Warning: preg_replace() [function.preg-replace]: No ending delimiter ':' found

**HitRaj47** · 06-02-2005, 04:14 PM

I'm getting the following error messages:

Quote:

Warning: preg_replace() [function.preg-replace]: No ending delimiter ':' found in C:\webserver\mkspace\includes\functions.php on line 9

Warning: preg_replace() [function.preg-replace]: No ending delimiter ':' found in C:\webserver\mkspace\includes\functions.php on line 11

Warning: preg_replace() [function.preg-replace]: No ending delimiter ':' found in C:\webserver\mkspace\includes\functions.php on line 12

Warning: preg_replace() [function.preg-replace]: No ending delimiter ':' found in C:\webserver\mkspace\includes\functions.php on line 13

Warning: preg_replace() [function.preg-replace]: No ending delimiter ';' found in C:\webserver\mkspace\includes\functions.php on line 15

The code it's referring to is:

PHP Code:


			
        preg_replace(':angry:', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/image/emoticons/angry.gif" alt="Angry" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(':\'(', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/image/emoticons/crying.gif" alt=":\'(" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(':lol:', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/images/emoticons/laughing.gif" alt=":lol:" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(':(', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/images/emoticons/sad.gif" alt=":(" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(':)', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/images/emoticons/smile.gif" alt=":)" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(':P', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/images/emoticons/tongue.gif" alt=":P" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(':huh:', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/images/emoticons/wassat.gif" alt="Huh?" />', $txt);

        preg_replace(';)', '<img src="http://www.mkspace.com/mkspace/images/emoticons/wink.gif" alt=";)" />', $txt);

**Christopher** · 06-02-2005, 04:42 PM

You have to tell preg where you're regex is starting and ending, this is done by delimiters. Whatever your first character is, your last character has to be (making them the delimiters). So...

Code:

/:angry:/
/:\'\(/
/:lol:/
/:\(/

Etc will use '/' as a delimeter. Another common one is '#'.

**mtishetsky** · 06-03-2005, 06:33 AM

At least you call preg_replace() in a wrong way. This functions returns the modified text, so you must do

PHP Code:


			
$txt = preg_replace(...);

Next, you also must escape slashes, backslashes and round brackets:

PHP Code:


			
$txt = preg_replace("/:\)/", ... , ...);

$txt = preg_replace("/:\\/", ... , ...);

Also it's recommended to use str_replace() in this case because you don't do anyithing special with your source string. But from another side you can benefit from using preg_replace in following way:

PHP Code:


			
$mathces = array(

   '/:angry:/', 

   '/:\)/', 

   // whatever else

   );

$replaces = array(

   '<img ....>',

   '<img ....>',

   // more images

);

$txt = preg_replace($matches, $replaces, $txt);

Hope that helps.

**HitRaj47** · 06-03-2005, 07:59 AM

thanks for your help guys, i've fixed it now