The rawurldecode function returns the url_text string translated from url format
into plain text. It reverses the action of rawurlencode. This function is safe for use
with binary data. The urldecode function is not.
<?
print(rawurldecode("mail%20leon%40clearink.com"));
?>
string rawurlencode(string url_text)
The rawurlencode function returns the url_text string translated into URL
format. This format uses percent signs (%) to specify characters by their ASCII code, as
required by the HTTP specification. This allows you to pass information in an URL that
includes characters that have special meaning in URLs, such as the ampersand (&). This
is discussed in detail in RFC 1738.
This function is safe for use with binary data. Compare this to urlencode, which is
not.
<?
print(rawurlencode("mail [email protected]"));
?>
string serialize(value)
Use serialize to transform a value into an ASCII string that may be later turned back
into the same value using the unserialize function. The serialized value may be
stored in a file or a database for retrieval later. In fact, this function offers a great way to
store complex data structures in a database without writing any special code.
Figure 9-10. serialize