How to preg_split using PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE - php

Question

$str = "blabla and, some more blah";
$delimiters = " ,¶.\n";
$char_buff = preg_split("/(,) /", $str, -1, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE);
print_r($char_buff);
I get:
Array (
[0] => blabla and
[1] => ,
[2] => some more blah
)
I was able to figure out how to use the parenthesis to get the comma to show up in its own array element -- but how can I do this with multiple different delimiters (for example, those in the $delimiters variable)?

Answer 1

You need to create a character class by wrapping the delimiters with [ and ].
<?php
$str = "blabla and, some more blah. Blah.\nSecond line.";
$delimiters = " ,¶.\n";
$char_buff = preg_split('/([' . $delimiters . '])/', $str, -1,
PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE | PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY);
print_r($char_buff);
You also need to use PREG_SPLIT_NO_EMPTY so that in places where you get two matches in a row, for instance a comma followed by a space, you don't get an empty match.
Output
Array
(
[0] => blabla
[1] =>
[2] => and
[3] => ,
[4] =>
[5] => some
[6] =>
[7] => more
[8] =>
[9] => blah
[10] => .
[11] =>
[12] => Blah
[13] => .
[14] =>
[15] => Second
[16] =>
[17] => line
[18] => .
)
Depending on what you are doing, using strtok may be a more appropriate way of doing it though.

Answer 2

Use something like:
'/([,.])/'
That is put each delimiter in that square bracket.

Answer 3

Each delimiter expression needs to be inside its own group.
print_r(preg_split('/2\d4/' , '12345', null, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE));
Array ( [0] => 1 [1] => 5 )
print_r(preg_split('/(2)(\d)(4)/', '12345', null, PREG_SPLIT_DELIM_CAPTURE));
Array ( [0] => 1 [1] => 2 [2] => 3 [3] => 4 [4] => 5 )