Parse aptitude search using php

Question

I'm building a UI using PHP and jquery that will allow someone to type in a string and it will search apt search

What i want to do is separate (using php) the packaga name, the architecture just after the / and the description of the package just below the line of the package and architecture so i can push this data into a JSON collection and return it to jQuery.

I'm doing the following command:

$data=shell_exec("sudo apt search $searchString")

I can get the package name and the architecture using explosion on / but dont know how to get the line below

Here's an example output of this search against php:

wwwconfig-common/bionic 0.3.0 all
  Debian web auto configuration

xine-ui/bionic 0.99.9-1.3 amd64
  the xine video player, user interface

xjed/bionic 1:0.99.19-7 amd64
  editor for programmers (x11 version)

xmlsysd/bionic 2.6.0-0ubuntu4 amd64
  wulfware daemon to extract data from cluster nodes

yasat/bionic 848-1ubuntu1 all
  simple stupid audit tool

yhsm-validation-server/bionic 1.2.0-1 all
  Validation server using YubiHSM

yrmcds/bionic 1.1.8-1.1 amd64
  memcached compatible KVS with master/slave replication

yubikey-server-c/bionic 0.5-1build3 amd64
  Yubikey validation server

yubikey-val/bionic 2.38-2 all
  One-Time Password (OTP) validation server for YubiKey tokens

zabbix-frontend-php/bionic 1:3.0.12+dfsg-1 all
  network monitoring solution - PHP front-end

zendframework/bionic 1.12.20+dfsg-1ubuntu1 all
  powerful PHP framework

zendframework-bin/bionic 1.12.20+dfsg-1ubuntu1 all
  binary scripts for zendframework

Thanks for the assistance!

UPDATE:

I can get the package name and the architecture using exploding "/" but i dont know how to get the line just below. Thought i can find a nifty solution

Answer 1

Here is a couple of ways to do it.

One is using explode with array_map (you could use normal foreach instead) and the other way using regex.

<?php
$str = 'wwwconfig-common/bionic 0.3.0 all
  Debian web auto configuration

...';
  
  
$packages = array_map(function($item) {
    
    $item = array_map('trim', explode("\n", trim($item)));
    $line = explode(" ", $item[0]);
    $line[0] = explode("/", $item[0]);
    
    return [
        'package' => $line[0][0],
        'distro' => $line[0][1],
        'version' => $line[1],  
        'arch' => $line[2], 
        'desc' => $item[1]
    ];
}, explode("\n\r", $str));

Or with regex,

preg_match_all('#(?<package>.*?)/(?<distro>.*?) (?<version>.*?) (?<arch>.*?)\n  (?<desc>.*?)\n\r#', $str, $packages);
$result = [];
foreach ($packages['package'] as $key => $value) {
    $result[] =  [
        'package' => $packages['package'][$key],
        'distro' =>  $packages['distro'][$key],
        'version' =>  $packages['version'][$key],
        'arch' =>  $packages['arch'][$key],
        'desc' =>  $packages['desc'][$key]
    ];
}

print_r($result);

Both produce the same result:

Array
(
    [0] => Array
        (
            [package] => wwwconfig-common
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 0.3.0
            [arch] => all
            [desc] => Debian web auto configuration
        )

    [1] => Array
        (
            [package] => xine-ui
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 0.99.9-1.3
            [arch] => amd64
            [desc] => the xine video player, user interface
        )

    [2] => Array
        (
            [package] => xjed
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 1:0.99.19-7
            [arch] => amd64
            [desc] => editor for programmers (x11 version)
        )

    [3] => Array
        (
            [package] => xmlsysd
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 2.6.0-0ubuntu4
            [arch] => amd64
            [desc] => wulfware daemon to extract data from cluster nodes
        )

    [4] => Array
        (
            [package] => yasat
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 848-1ubuntu1
            [arch] => all
            [desc] => simple stupid audit tool
        )

    [5] => Array
        (
            [package] => yhsm-validation-server
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 1.2.0-1
            [arch] => all
            [desc] => Validation server using YubiHSM
        )

    [6] => Array
        (
            [package] => yrmcds
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 1.1.8-1.1
            [arch] => amd64
            [desc] => memcached compatible KVS with master/slave replication
        )

    [7] => Array
        (
            [package] => yubikey-server-c
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 0.5-1build3
            [arch] => amd64
            [desc] => Yubikey validation server
        )

    [8] => Array
        (
            [package] => yubikey-val
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 2.38-2
            [arch] => all
            [desc] => One-Time Password (OTP) validation server for YubiKey tokens
        )

    [9] => Array
        (
            [package] => zabbix-frontend-php
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 1:3.0.12+dfsg-1
            [arch] => all
            [desc] => network monitoring solution - PHP front-end
        )

    [10] => Array
        (
            [package] => zendframework
            [distro] => bionic
            [version] => 1.12.20+dfsg-1ubuntu1
            [arch] => all
            [desc] => powerful PHP framework
        )

)