How to show line break using PHP?

Question

I am inserting this text What is PHP? into the database

Now I want to show this text as a line break. Like below:

What is
PHP?

I am using PHP nl2br() function but it's not working. I am getting the value like this:

What is <br/> PHP?

How can I solve it?

Thank You.

check what is inserted in data base may be html special character has been inserted? — Chetan Ameta, May 11 '17 at 06:32
@ChetanAmeta in the database value is like this: `What is
PHP?` — Shibbir Ahmed, May 11 '17 at 06:33
try this `$string = "What is
PHP?"; echo htmlentities($string);` If you want to show `
` — Sahil Gulati, May 11 '17 at 06:33
Possible duplicate of [Do not escape html stored as string (execute or process html string)](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/12693093/do-not-escape-html-stored-as-string-execute-or-process-html-string) — Divyank Munjapara, May 11 '17 at 06:35
@InspireShahin ok. I inserted the text with `\n` but when I show the text I am using `nl2br()` but still I can't see the line break. — Shibbir Ahmed, May 11 '17 at 06:43
@Shibbir Ahmed if you are storing `What is
PHP?` and hope when you are fetching it and you will get the same value like: `What is
PHP?` if this is so then i think you don't have to do any thing just like: `$string = "What is
PHP?"; echo $string;` echo will read the
tag — lazyCoder, May 11 '17 at 06:44
@BunkerBoy You right but then it's showing same: `What is
PHP?` — Shibbir Ahmed, May 11 '17 at 06:48
@Shibbir Ahmed update your question with exact value what you are getting from db — lazyCoder, May 11 '17 at 07:08
@Kevin.a I used `\n` and `
` when I insert the text into the database but when I showing it no line break. But using `\n` I see a line break in the source code only. — Shibbir Ahmed, May 11 '17 at 07:25

Paolo · Accepted Answer · 2017-05-11T15:35:45.823

A question comes up here... where are you inserting this text (string) ?

If you are injecting it as HTML you'll get the desired result in the rendered page.

I assume this is not the case: you want HTML line breaks turned into newlines.

So...

nl2br()converts newlines into  : that's the opposite you want to do

http://php.net/manual/en/function.nl2br.php

Just use str_replace:

$out = str_replace( "<br/>", "\n", $in );

Where $in is the input string and $out is the desired output

http://php.net/manual/en/function.str-replace.php

Just a couple of things to note:

1) the above code will work with HTML line breaks  , not if you have  , or  

If this is an issue you may pass the function array of strings and array of their replacements. This is well documented in the link above.

2) If you use the code snipped I wrote above you'll end having two spaces in the resulting string:

What is (with trailing space)

PHP (with leading space)

"the above code will work with HTML line breaks
, not if you have
, or
" ==> `
` **is** a html line break. you probably mean XHTML line break or something like that. — Xatenev, May 11 '17 at 07:43
@Xatenev you're right: I've made the code snippet using the HTML (XHTML) line break tag in the OP answer for simplicity. I take care to point out that line breaks may have different syntax (note nr. 1) — Paolo, May 11 '17 at 07:46

score 0 · Answer 2 · answered May 11 '17 at 09:57

Just use css instead of server-side transformations:

p {
  white-space: pre-line;
}

<p>I am inserting this text What is 
               PHP? into the database
</p>

<p>Now I want to show this text as a line break. Like below:</p>

<p>What    is 
PHP?</p>

How to show line break using PHP?

2 Answers2