How to Explode Strings with Multiple Delimiters in PHP?

Exploding Strings with Multiple Delimiters in PHP

When dealing with complex strings, you may encounter the need to explode them using multiple delimiters. Here's a detailed exploration of this challenge, showcasing a potential solution and an alternative approach.

Problem Statement

Consider the following string arrays:

<code class="php">$example = 'Appel @ Ratte';
$example2 = 'apple vs ratte';</code>

The goal is to obtain arrays that are split at either '@' or 'vs'.

Custom Recursive Solution

One approach is to implement a recursive function called multiExplode. This function takes an array of delimiters and a string as input. It begins by exploding the string using the first delimiter in the array. If there are still delimiters remaining and the resulting array contains more than one element, the function recursively calls itself with the remaining delimiters and the modified string.

<code class="php">private function multiExplode($delimiters, $string) {
    $ary = explode($delimiters[0], $string);
    array_shift($delimiters);
    if ($delimiters != NULL) {
        if (count($ary) < 2) {
            $ary = $this->multiExplode($delimiters, $string);
        }
    }
    return $ary;
}</code>

Alternative Solution Using Regular Expressions

Another approach involves using PHP's regular expression functions. The preg_split() function can be used to split a string using a regular expression pattern. By creating a pattern that matches any of the desired delimiters ('@' or 'vs'), you can split the string into the desired parts.

<code class="php">$output = preg_split('/ (@|vs) /', $input);</code>

Both methods can be used to explode strings with multiple delimiters in PHP. The choice of which method to use may depend on the specific requirements and preferences of the application.

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