What are some alternative methods to achieve the desired outcome of replacing specific parts of a string in PHP?

One alternative method to achieve the desired outcome of replacing specific parts of a string in PHP is by using the `str_replace()` function. This function allows you to specify the string to search for, the string to replace it with, and the input string. Another method is using regular expressions with the `preg_replace()` function, which provides more flexibility for pattern matching and replacement.

// Using str_replace() function
$inputString = "Hello, World!";
$replacement = "PHP";
$newString = str_replace("World", $replacement, $inputString);
echo $newString;

// Using preg_replace() function
$inputString = "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog";
$pattern = "/brown fox/";
$replacement = "red fox";
$newString = preg_replace($pattern, $replacement, $inputString);
echo $newString;