Why doesn't this work?

[kidestranged]

My code contains this:
$hphone = eregi_replace("(", "", $hphone);

The error is:
Warning: REG_EPAREN in /home/higherme/highermedia-www/mark/addressbook/formout.php3 on line 18

I'm trying to turn a formated number:
[phone]
into
5551234567

and here is my code:

$hphone = eregi_replace("(", "", $hphone);
$hphone = eregi_replace(")", "", $hphone);
$hphone = eregi_replace("-", "", $hphone);
$hphone = eregi_replace(" ", "", $hphone);

regardless of the error, there must be a better way get the numeric value out of string like that.
any ideas?

[Anon]

Simple enough: '(' has a special meaning in regexps - it starts a subexpression.

A better way to write your code:

$phone=eregi_replace('[-() ]','',$hphone);

See the documentation on how to write regexps for ereg_replace et al. or the phpBuilder article on the subject.

[kidestranged]

Hayley-
That worked. How come the ( in the expression didn't throw it off in your code? The single quotes?

Thanks for your help-
Mark

Hayley Watson wrote:

Simple enough: '(' has a special meaning in regexps - it starts a subexpression.

A better way to write your code:

$phone=eregi_replace('[-() ]','',$hphone);

See the documentation on how to write regexps for ereg_replace et al. or the phpBuilder article on the subject.

[Anon]

the reason the '(' didn't throw off the engine in my code is because the whole lot are wrapped in square brackets, making what's known as a character class. In such a class, virtually all the other characters with special meanings in regexps (*, ?, + etc. as well as parentheses) are treated as ordinary characters.

As a regexp, "[-() ]" means "match a hyphen or a left parenthesis or a right parenthesis or a space".

Regexps can be strange and wonderful things, limited in some annoying ways but very effective in others, and character classes are just one part. The PHPBuilder article I mentioned (
http://www.phpbuilder.com/columns/dario19990616.php3 ) is the nearest place to look for more about them.