What are the best practices for handling complex text manipulation tasks in PHP, especially when dealing with existing systems and limited control over code changes?

When dealing with complex text manipulation tasks in PHP within existing systems with limited control over code changes, it is best to break down the task into smaller, manageable steps. Utilize PHP's string manipulation functions, regular expressions, and custom functions to handle the specific requirements of the task. Additionally, consider creating reusable functions or classes to abstract the text manipulation logic for easier maintenance and scalability.

// Example code snippet for handling complex text manipulation tasks in PHP

// Function to remove all non-alphanumeric characters from a string
function removeNonAlphanumericChars($text) {
    return preg_replace('/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/', '', $text);
}

// Example usage
$text = "Hello, world! 123";
$cleanedText = removeNonAlphanumericChars($text);
echo $cleanedText; // Output: HelloWorld123