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PHP - Slicing Strings
Slicing
You can return a range of characters by using the substr() function.
Specify the start index and the number of characters you want to return.
ExampleGet your own PHP Server
Start the slice at index 6 and end the slice 5 positions later:
$x = "Hello World!";
echo substr($x, 6, 5);
Note The first character has index 0.
Slice to the End
By leaving out the length parameter, the range will go to the end:
Example
Start the slice at index 6 and go all the way to the end:
$x = "Hello World!";
echo substr($x, 6);
Slice From the End
Use negative indexes to start the slice from the end of the string:
Example
Get the 3 characters, starting from the "o" in world (index -5):
$x = "Hello World!";
echo substr($x, -5, 3);
Note The last character has index -1.
Negative Length
Use negative length to specify how many characters to omit, starting from the end of the string:
Example
From the string "Hi, how are you?", get the characters starting from index 5, and continue until you reach the 3. character from the end (index -3).
Should end up with "ow are y":
$x = "Hi, how are you?";
echo substr($x, 5, -3);
Complete PHP String Reference
For a complete reference of all string functions, go to our complete PHP String Reference.
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