Help with finding stuff between <start><end> in strings

[consume]

I am trying to extract the stuff between <start img> and <end img> of

$copy = 'Tesing image placement, this is the start of image one: <start img><hp_main><alt name here><12><6><1><center><end img>

<P>This is image two:<start img><hp_08><alt name here><40><12><3><center><end img>

<P>more code.';

I did this and it only works for one image:

<?
$start_image_num = strpos($copy, '<start img>') + 12;
$end_image_num = ( strrpos($copy, '<end img>') - $start_image_num ) - 1;
$img_string = substr($copy, $start_image_num, $end_image_num);

list ($image_name, $image_alt, $image_hspace, $image_vspace, $image_border, $image_align) = split ('><', $img_string); 	

$replace_this = '<start img><' . $image_name . '><' . $image_alt . '><' . $image_hspace . '><' . $image_vspace . '><' . $image_border . '><' . $image_align . '><end img>';
$replace_with = '<img src="' . $PHP_SELF .'?table=images&image_name=' . $image_name. '" alt="' . $image_alt . '" hspace="' . $image_hspace . '" vspace="' . $image_vspace . '" border="' . $image_border . '" align="' . $image_align .'">';
$copy = str_replace ($replace_this, $replace_with, $copy); 

echo $copy;

?>

so I have been looking and looking and looking and came up with something like:

<?
preg_match_all( '/<start img>.*?<end img>/', $copy, $matches );
?>

<P><? echo $matches[0] ?>

but it returns "Array" which I think is because I dont have the code correct. Can anyone help?

[superwormy]

First off, you can't just echo an array of things out, thats why you are getting Array as the return value.

print_r () it instead.

Also, search the board:
http://phpbuilder.net/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10239441&highlight=string+between+strings

[consume]

Originally posted by superwormy
http://phpbuilder.net/board/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10239441&highlight=string+between+strings [/B]

get a phrase error on:
function_Get_String_Between_Strings($contents,$starttag=">",$endtag="<",$number=FALSE)_{

[superwormy]

WHAT doesn't work?

[consume]

Originally posted by superwormy
WHAT doesn't work?

sorry edited response, damn browser is acting funny.

[superwormy]

Why are there all those underscores in teh function call?

And post the exact error message please... and the line it occured on...

[consume]

Originally posted by superwormy
Why are there all those underscores in teh function call?

And post the exact error message please... and the line it occured on...

ahhh the damn came from copying so I had to clean it up, couldnt see the ... anyways here is what I have:

<?
$contents = 'Tesing image placement, this is the start of image one: <start img><hp_main><alt name here><12><6><1><center><end img>

<P>This is image two:<start img><hp_08><alt name here><40><12><3><center><end img>

<P>more code.';
?>

<hr>

<?

// $contents is the whole string
// $starttag would be <h3>
// $endtag would be </h3>
// $number should be the number of strings you want returned, it if you just want the first instance of <h3>text</h3> set it to 1, if you wanted to find the second instance too, set it to two, etc.
// returns an array of matches

function Get_String_Between_Strings ($contents, $starttag="<start img>", $endtag="<end img>", $number = FALSE ) {
$matches=array();
$starttag_length = strlen ($starttag );
if(strstr($contents,$starttag)){
while(strstr($contents,$endtag)){
$contents=strstr($contents,$starttag);
$contents=substr($contents,$starttag_length);
$tostrip=strstr($contents,$endtag);
$matches[]=str_replace($tostrip,"",$contents);
}
}
if($number){
$slice=array_slice($matches,0,$number);
return_($slice);
} else {
return ($matches);
}
}
?>

now what am I echoing not sure how to call it out... sorry if I am being stupid I fairly new at this stuff.

[superwormy]

OK first off its a function, dont change the function, leave it how it is ( except get rid of the _ that were messing it up )

Then you have to call the function:

<?php

$my_string = " this stuff will nto be found <img start> but this will be! <img end> but this still will not be found either ";

$matches = Get_String_Between_Strings ($my_string, "<img start>", "<img end>");

print_r ($matches);

?>

[consume]

Originally posted by superwormy
OK first off its a function, dont change the function, leave it how it is ( except get rid of the _ that were messing it up )

Then you have to call the function:

<?php

$my_string = " this stuff will nto be found <img start> but this will be! <img end> but this still will not be found either ";

$matches = Get_String_Between_Strings ($my_string, "<img start>", "<img end>");

print_r ($matches);

?>

[/B]

THANKS GOT IT!! geeze that was like pulling teeth... ha.