Removing all characters before certain string

Question

How can I remove everything before the first ABC in a string?

So that this: somethingrandomABCotherrandomstuffABCmorerandomstuffABC

turns to this: otherrandomstuffABCmorerandomstuffABC.

Is this possible with php?

is this a generic case or..? also, what is the logic behind this? any rule to follow? — briosheje, Oct 14 '14 at 16:32
Explode the string, remove the first occurrence, glue it back together. — Ohgodwhy, Oct 14 '14 at 16:33
You can replace (by nothing in your case) a lot of things using [regular expressions](http://php.net/manual/en/function.preg-replace.php). — andy, Oct 14 '14 at 16:34
Describe exactly what you are trying to achieve. I would bet you are creating a complex solution to a very simple problem. Why have you got these wierd string, do you create them yourself? — RiggsFolly, Oct 14 '14 at 16:41

Parris Varney · Accepted Answer · 2014-10-14T16:48:05.973

10

There is a php built in for doing this: strstr

Combine with substr to strip out your token:

$out = substr(strstr($text, 'ABC'), strlen('ABC'))

edited Oct 14 '14 at 16:48

answered Oct 14 '14 at 16:38

Parris Varney

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OP wants to skip "ABC", `strstr` includes `$needle` in result. – Kuba Wyrostek Oct 14 '14 at 16:39
@KubaWyrostek you're right, thanks. It is a somewhat common use case to use strstr with substr to strip out your token. I added an example for clarification. – Parris Varney Oct 14 '14 at 16:45

score 4 · Answer 2 · answered Oct 14 '14 at 16:37

<?php

function removeEverythingBefore($in, $before) {
    $pos = strpos($in, $before);
    return $pos !== FALSE
        ? substr($in, $pos + strlen($before), strlen($in))
        : "";
}

echo(removeEverythingBefore("somethingrandomABCotherrandomstuffABCmorerandomstuffABC", "ABC"));

?>

Outputs:

otherrandomstuffABCmorerandomstuffABC

Removing all characters before certain string

2 Answers2

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