Parse a CSV string into an array

Description

str_getcsv(
    string $string,
    string $separator = ",",
    string $enclosure = "\"",
    string $escape = "\\"
): array

Parses a string input for fields in CSV format and returns an array containing the fields read.

Note:
The locale settings are taken into account by this function. If LC_CTYPE is e.g. en_US.UTF-8, strings in one-byte encodings may be read wrongly by this function.

Parameters

string: The string to parse.
separator: Set the field delimiter (one single-byte character only).
enclosure: Set the field enclosure character (one single-byte character only).
escape: Set the escape character (at most one single-byte character). Defaults as a backslash (\) An empty string ("") disables the proprietary escape mechanism.

Note: Usually an enclosure character is escaped inside a field by doubling it; however, the escape character can be used as an alternative. So for the default parameter values "" and \" have the same meaning. Other than allowing to escape the enclosure character the escape character has no special meaning; it isn't even meant to escape itself.

Return Values

Returns an indexed array containing the fields read.

Changelog

Version	Description
7.4.0	The `escape` parameter now interprets an empty string as signal to disable the proprietary escape mechanism. Formerly, an empty string was treated like the default parameter value.

Examples

Example #1 str_getcsv() example

<?php

$string = 'PHP,Java,Python,Kotlin,Swift';
$data = str_getcsv($string);

var_dump($data);
?>

The above example will output:

array(5) {
  [0]=>
  string(3) "PHP"
  [1]=>
  string(4) "Java"
  [2]=>
  string(6) "Python"
  [3]=>
  string(6) "Kotlin"
  [4]=>
  string(5) "Swift"
}

Example #2 str_getcsv() example with an empty string

Caution

On an empty string this function returns the value [null] instead of an empty array.

<?php

$string = '';
$data = str_getcsv($string);

var_dump($data);
?>