How Can I Convert a print_r() String Output Back into a PHP Array?

Creating an Array from a String Output of print_r()

In certain scenarios, you may encounter a need to convert the output of print_r(), which prints an array in a human-readable format, back into an actual array. This conversion can be achieved using custom functions or external libraries.

One such custom function, developed by a contributor, is available at http://codepad.org/idlXdij3. The function, text_to_array(), takes a string representation of an array as an argument and parses it into an actual array.

The following code illustrates how to use the text_to_array() function:

// Start with an array
$start_array = array('foo' => 'bar', 'bar' => 'foo', 'foobar' => 'barfoo');

// Convert the array to a string
$array_string = print_r($start_array, true);

// Get the new array
$end_array = text_to_array($array_string);

// Output the array
print_r($end_array);

The text_to_array() function iterates over the string representation of the array, identifies key-value pairs, and constructs a new array.

It is important to note that the function is not perfect and may not handle complex array structures. However, it provides a simple and efficient solution for converting strings representing arrays back into their original array form.

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