Question

This code will split the string into an array that contains test and string:

$str = 'test string';
$arr = preg_split('/\s+/', $str);

But I also want to detect quotes and ignore the text between them when splitting, for example:

$str = 'test "Two words"';

This should also return an array with two elements, test and Two words.

And another form, if possible:

$str = 'test=Two Words';

So if the equal sign is present before any spaces, the string should be split by =, otherwise the other rules from above should apply.

So how can I do this with preg_split?

Answer 1

Try str_getcsv:

print_r(str_getcsv('test string'," "));
print_r(str_getcsv('test "Two words"'," "));
print_r(str_getcsv('test=Two Words',"="));

Outputs

Array
(
    [0] => test
    [1] => string
)
Array
(
    [0] => test
    [1] => Two words
)
Array
(
    [0] => test
    [1] => Two Words
)

You can use something like preg_match to check if there’s an equal sign exist before space and then determine what delimiter to use.

Works only in PHP>=5.3 though.