PHP 4.0 Bug #8986 Updated: preg_replace: "$dd" pattern in replacement string treated as a backreference

ID: 8986 Updated by: andrei Reported By: gwh@acm.org Old-Status: Open Status: Closed Bug Type: PCRE related Assigned To: Comments: This is documented in the online manual. Please use \\ in front of $ to escape it (latest CVS). Previous Comments: --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2001-01-29 13:05:20] gwh@acm.org By the way, no variable replacement is taking place with the "$10.00". It fails if the script is: <?php $test = "hello there"; $output = preg_replace('/hello/','$10.00',$test); print $output; ?> as well. The input that I am passing to the function is posted form data. Which contains valid text up to this function call, afterwhich the replaced text exhibits the problem described above. Thanks... --------------------------------------------------------------------------- [2001-01-29 13:00:55] gwh@acm.org In php_pcre.c line 630, the dollar sign '$' is also used as in indicator for a backreference, which is undocumented. This breaks any replacement string that contains the "$dd" pattern where "dd" are numerical digits. For example: <?php $test = "hello there"; $output = preg_replace("/hello/","$10.00",$test); print $output; ?> results in the output: .00 there The "$10" is taken as a back reference and resolves to NULL leaving the ".00". In my application, I need to merge user generated text that may contain dollar signs. I am using preg_replace and doing multiple keyword,value substitutions using arrays. My only workaround right now is to perform a preliminary preg_replace and insert a space after each dollar sign. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Full Bug description available at: http://bugs.php.net/?id=8986