extract from a string

[verbob]

I would like to take a string (I have loaded it from the database) and extract it into chunks.

The beginning string, lets call it "$string", has the following format:

<li>item1</li><li>item2</li><li>item3</li>

(maybe more li's, maybe less, or even none)

What I would like to do is extract to an array each li, display each array element seperately ( with an option to "delete it"), then after add them back to the string and place back in the database. And yes I want each array element to include the li tags within(not that its necessary, I guess I could get around it)

I understand most of it, just getting hung up on how to extract each from the string and place into an array.

Anyone have an ideas how to go about this?

[verbob]

is it possible for the seperator of the explode function to be more than one character long? (I had a thought of using explode to extract the individual elements using "</li>" as the seperator)...then I can just readd it later.

Sounds logical anyway.

[Will Gresham]

An explode would be the quickest/easiest way to do this.

$liArray = explode("</li>", $string);

foreach($liArray as $key => $value) {
  // $value will contain the li string, do something with it here. 
}

[verbob]

Thanks. I am going to get it a shot. Let you know how I make out :-)

[verbob]

Thank you, seems to work ok.

Although there seems to be a slight "issue" with there being a "seperator" at the END of the string.

Any way around that?

[verbob]

SUCCESS!!

My script was being used to delete items, so instead of setting the item ="" (which left a trailing "</li>" when I imploded back), I used unset to remove the key from the array.

Thanks Will.

[Will Gresham]

Use array_pop to remove the last index from the array:

$liArray = explode("</li>", $string);
// $liArray_pop will contain the last index of $liArray, $liArray will be missing the final index
$liArray_pop = array_pop($liArray);

[verbob]

Don't seem to have that issue anymore once I changed to "unset".

Thanks for the suggestion though