How can the 'List' function be used in PHP to separate variables based on a specific character?

To separate variables based on a specific character in PHP, you can use the 'list' function along with the 'explode' function. First, use 'explode' to split a string into an array based on the specific character. Then, use 'list' to assign variables to elements of the array.

$string = "apple,banana,orange";
$fruits = explode(",", $string);
list($fruit1, $fruit2, $fruit3) = $fruits;

echo $fruit1; // Output: apple
echo $fruit2; // Output: banana
echo $fruit3; // Output: orange