convert string to multidimensional array

Question

I have this array

dev3->content->->mktg->->->pls1->->->pls2->->->config->->splash

I want to convert this string to multidimensional array. like this

 Array
 (
 [0] => dev3
 Array (
 [0] => ->content
 Array (
 [0] => ->->mktg
 Array(
 [0] => ->->->pls1
 [1] => ->->->pls2
 [2] => ->->->config
 )
 [1] => ->->splash
 )
 )
 )

Can anyone do this

• Henders: Could we see the code you've tried to get this working?
• Murad Hasan: do you need manually or pragmatically???
• RomanPerekhrest: the presented output is incorrect
• Nishant Vikhe: ofcouce programatically
• Murad Hasan: quite impossible, but not impossible.

Answer 1

it does not work if level will be increaed more then +1 on any step

$str = 'dev3->content->->mktg->->->pls1->->->pls2->->->config->->splash';
$in = preg_split('/(?<!>)(?=->)/', $str);

Above we make such array from the input string

Array
(
 [0] => dev3
 [1] => ->content
 [2] => ->->mktg
 [3] => ->->->pls1
 [4] => ->->->pls2
 [5] => ->->->config
 [6] => ->->splash
) 

continue working

$result = [];
$p = &$result;
$level = 0;
foreach($in as $i) {
 // Count next level
 $c = substr_count($i, '->');
 // if level is not changed
 if($c == $level) { $p[] = $i; continue; } 
 // level increased
 if ($c == $level + 1) {
 $level++;
 $p[] = [$i]; 
 $p = &$p[count($p)-1];
 continue;
 } 
 // any level less then achived before
 if ($c < $level) { 
 $p = &$result;
 $level = $c;
 while($c--)
 $p = &$p[count($p)-1];
 $p[] = $i;
 continue;
 }
 die("I can't process this input string"); 
}
print_r($result);

working demo

• splash58: i did not see your comment. But i think that main idea of the code not a way to explode the string (it can be done another) but using pointer to make array. Don't you think so?
• splash58: Glad to help. Good luck!