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PHP trim() Function

< PHP String Reference

Example

Remove characters from both sides of a string ("He" in "Hello" and "d!" in "World"):

<?php
$str = "Hello World!";
echo $str . "<br>";
echo trim($str,"Hed!");
?>
Run example »

Definition and Usage

The trim() function removes whitespace and other predefined characters from both sides of a string.

Related functions:

  • ltrim() - Removes whitespace or other predefined characters from the left side of a string
  • rtrim() - Removes whitespace or other predefined characters from the right side of a string

Syntax

trim(string,charlist)

Parameter Description
string Required. Specifies the string to check
charlist Optional. Specifies which characters to remove from the string. If omitted, all of the following characters are removed:
  • "\0" - NULL
  • "\t" - tab
  • "\n" - new line
  • "\x0B" - vertical tab
  • "\r" - carriage return
  • " " - ordinary white space

Technical Details

Return Value: Returns the modified string
PHP Version: 4+
Changelog: The charlist parameter was added in PHP 4.1

More Examples

Example 1

Remove whitespaces from both sides of a string:

<?php
$str = " Hello World! ";
echo "Without trim: " . $str;
echo "<br>";
echo "With trim: " . trim($str);
?>

The HTML output of the code above will be (View Source):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

Without trim:  Hello World! <br>With trim: Hello World!
</body>
</html>

The browser output of the code above will be:

Without trim: Hello World!
With trim: Hello World!
Run example »

Example 2

Remove newlines (\n) from both sides of the string:

<?php
$str = "\n\n\nHello World!\n\n\n";
echo "Without trim: " . $str;
echo "<br>";
echo "With trim: " . trim($str);
?>

The HTML output of the code above will be (View Source):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<body>

Without trim:


Hello World!


<br>With trim: Hello World!
</body>
</html>

The browser output of the code above will be:

Without trim: Hello World!
With trim: Hello World!
Run example »

< PHP String Reference