Php string explode string based on characters match with string condition

Question

I have strings like this:

$string1 = '35 Hose & Couplings/350902 GARDEN HOSE COUPLING, PVC, 16\/19 MM"';

$string2 = '35 Hose & Couplings/350904 GARDEN HOSE TAP CONNECTOR, PVC, 3\/4" FEMALE THREAD"';

I tried to separate the string and turn it into an array like this:

$name1 = explode('/', $string1);
$name1 = trim(end($name1));
$name2 = explode('/', $string2);
$name2 = trim(end($name2));

/*
 #results
 $name1[0] = '35 Hose & Couplings';
 $name1[1] = '350902 GARDEN HOSE COUPLING, PVC, 16\';
 $name1[2] = '19 MM"';
 ...
 #expected results
 $name1[0] = '35 Hose & Couplings';
 $name1[1] = '350902 GARDEN HOSE COUPLING, PVC, 16\/19 MM"';
 ...
*/

I want to explode the string when there is / only, but when it meets \/ it shouldn't explode the string, my code still explode the string if it contains \/, is there a way to do this?

Answer 1

You could use a regular expression with negative look-behind:

$parts = preg_split('~(?<!\\\\)/~', $string1);

See example on eval.in

Answer 2

You can go like this:

$string1 = str_replace("\/","@",$string1);
$name1 = explode('/', $string1);
foreach($name1 as $id => $name) {
    $name1[$id] = str_replace("@","\/",$name1[$id]);
}

a little cumbersome, I know, but should do the trick. Wrap it in a function for better readability.

Basically I replaced the string you do not want to explode by with a temporary string and reverted it back after exploding.