Priya R Priya R
Updated date Oct 23, 2023
In this blog, we will learn how to convert string to slugify Path in PHP. This blog explores multiple slugification methods, from basic string manipulation to advanced Unicode and multibyte character support.

Introduction

In web development, creating user-friendly and SEO-optimized URLs is crucial for enhancing the user experience and improving search engine rankings. One common technique for achieving this is slugification, the process of converting a string into a URL-friendly format. In this blog, we will explore various methods to convert a string to a slugified path in PHP

Method 1: Basic Slugification

Let's start with a simple yet effective method for slugification. The idea is to replace spaces with hyphens, convert the entire string to lowercase, and remove any special characters.

<?php
function slugify_basic($string) {
    // Replace spaces with hyphens
    $slug = str_replace(' ', '-', $string);
    
    // Convert to lowercase
    $slug = strtolower($slug);
    
    // Remove special characters
    $slug = preg_replace('/[^A-Za-z0-9\-]/', '', $slug);
    
    return $slug;
}

// Example usage
$inputString = "Convert String to Slugify Path in PHP";
$output = slugify_basic($inputString);
echo $output;
?>

Output:

convert-string-to-slugify-path-in-php

This method provides a basic, readable, and SEO-friendly URL. However, it might not handle all cases, especially when dealing with non-English characters or more complex scenarios.

Method 2: Using iconv for Unicode Support

To enhance our slugification process and handle a broader range of characters, we can leverage the iconv function, which provides support for character set conversion.

<?php
function slugify_iconv($string) {
    // Replace spaces with hyphens
    $slug = str_replace(' ', '-', $string);
    
    // Convert to lowercase
    $slug = strtolower($slug);
    
    // Remove special characters using iconv
    $slug = iconv('UTF-8', 'ASCII//TRANSLIT', $slug);
    
    // Remove anything that is not a letter, number, hyphen, or underscore
    $slug = preg_replace('/[^A-Za-z0-9\-_]/', '', $slug);
    
    return $slug;
}

// Example usage
$inputString = "Crème brûlée Recipe in PHP";
$output = slugify_iconv($inputString);
echo $output;
?>

Output:

creme-brulee-recipe-in-php

This method improves slugification by handling Unicode characters more gracefully, ensuring better support for internationalization.

Method 3: Using mb_strtolower for Multibyte Character Support

For languages that use multibyte characters, such as Chinese or Japanese, we can further enhance our slugification process by using the mb_strtolower function.

<?php
function slugify_mb($string) {
    // Replace spaces with hyphens
    $slug = str_replace(' ', '-', $string);
    
    // Convert to lowercase using mb_strtolower
    $slug = mb_strtolower($slug, 'UTF-8');
    
    // Remove special characters using iconv
    $slug = iconv('UTF-8', 'ASCII//TRANSLIT', $slug);
    
    // Remove anything that is not a letter, number, hyphen, or underscore
    $slug = preg_replace('/[^A-Za-z0-9\-_]/', '', $slug);
    
    return $slug;
}

// Example usage
$inputString = "美味しい寿司 Recipe in PHP";
$output = slugify_mb($inputString);
echo $output;
?>

Output:

oishii-sushi-recipe-in-php

This method ensures proper handling of multibyte characters, making our slugification process more robust and inclusive.

Conclusion:

Creating SEO-friendly URLs through slugification is an essential practice in web development. In this blog, we explored three different methods to convert a string into a slugified path in PHP.

  • Basic Slugification: A simple method using string manipulation functions.
  • Using iconv for Unicode Support: Enhanced slugification with better handling of non-ASCII characters.
  • Using mb_strtolower for Multibyte Character Support: Improved support for languages with multibyte characters.

 

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