What are the potential pitfalls of using the /e modifier in preg_replace and why is it deprecated in PHP versions?

Using the /e modifier in preg_replace allows for the evaluation of PHP code within the replacement string, which can be a security risk if the input is not properly sanitized. It is deprecated in PHP versions because it can lead to code injection vulnerabilities. To fix this issue, you can use anonymous functions with preg_replace_callback instead.

// Example of using preg_replace_callback instead of the /e modifier
$pattern = '/hello (\w+)/';
$string = 'hello world';
$replacement = function($matches) {
    return 'hello ' . strtoupper($matches[1]);
};

$result = preg_replace_callback($pattern, $replacement, $string);
echo $result; // Output: hello WORLD