Get first n characters of a string

Question

How can I get the first n characters of a string in PHP? What\'s the fastest way to trim a string to a specific number of characters, and append \'...\' if needed?

Answer 1

To create within a function (for repeat usage) and dynamical limited length, use:

function string_length_cutoff($string, $limit, $subtext = '...')
{
    return (strlen($string) > $limit) ? substr($string, 0, ($limit-strlen(subtext))).$subtext : $string;
}

// example usage:
echo string_length_cutoff('Michelle Lee Hammontree-Garcia', 26);

// or (for custom substitution text
echo string_length_cutoff('Michelle Lee Hammontree-Garcia', 26, '..');