PHP 8 reference · String Functions

PHP explode() Function

Split a string into an array by a separator, like turning "a,b,c" into ["a", "b", "c"]. A limit caps the pieces.

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Syntax

explode(string $separator, string $string, int $limit = PHP_INT_MAX): array

Parameter	Description
`separator`	The boundary string; it can't be empty.
`string`	The input string.
`limit` optional	Positive: at most this many pieces (the last holds the rest). Negative: drop that many from the end. Default: `PHP_INT_MAX`

An array of strings.

Split by a commaTry it yourself

<?php
print_r(explode(",", "red,green,blue"));

Output

Array
(
    [0] => red
    [1] => green
    [2] => blue
)

Limit the piecesTry it yourself

<?php
[$key, $value] = explode("=", "path=/a=b", 2);
echo "$key -> $value\n";
print_r(explode(".", "a.b.c.d", -1));

Output

path -> /a=b
Array
(
    [0] => a
    [1] => b
    [2] => c
)

Trim each pieceTry it yourself

<?php
print_r(array_map("trim", explode(",", "tea, cake , milk")));

Output

Array
(
    [0] => tea
    [1] => cake
    [2] => milk
)

The separator comes first: explode(",", $text), not explode($text, ",").
An empty string gives [""], not []. Check $text === "" first when that matters.
To split on a pattern (any whitespace, several separators) use preg_split().

Version	Change
PHP 4.0	Added
PHP 8.0	An empty separator throws a `ValueError` instead of returning `false`.

implode() · Join array elements into one string with a separator between them. join() is an alias of implode().
str_split() · Split a string into an array of chunks of a given length, one byte each by default. Use mb_str_split() for UTF-8.
str_getcsv() · Parse one line of CSV text into an array of fields, handling quoted values that contain commas or quotes.
PHP Strings · tutorial

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