What are the advantages of using preg_replace over str_replace for handling text manipulation in PHP, especially when dealing with dynamic content?

When dealing with dynamic content in PHP, preg_replace is often preferred over str_replace for text manipulation because it allows for more complex pattern matching using regular expressions. This makes it more versatile and powerful when dealing with varying or unpredictable text formats. Additionally, preg_replace offers more flexibility in terms of the patterns that can be matched and replaced, making it a better choice for handling dynamic content. 

// Example of using preg_replace to handle text manipulation in PHP
$text = "Hello, [Name]! Today is [Day].";
$replacements = array(
    '[Name]' => 'John',
    '[Day]' => 'Monday'
);

$newText = preg_replace_callback('/\[(.*?)\]/', function($match) use ($replacements) {
    return isset($replacements[$match[1]]) ? $replacements[$match[1]] : $match[0];
}, $text);

echo $newText;

Keywords

preg_replace str_replace text manipulation dynamic content PHP

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