匹配字符串中的给定字符串并输出数组

Question

Let's say I have a string like

"Student - John Doe ate apples"

"Student - Bob ate oranges"

I know this sentence consists of: ":type - :who ate :noun

Is there a way to get an array of actions, utilising both strings such as :

$arr = [
   "type" => "Student",
   "who" => "John Doe",
   "noun" => "apples"
];

$arr2 = [
   "type" => "Student"
   "who" => "Bob",
   "noun" => "oranges"
];

What is the way to achieve this in php?

_{- I couldn't think of any way to achieve it so I can't put any code chunks.}

_{- Probably I couldn't even name the question correctly, I'd appreciate a better name if you have any idea}

Answer 1

You can also split the string on the patterns of characters that divide the different parts.

$result = array_combine(['type', 'who', 'noun'], preg_split('/ - | ate /', $example));

This should work reliably, assuming there's not a Bob ate who ate an ate or something like that.