Re: Inane ereg_replace question

this will work: ereg_replace(" *: *",":",$b); I don't know why you use an OR! If you only wanted to know WHY this doesn't work: the searchstrings overlap (abc is poisitioned BEFORE cde - so the parser only will see abc in abcdefghiabcdefghi but not cde in XdefghiXdefghi!! $a="abcdefghi"; $a.=$a; echo ereg_replace("abc|def","X",$a)."\n"; echo ereg_replace("def|abc","X",$a)."\n"; echo ereg_replace("abc|cde","X",$a)."\n"; echo ereg_replace("cde|abc","X",$a)."\n"; OUTPUT: XXghiXXghi XXghiXXghi XdefghiXdefghi XdefghiXdefghi michi > php 3.xx > > $a="to be or not : to to be"; > > $b=ereg_replace(" *:",":",$b); > $b=ereg_replace(": *",":",$b); > > works and > > $b=ereg_replace(" *:|: *",":",$b); > > does not work. I've had this problem before and ended > up using two or more statments rather than one. -- Sent through GMX FreeMail - http://www.gmx.net