need function: split string by list of strings and return delimiters and extra text

[Justin L. Kennedy]

I am looking for a function that takes in a string and splits it using a
list of other strings (delimiters) and can return the delimiters as well
as the extra parts of the string. I was trying the split with a regex
built up of the delimiters separated by "|", but it doesn't return the
delimiters which I need.

The goal is an algorithm that can take a string containing html code using
<ul>, <ol>, and <li> and turn it into a formated plain text form like the
following:

<ol>
<li>foo</li>
<li>bar</li>
<ul>
<li>baz</li>
<li>qux</li>
</ul>
<li>asf</li>
</ol>

into:
1) foo
2) bar
* baz
* qux
3) asf

I have everything but tokenizing the html input. I'm sure there is
probably a function in the PHP 4.3.4 libraries that I am missing, but I
can't seem to find it.

--
Justin L. Kennedy
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
Email: jk***@prism.gatech.edu

[Brion Vibber]

Justin L. Kennedy wrote:

I am looking for a function that takes in a string and splits it using a
list of other strings (delimiters) and can return the delimiters as well
as the extra parts of the string. I was trying the split with a regex
built up of the delimiters separated by "|", but it doesn't return the
delimiters which I need.
You might try preg_match_all().
The goal is an algorithm that can take a string containing html code using
<ul>, <ol>, and <li> and turn it into a formated plain text form like the
following:

Note that HTML is really tough to reliably parse with regular
expressions. If your source material is reasonably regular this might be
'good enough' though.

-- brion vibber (brion @ pobox.com)

[Chung Leong]

"Justin L. Kennedy" <jk***@prism.gatech.edu> wrote in message
news:ct**********@news-int.gatech.edu...

I am looking for a function that takes in a string and splits it using a
list of other strings (delimiters) and can return the delimiters as well
as the extra parts of the string. I was trying the split with a regex
built up of the delimiters separated by "|", but it doesn't return the
delimiters which I need.

preg_split() let you do capturing, I think. Check the manual.

[Justin L. Kennedy]

Chung Leong <ch***********@hotmail.com> wrote:

"Justin L. Kennedy" <jk***@prism.gatech.edu> wrote in message
news:ct**********@news-int.gatech.edu...

I am looking for a function that takes in a string and splits it using a
list of other strings (delimiters) and can return the delimiters as well
as the extra parts of the string. I was trying the split with a regex
built up of the delimiters separated by "|", but it doesn't return the
delimiters which I need.

preg_split() let you do capturing, I think. Check the manual.

Thanks, that was the one I was looking for. I was only looking in the
array and string sections of the manual.

--
Justin L. Kennedy
Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta Georgia, 30332
Email: jk***@prism.gatech.edu