How to Efficiently Convert a Delimited String into an Associative Array without Loops?

Efficiently Exploding a String into an Associative Array

Converting a string into an associative array is a common task in programming. However, doing so without using loops can be challenging. Let's explore a solution to the problem of exploding a string like "1-350,9-390.99" into an associative array:

PHP 5.5 and later provides a clever way to achieve this using the combination of array_chunk and array_column. Here's how it works:

<code class="php">$input  = '1-350,9-390.99';

$chunks = array_chunk(preg_split('/[-,]/', $input), 2);
$result = array_combine(array_column($chunks, 0), array_column($chunks, 1));

print_r($result);</code>

This code first splits the input string into chunks using the preg_split function, separating the string by dashes (-) and commas (,). Then, it uses array_column to extract the first and second columns of the chunks, which correspond to the keys and values of the associative array, respectively. Finally, array_combine is used to create the associative array.

The result is an associative array where the keys are the first values of the chunks (e.g., "1" and "9"), and the values are the second values of the chunks (e.g., "350" and "390.99"). This approach eliminates the need for loops, making it an efficient and concise solution for converting a delimited string into an associative array.

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