i use pastebin.com/aVVq8a7V still showing all data Sui.
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