How can PHP regex functions be utilized to extract specific information from a string, such as dimensions and color spaces in a PDF file?

To extract specific information from a string, such as dimensions and color spaces in a PDF file, we can use PHP regex functions to search for patterns that match the desired information. We can define regex patterns that match the format of the information we are looking for, such as dimensions in the form of numbers followed by units (e.g. 10.5 x 8.2 inches) or color spaces in the form of RGB or CMYK values. By using functions like preg_match() or preg_match_all(), we can extract the relevant information from the string based on our defined regex patterns.

```php
// Sample string containing dimensions and color space information from a PDF file
$pdfInfo = "Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.2 inches, Color Space: RGB";

// Define regex patterns to match dimensions and color space
$dimensionPattern = '/(\d+(\.\d+)?)\s*x\s*(\d+(\.\d+)?)\s*(inches|cm|mm)/i';
$colorSpacePattern = '/(RGB|CMYK|Grayscale)/i';

// Extract dimensions using preg_match()
if (preg_match($dimensionPattern, $pdfInfo, $dimensions)) {
    echo "Dimensions: " . $dimensions[0] . "\n";
} else {
    echo "Dimensions not found\n";
}

// Extract color space using preg_match()
if (preg_match($colorSpacePattern, $pdfInfo, $colorSpace)) {
    echo "Color Space: " . $colorSpace[0] . "\n";
} else {
    echo "Color Space not found\n";
```

This code snippet demonstrates how to extract dimensions and color space information from a PDF file using PHP regex functions. The defined regex patterns match the format of dimensions (e.g. 10.5 x 8.2 inches) and color space (e.g. RGB) in the provided sample string. The preg_match() function is used to extract the information based on the defined regex patterns, and the extracted values are then printed out.