Is there a reverse function to HTMLSPECIALCHARS() or HTMLENTITIES()

[fux23]

I have to remember what does the user put in TEXTAREA....
User may put HTML TAGS inside... and I have to remember it somehow for the next page ....
for user to preview what he had put inside textarea...
I use simple HIDDEN FIELD in a FORM tag...

I use HTMLSPECIALHARS() to convert html tags into HIDDEN FIELD... but when user confirms I HAVE TO PUT IT INTO ORACLE DATABASE....

BUT IT HAS TO BE WITHOUT HTMLSPECIALHARS() function.....
Is there a reverse function??? to convert is to what it has been before using htmlspecialhars()???

HOW TO DO IT???
thanks

[Weedpacket]

As of 4.3 there is [man]html_entity_decode[/man]. Prior to that, the user notes in the manual pages for [man]htmlspecialchars[/man] and/or [man]htmlentities[/man] offer workarounds.

[Norman_Graham]

Here you go for htmlentities():

http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.html-entity-decode.php

For htmlspecialchars(), you need to use this first:

http://www.php.net/manual/en/function.get-html-translation-table.php

... and then do some strreplace() stuff, as far as I'm aware. Anyone got a more efficient solution?

Norman