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  <refentry id="function.explode">
   <refnamediv>
    <refname>explode</refname>
    <refpurpose>Split a string by string</refpurpose>
   </refnamediv>
   <refsect1>
    <title>Description</title>
     <methodsynopsis>
      <type>array</type><methodname>explode</methodname>
      <methodparam><type>string</type><parameter>separator</parameter></methodparam>
      <methodparam><type>string</type><parameter>string</parameter></methodparam>
      <methodparam choice="opt"><type>int</type><parameter>limit</parameter></methodparam>
     </methodsynopsis>
    <para>
     Returns an array of strings, each of which is a substring of
     <parameter>string</parameter> formed by splitting it on
     boundaries formed by the string <parameter>separator</parameter>.
     If <parameter>limit</parameter> is set, the returned array will
     contain a maximum of <parameter>limit</parameter> elements with
     the last element containing the rest of
     <parameter>string</parameter>.
    </para>
    <para>
     If <parameter>separator</parameter> is an empty string (""),
     <function>explode</function> will return &false;.  If
     <parameter>separator</parameter> contains a value that is not contained
     in <parameter>string</parameter>, then <function>explode</function> will
     return an array containing <parameter>string</parameter>.
    </para>
    <para>
     Although <function>implode</function> can, for historical reasons,
     accept its parameters in either order,
     <function>explode</function> cannot. You must ensure that the
     <parameter>separator</parameter> argument comes before the
     <parameter>string</parameter> argument.
    </para>
    <note>
     <para>
      The <parameter>limit</parameter> parameter was added in PHP
      4.0.1 
     </para>
    </note>
    <para>
     <example>
      <title><function>explode</function> examples</title>
      <programlisting role="php">
<![CDATA[
<?php
// Example 1
$pizza  = "piece1 piece2 piece3 piece4 piece5 piece6";
$pieces = explode(" ", $pizza);
print $pieces[0]; // piece1
print $pieces[1]; // piece2

// Example 2
$data = "foo:*:1023:1000::/home/foo:/bin/sh";
list($user,$pass,$uid,$gid,$gecos,$home,$shell) = explode(":",$data);
print $user; // foo
print $pass; // *

?>
]]>
      </programlisting>
     </example>
    </para>
    <para>
     See also 
     <function>preg_split</function>,
     <function>spliti</function>,
     <function>split</function>, and
     <function>implode</function>.
    </para>
   </refsect1>
  </refentry>

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