PHP Ellipsis of descriptions when they contain non alpha characters

[graphicz]

I am using a php ellipsis to shorten product descriptions in the product summary and end with ...

Setting the encoding of Product Description to strip HTML deals with html code but if the description contains "some quoted text" in quote marks it generates a parser error.

Can any php wizards help? BTW, I am using php as it is a very javascript heavy site and I am wary of conflicts.

Example:

This product description is OK

!!<Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. <br><b>size: </b>200ml>!!
!!<<a href="http://www.domainname.co.uk/acatalog/link.html#B"><img src="some-image-120.jpg" width="120" height="60"></a>>!!

with this elli[psis php code:

<actinic:block php="true" >
$string = "<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />";
$length = 190;

    if (strlen($string) > $length) {
        //limit hit!
        $string = substr($string,0,($length -3));
            //stop on a word.
            $string = substr($string,0,strrpos($string,' ')).'...';

    echo $string;
}
	</actinic:block>

However, putting some quotes round some of the words in the description ("consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt") stops it working producing a parser error:

!!<Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, "consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt" ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. <br><b>size: </b>200ml>!!
!!<<a href="http://www.domainname.co.uk/acatalog/link.html#B"><img src="some-image-120.jpg" width="120" height="60"></a>>!!

There are thousands of products all with coded content so change is not an option.

I would be so grateful to be pointed in the right direction.

Thank you

[Mike Hughes]

I think you probably need to escape the control characters. See addslashes

http://php.net/addslashes

[graphicz]

Still struggling. Please can anyone correct my clumsy efforts?

	<actinic:block php="true" >
	
$abc = "<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />";	
$length = 190;
$string =  addslashes($abc);
    if (strlen($string) > $length) {
        //limit hit!        
        $string = substr($string,0,($length -3));
            //stop on a word.
            $string = substr($string,0,strrpos($string,' ')).'...';

    echo $string;
}
	</actinic:block>

[NormanRouxel]

Try using heredoc instead of a quoted string:

$abc <<<ENDOFDESCRIPTION
<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />
ENDOFDESCRIPTION;

Best read up on heredoc as there are some gotcha's. http://php.net/manual/en/language.ty...syntax.heredoc

[graphicz]

Thank you Norman - still struggling:

Is this how you suggest it should be?

<actinic:block php="true" >
	
$abc <<<ENDOFDESCRIPTION
<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />
ENDOFDESCRIPTION;
$length = 190;
$string =  addslashes($abc);
    if (strlen($string) > $length) {
        //limit hit!        
        $string = substr($string,0,($length -3));
            //stop on a word.
            $string = substr($string,0,strrpos($string,' ')).'...';

    echo $string;
}
	</actinic:block>

[NormanRouxel]

My bit looks OK. Why not bung in some diagnostic code?

ENDOFDESCRIPTION;
echo "ABC" . $abc . "END";

And look at the generated HTML by Previewing / View Source and search for ABC to see what you have really got.

UPDATE: I've no Idea why you're using that addslashes line.

[graphicz]

<actinic:block php="true" >	
$abc <<<ENDOFDESCRIPTION
<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />
ENDOFDESCRIPTION;
echo "ABC" . $abc . "END";
	</actinic:block>

yields a parse error

[NormanRouxel]

This:

<actinic:block php="true">
$str = <<<EOD
<actinic:variable name="ProductDescription" />
EOD;
echo "STR" . $str . "EOD";
</actinic:block>

Works for me. However copy / pasting it from here may be intoducing some unwanted characters.

UPDATE. If you still see errors, try copy / pasting the code from Example #2 on http://php.net/manual/en/language.ty...syntax.heredoc

$str = <<<EOD
Example of string
spanning multiple lines
using heredoc syntax.
EOD;

See if it works without error and if so, replace the text with <actinic:variable name="ProductDescription" />

That worked here when copy / pasting the code from this forum didn't. P.S. I'm using Firefox.

[graphicz]

This now seems to work, thank you so much Norman:

<p><actinic:block php="true" >	
$abc<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = <<<EOD
<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />
EOD;
$string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> =  addslashes($abc<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />);

$length = 190;
    if (strlen($string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />) > $length) {
        //limit hit!        
        $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = substr($string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />,0,($length -3));
            //stop on a word.
            $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = substr($string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />,0,strrpos($string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />,' ')).'...';
 $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = str_replace('\"', '', $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />);
 $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = str_replace("\'", "'", $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />);
    echo $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />;
}
else {
$string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = str_replace('\"', '', $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />);
 $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" /> = str_replace("\'", "'", $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />);
    echo $string<actinic:variable encoding="perl" name="EncodedProductAnchor" selectable="false" />;
}
	</actinic:block></p><br clear:both; />

[NormanRouxel]

Some redundant code and all those EncodedProductAnchors will cause SD's PHP to wastefully declare and assign a unique variable for every product. Try the much smaller and more readable:

<p><actinic:block php="true" >	
$length = 100;		// number of characters to trim to
$string = <<<EOD
<actinic:variable encoding="strip" name="ProductDescription" />
EOD;
if (strlen($string) > $length) {
	$string = substr($string, 0, $length);	// limit length
	$string = substr($string, 0, strrpos($string,' ')).'...';	// stop on a word.
	}
echo $string;
</actinic:block></p>
<br style="clear:both;" />

[feemish]

Hi Norman and Jonathan,

This sounds like an excellent idea and I'd like to use the code as well.

Can you please tell me where I should put the code?

[NormanRouxel]

This code is intended for things like the Recent Products and Best Sellers, which don't usually display a description. Put it into the layouts associated with these items. Place it where you want the shortened description to show.

It won't work on Filtered pages or Search Results so is best avoided there.

[feemish]

Thanks!

I have used it on the Product Summary Page, which shows is the section lists of products to tidy it up.
You click through to the main product to read the entire text desription. Works nicely.