preg_match and delimited strings

[siromega]

I have a string I'd like to have broken into parts using preg_match. I
used a regular expression from the Perl FAQ (http://perlfaq.cpan.org/):
push(@new, $+) while $text =~ m{
"([^\"\\]*(?:\\.[^\"\\]*)*)",? # groups the phrase inside the
quotes
| ([^,]+),?
| ,
}gx;

The idea is that it splits delimited strings respecting the quotes, for
example...

foo, bar, "foo, bar", bar
would end up as
-foo
-bar
-"foo, bar"
-bar

So obviously an explode wont work.

I cant figure out how to convert that piece of perl above into
preg_match. I've copied the string and escaped all the appropriate
charecters however it still wont divide the string show above
properly...

$str = "foo, bar, \"foo, bar\", bar";
$re = "\"([^\\\"\\\\]*(?:\\\\.[^\\\"\\\\]*)*)\",?| ([^,]+),?| ,";
if (preg_match($re, $str, $res)) {
print_r($res);
}

I have other strings that need parsing too (including ones with a
double encapsulator inside the string - eg. 'don''t touch that!'). But
I'm saving those for later.

[Rik]

si******@gmail.com wrote:

push(@new, $+) while $text =~ m{
"([^\"\\]*(?:\\.[^\"\\]*)*)",? # groups the phrase inside
the quotes
| ([^,]+),?
| ,
}gx;

I cant figure out how to convert that piece of perl above into
preg_match. I've copied the string and escaped all the appropriate
charecters however it still wont divide the string show above
properly...

$str = "foo, bar, \"foo, bar\", bar";
$re = "\"([^\\\"\\\\]*(?:\\\\.[^\\\"\\\\]*)*)\",?| ([^,]+),?| ,";
if (preg_match($re, $str, $res)) {
print_r($res);
}

It's a bitch for sure, isn't the wonderfull function fgetcsv() maybe
applicable in this case?

Grtz,
--
Rik Wasmus

[siromega]

Rik wrote:

si******@gmail.com wrote:

push(@new, $+) while $text =~ m{
"([^\"\\]*(?:\\.[^\"\\]*)*)",? # groups the phrase inside
the quotes
| ([^,]+),?
| ,
}gx;

I cant figure out how to convert that piece of perl above into
preg_match. I've copied the string and escaped all the appropriate
charecters however it still wont divide the string show above
properly...

$str = "foo, bar, \"foo, bar\", bar";
$re = "\"([^\\\"\\\\]*(?:\\\\.[^\\\"\\\\]*)*)\",?| ([^,]+),?| ,";
if (preg_match($re, $str, $res)) {
print_r($res);
}

It's a bitch for sure, isn't the wonderfull function fgetcsv() maybe
applicable in this case?

Grtz,
--
Rik Wasmus

Rik,

I'd have to write that part of the sql query out to a file and then
read it back in with fgetcsv(). However I do need to thank you, since
when I read through the page and the user contributed notes on the
fgetcsv() page I found a regex and a function that accomplished what I
needed...

function csv_string_to_array($str){
$expr="/,(?=(?:[^\"]*\"[^\"]*\")*(?![^\"]*\"))/";
$results=preg_split($expr,trim($str));
return preg_replace("/^\"(.*)\"$/","$1",$results);
}

I just had to replace the \" with ' to get it to parse my strings. I
tested it with both '' and , in the encapsulated string and it works!

[Rik]

si******@gmail.com wrote:

I found a regex and a function that accomplished what I
needed...

function csv_string_to_array($str){
$expr="/,(?=(?:[^\"]*\"[^\"]*\")*(?![^\"]*\"))/";
$results=preg_split($expr,trim($str));
return preg_replace("/^\"(.*)\"$/","$1",$results);
}
I just had to replace the \" with ' to get it to parse my strings. I
tested it with both '' and , in the encapsulated string and it works!

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but it will fail on single escaped
\":

$str = '"baz,\"bax", bay, foz, "a, b", "foo';
$expr="/,(?=(?:[^\"]*\"[^\"]*\")*(?![^\"]*\"))/";
$results=preg_split($expr,trim($str));
$res = preg_replace("/^\"(.*)\"$/","$1",$results);
print_r($res);

Array
(
[0] => "baz
[1] => \"bax"
[2] => bay
[3] => foz
[4] => "a, b"
[5] => foo
)

Properly nested, it can handle it:
$str = '"baz,\"bax\"", bay, foz, "a, b", foo';

Array
(
[0] => baz,\"bax\"
[1] => bay
[2] => foz
[3] => "a, b"
[4] => foo
)

Also a nice one is:
$str = 'bay, foz, "a, b", "fo\"o"';
Array
(
[0] => bay, foz, "a
[1] => b", "fo\"o"
)
Not a very robust one here.
But maybe it's OK for your data, it all depends how much you know for sure
about that.

Grtz,
--
Rik Wasmus

[siromega]

Rik wrote:

I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings, but it will fail on single escaped
\":

$str = '"baz,\"bax", bay, foz, "a, b", "foo';
$expr="/,(?=(?:[^\"]*\"[^\"]*\")*(?![^\"]*\"))/";
$results=preg_split($expr,trim($str));
$res = preg_replace("/^\"(.*)\"$/","$1",$results);
print_r($res);

Array
(
[0] => "baz
[1] => \"bax"
[2] => bay
[3] => foz
[4] => "a, b"
[5] => foo
)

Properly nested, it can handle it:
$str = '"baz,\"bax\"", bay, foz, "a, b", foo';

Array
(
[0] => baz,\"bax\"
[1] => bay
[2] => foz
[3] => "a, b"
[4] => foo
)

Also a nice one is:
$str = 'bay, foz, "a, b", "fo\"o"';
Array
(
[0] => bay, foz, "a
[1] => b", "fo\"o"
)
Not a very robust one here.
But maybe it's OK for your data, it all depends how much you know for sure
about that.

Grtz,
--
Rik Wasmus

Indeed, that is correct. I'm going to have to chcek out my data and see
if it'll work. Do you happen to know if fgetcsv() properly handle the
single " ?