Environics Analytics provides incredibly useful demographics, psychographics and segmentation data for Canada, but the raw data is challenging if the goal is to use it in a general SQL query: The raw data is in one file, the meanings of the columns are in a ‘metadata’ file, and the data provided doesn’t necessarily just list postal codes but other geographic areas as well.

Linked below is a Laravel CLI command that outputs a .SQL file that will handle the creation and insertion of data and definitions for you. The CLI command is invoked as follows:

php artisan environics_demographics:import {csv_demographics_definitions} {csv_demographics_data} {year_demographics_data} {dir_output_data}

Find the full script on GitHub Gist, or below:

Often enough in PHP, you’ll grab objects from a variety of sources and want to merge them into a single array of results. To merge without duplicates, add the following function to your codebase and make use of array_merge_recursive_distinct the same way you would array_merge_recursive:

// From: https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.array-merge-recursive.php#92195
if (! function_exists('array_merge_recursive_distinct')) {
    /**
     * @param array<int|string, mixed> $array1
     * @param array<int|string, mixed> $array2
     *
     * @return array<int|string, mixed>
     */
    function array_merge_recursive_distinct(array &$array1, array &$array2): array
    {
        $merged = $array1;
        foreach ($array2 as $key => &$value) {
            if (is_array($value) && isset($merged[$key]) && is_array($merged[$key])) {
                $merged[$key] = array_merge_recursive_distinct($merged[$key], $value);
            } else {
                $merged[$key] = $value;
            }
        }

        return $merged;
    }
}

Reference:

• https://www.php.net/manual/en/function.array-merge-recursive.php#92195

Another typical regex scenario: You’re looking through some data (like a JSON object) and are looking for when a value is actually being set. Let’s say our string contains:

"puttLength": null, 

Typically, you’d write a regular expression to capture the <em> tag by writing this:</em>

"puttLength": ((?!null).)*$

The use of ?! is the instruction to make a negative lookahead match, ensuring null does not exist before the line can be returned as a match. A terrific example / tool to test in your browser exists at https://www.regextester.com/15 .

On websites like Sportsnet.ca ( http://www.sportsnet.ca/ ) and Maclean’s ( http://www.macleans.ca/ ), the amount of content on those WordPress websites long ago exceeded the level that the built-in WordPress search system can capably handle.

Third-party search solutions such as Google CSE (Custom Search Engine) are being utilized instead, but there is a momentary slowdown before the page loads that is caused by the WordPress site executing its own internal search query before it displays the search results page. In order to remove this delay (and the unnecessary database request), add the following code to the theme’s functions.php file:

// Disable WordPress's internal search query (as much as we can), letting Google CSE handle that.
function internal_search_disable( $query ) {
    if ( !is_admin() && $query->is_main_query() ) {
        if ( $query->is_search ) {
            // Add a filter that effectively returns no results ever.
            add_filter('posts_where', 'internal_search_filter_where');
        }
    }
    return $query;
}
add_action('pre_get_posts', 'internal_search_disable');
 
// The WHERE search filter for disabling the internal search system.
function internal_search_filter_where( $where = '' ) {
    $where = " AND 0 = 1";
 
    // Once added, remove the filter to stop affecting other queries on the page.
    remove_filter('posts_where', 'internal_search_filter_where');
    return $where;
}