htmlspecialchars to only convert greater (>) and lesser (<) signs

Question

I want to use htmlspecialchars but to only convert the greater (>) and lesser (<) signs. I do not want to convert the single, double and '&' signs. I tried and searched alot but could not find the answer. Please help.

Answer 1

$replace = array('<' => '&lt;', '>' => '&gt;');
$string=strtr($string, $replace);

Differences between str_replace and strtr are discussed here: When to use strtr vs str_replace?

Answer 2

Try using a str_replace() function with an array as 'needle in the haystack':

$search_for_lt = array("<","&lt;");
$string = str_replace($search_for_lt, "replacement here, can be empty", $string);
$search_for_gt = array(">","&lt;");
$string = str_replace($search_for_gt, "replacement here, can be empty", $string);

Can you confirm it is working as expected?

Answer 3

Why not just replace only those characters using str_replace then?

$result = str_replace(['<', '>'], ['&lt;', '&gt;'], $string);