Everyday string functions

str_contains and strpos

Start with search. Modern PHP offers str_contains for a simple true or false answer.

Use strpos when you also need the position. Both functions expect the full text first and the needle second.

$text = "Hello PHP course"; var_dump(str_contains($text, "PHP")); var_dump(strpos($text, "course"));

str_replace and trim

Use str_replace to build a new string with all matches replaced.

Use trim to remove spaces and line breaks from both ends. Both functions return a new string and leave the original value unchanged.

$text = " hello php "; echo trim($text); echo str_replace("php", "PHP", $text);

explode and implode

Use explode to split a string by a delimiter into an array.

Use implode to join an array back into one string with a glue string. Counting the parts tells you how many items were found.

$csv = "red,green,blue"; $parts = explode(",", $csv); echo implode(" - ", $parts); echo count($parts);

sprintf basics

Use sprintf when a string mixes text and values.

Placeholders like %s for text and %d for whole numbers mark each slot. The function returns the finished string ready for output.

$name = "Ada"; $score = 42; echo sprintf("Name: %s Score: %d", $name, $score);

Next: Dates and time

Article author: Arthur Isaev