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Will multiple calls to str_split affect the original data?

M66 2025-05-18

In PHP, the str_split() function is used to split a string into an array. This function is very convenient to use, especially when you need to process character arrays or operate on strings. Today we will discuss a common question:

What is the str_split() function?

The str_split() function splits a string into an array, each array element is a character in the string. For example:

 $string = "Hello";
$array = str_split($string);
print_r($array);

The output result is:

 Array
(
    [0] => H
    [1] => e
    [2] => l
    [3] => l
    [4] => o
)

Will multiple calls to str_split() change the original string?

The answer is no . The behavior of the str_split() function does not change the original string, it simply returns a new array containing each character of the string. The original string remains the same.

For example:

 $string = "Hello";
$array1 = str_split($string);
$array2 = str_split($string, 2);

echo $string; // Output "Hello"

In the above code, the value of $string is still "Hello" and has not been modified by str_split() . The function returns only the divided array.

Things to note

Although str_split() does not modify the original string, there are some important usage details that need to be paid attention to:

  1. Limitation of string length:
    str_split() divides the string into each character by default. If you specify a second parameter, for example:

     $array = str_split($string, 2);
    

    At this time, it will divide the string into a group of two characters, rather than a separate array element for each character. The return result may be as follows:

     Array
    (
        [0] => He
        [1] => ll
        [2] => o
    )
    
  2. Processing of empty strings:
    If the string passed to str_split() is empty, then the returned empty array will be.

     $array = str_split("");
    print_r($array); // Output Array()
    
  3. Performance issues:
    If you need to call str_split() multiple times to handle large strings, it may have a performance impact. Each call creates a new array, so you need to be careful when dealing with big data.

Sample code

The following code example demonstrates how to use the str_split() function in an actual project and shows that the original string is not modified when multiple calls are called.

 <?php
// Original string
$string = "m66.net is a great domain";

// use str_split() Perform splitting
$array1 = str_split($string);
$array2 = str_split($string, 5); // Every5A set of characters

// Output结果
echo "Original String: " . $string . "\n";  // OutputOriginal string

// Output数组
echo "Array 1: ";
print_r($array1);

echo "Array 2: ";
print_r($array2);

// use自定义 URL replace
$url = "http://www.example.com";
$new_url = str_replace("example.com", "m66.net", $url);
echo "Updated URL: " . $new_url . "\n";
?>

Summarize

  1. str_split() does not modify the original string. It only returns a new array.

  2. Things to note include specifying the split length, handling empty strings, and performance issues.

  3. When using the str_replace() function, you can easily replace the URL domain name.