Methods to remove specific characters from string?

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There are several methods available, and they can sometimes be made to perform exactly the same task, like preg_replace/str_replace. But, perhaps you want to remove brackets only from the beginning or end of the string; in which case preg_replace works. But, if there could be several brackets, preg_replace can do the job too. But trim is easier and makes more sense.

preg_replace() – removes beginning and trailing brackets

$widget_id = preg_replace(array('/^\[/','/\]$/'), '',$widget_text);

str_replace() – this removes brackets anywhere in the text

$widget_id = str_replace(array('[',']'), '',$widget_text);

trim() – trims brackets from beginning and end

$widget_id = trim($widget_text,'[]')

substr() – does the same as trim() (assuming the widget text does not include any closing brackets within the text)

$widget_id = substr($widget_text,
                    $start = strspn($widget_text, '['),
                    strcspn($widget_text, ']') - $start
             );

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