Question

I use the following for a preg_replace:

$replace = '/[!\/."",#\s\-:?"]+/';

For example when I try and add ' above it gives me an error on the file:

Parse error: syntax error, unexpected T_NS_SEPARATOR in …/s.php on line 38

Additionally, is there an easier way to list all of the symbols to be replaced?

Answer 1

If you want to get rid of any symbol, try:

$replace = "/[^a-zA-Z0-9 ]/";

The ^ indicates “anything but the following”. Add whatever characters you want to allow to the list. It’s easier than listing every symbol and having to deal with escaping.