replacing multiple characters

sharouma

Hello,
I am trying to check and replace 2 different characters in one string.
for example: [whateverhere] into (whateverhere)

have tried the folowing:
$subject = "[whateverhere]";
if (ereg ("[", $subject)) {
$subject = str_replace("[", "(", "$subject");}
if (ereg ("]", $subject)) {
$subject = str_replace("]", ")", "$subject");}

the result is [whateverhere)

anybody?
thnx

Anon

escape your brackets with a backslash

Anon

Why do the regex match ? just replace the brackets with str_replace

$subject = "[whateverhere]";
$subject = str_replace ("[","(",$subject);
$subject = str_replace ("]",")",$subject);
echo $subject;

This would return

(whateverhere)

You could combine the str_replace's into one statement if you want.

van__

Hey David, I've never seen you post a regex.
Heard of them?
Cause I keep seeing you posting string functions where regexs are the real way to do it. Do you feel that multiple string function calls are the way to do everything?

Sorry to be harsh, but seeing crap code like that consistantly really irks me... especially when you are helping to propogate more crap code by posting that crap as the way to do things.

Arjan, try this:
<?
$subject = "[whateverhere]";
$subject = preg_replace(array('/[/','/]/'),array('(',')'),$subject);
echo $subject;
?>

Anon

Just a minor comment,

regexp is not the answer to everything. In this particular case, str_replace() is likely to be more efficient than a regexp. I could rewrite str_replace() as a C oneliner. The entire regexp engine is huge. I'm not sure how ''long'' the str_replace function is in C, but it's definitly a lot shorter than preg_replace (with its components).

In other words, I don't use regular expressions unless I need that kind of flexibilty. Replacing one char with another does not fit my 'regexp' category (unless there are other issues, like anchor at end etc). Simple string functions are often more efficient, if you're optimizing for speed. (this is ofcourse void for perl, where regexp is used for ~ everything🙂

Anon

I have posted several regex's on here. In this case regex is not the best way to do it.

-- "Cause I keep seeing you posting string functions where regexs are the real way to do it"

Why use regex when str_replace will work, that makes no sense ? "The real way" to do it is not YOUR way, but the most efficient method to accomplish the task at hand.

Anon

-- "but seeing crap code like that consistantly really irks me... especially when you are helping to propogate more crap code by posting that crap as the way to do things"

I may propagate some crap code because of my relative inexperience with PHP as compared to an expert like yourself. What I don't do is propagate a l33t and condescending crap attitude that I know everything about the language. I try to give working examples of code that I have learned and tried. I have never said in any of my posts that "This is THE way to do something". I say "This is A way of doing it", or "This is MY way of doing it". I suppose that since you know the "real way" to do things, you can explain why regex is better in this instance.

PS, propogate is not the "real way" to spell propagate. : )