Get fragment (value after hash '#') from a URL

Question

How can i select the fragment after the '#' symbol in my URL using PHP?
The result that i want is "photo45".

This is an example URL:
http://example.com/site/gallery/1#photo45

Answer 1

If you want to get the value after the hash mark or anchor as shown in a user's browser: This isn't possible with "standard" HTTP as this value is never sent to the server (hence it won't be available in $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"] or similar predefined variables). You would need some sort of JavaScript magic on the client side, e.g. to include this value as a POST parameter.

If it's only about parsing a known URL from whatever source, the answer by mck89 is perfectly fine though.

Answer 2

A) already have url with #hash in PHP? Easy! Just parse it out !

if( strpos( $url, "#" ) === false ) echo "NO HASH !";
   else echo "HASH IS: #".explode( "#", $url )[1]; // arrays are indexed from 0

Or in "old" PHP you must pre-store the exploded to access the array:

$exploded_url = explode( "#", $url ); $exploded_url[1]; 

B) You want to get a #hash by sending a form to PHP?
    => Use some JavaScript MAGIC! (To pre-process the form)

var forms = document.getElementsByTagName('form'); //get all forms on the site
for (var i = 0; i < forms.length; i++) { //to each form...
    forms[i].addEventListener( // add a "listener"
        'submit', // for an on-submit "event"
        function () { //add a submit pre-processing function:
            var input_name = "fragment"; // name form will use to send the fragment
            // Try search whether we already done this or not
            // in current form, find every <input ... name="fragment" ...>
            var hiddens = form.querySelectorAll('[name="' + input_name + '"]');
            if (hiddens.length < 1) { // if not there yet
                //create an extra input element
                var hidden = document.createElement("input");
                //set it to hidden so it doesn't break view 
                hidden.setAttribute('type', 'hidden');
                //set a name to get by it in PHP
                hidden.setAttribute('name', input_name);
                this.appendChild(hidden); //append it to the current form
            } else {
                var hidden = hiddens[0]; // use an existing one if already there
            }

            //set a value of #HASH - EVERY TIME, so we get the MOST RECENT #hash :)
            hidden.setAttribute('value', window.location.hash);
        }
    );
}

Depending on your form's method attribute you get this hash in PHP by:
$_GET['fragment'] or $_POST['fragment']

Possible returns: 1. ""[empty string] (no hash) 2. whole hash INCLUDING the #[hash] sign (because we've used the window.location.hash in JavaScript which just works that way :) )

C) You want to get the #hash in PHP JUST from requested URL?

                                    YOU CAN'T !

...(not while considering regular HTTP requests)...

...Hope this helped :)

Answer 3

You can't get the text after the hash mark. It is not sent to the server in a request.

Answer 4

That part is called "fragment" and you can get it in this way:

$url = parse_url("http://example.com/site/gallery/1#photo45 ");
echo $url["fragment"]; //This variable contains the fragment

Answer 5

Getting the data after the hashmark in a query string is simple. Here is an example used for when a client accesses a glossary of terms from a book. It takes the name anchor delivered (#tesla), and delivers the client to that term and highlights the term and its description in blue so its easy to see.

1. setup your strings with a div id, so the name anchor goes where its supposed to and the JavaScript can change the text colors

   <div id="tesla">Tesla</div>
   <div id="tesla1">An energy company</div>
   

2. Use JavaScript to do the heavy work, on the server side, inserted in your PHP page, or wherever..

   <script src="http://code.jquery.com/jquery-1.9.1.min.js"></script>
   

3. I am launching the Java function automatically when the page is loaded.

   <script>
   $( document ).ready(function() {
   

4. get the anchor (#tesla) from the URL received by the server

   var myhash1 = $(location).attr('hash'); //myhash1 == #tesla
   

5. trim the hash sign off of it

   myhash1 = myhash1.substr(1)  //myhash1 == tesla
   

6. I need to highlight the term and the description so I create a new var

   var myhash2 = '1';
   myhash2 = myhash1.concat(myhash2); //myhash2 == tesla1
   

7. Now I can manipulate the text color for the term and description

   var elem = document.getElementById(myhash1);
   elem.style.color = 'blue';
   elem = document.getElementById(myhash2);
   elem.style.color = 'blue';
   });
   </script>
   

8. This works. client clicks link on client side (example.com#tesla) and goes right to the term. the term and the description are highlighted in blue by JavaScript for quick reading .. all other entries left in black..

Answer 6

I found this trick if you insist want the value with PHP. split the anchor (#) value and get it with JavaScript, then store as cookie, after that get the cookie value with PHP

Answer 7

You need to parse the url first, so it goes like this:

$url = "https://www.example.com/profile#picture";
$fragment = parse_url($url,PHP_URL_FRAGMENT); //this variable holds the value - 'picture'

If you need to parse the actual url of the current browser, you need to request to call the server.

$url = $_SERVER["REQUEST_URI"];
$fragment = parse_url($url,PHP_URL_FRAGMENT); //this variable holds the value - 'picture'

Answer 8

You can do it by a combination of javascript and php:

<div id="cont"></div>

And by the other side;

<script>
var h = window.location.hash;
var h1 = (win.substr(1));//string with no #
var q1 = '<input type="text" id="hash" name="hash" value="'+h1+'">';

setInterval(function(){
if(win1!="")
{
document.querySelector('#cont').innerHTML = q1;
} else alert("Something went wrong")
},1000);
</script>

Then, on form submit you can retrieve the value via $_POST['hash'] (set the form)

Answer 9

I've been searching for a workaround for this for a bit - and the only thing I have found is to use URL rewrites to read the "anchor". I found in the apache docs here http://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.2/rewrite/advanced.html the following...

By default, redirecting to an HTML anchor doesn't work, because mod_rewrite escapes the # character, turning it into %23. This, in turn, breaks the redirection.

Solution: Use the [NE] flag on the RewriteRule. NE stands for No Escape.

Discussion: This technique will of course also work with other special characters that mod_rewrite, by default, URL-encodes.

It may have other caveats and what not ... but I think that at least doing something with the # on the server is possible.

Answer 10

If you are wanting to dynamically grab the hash from URL, this should work:

https://stackoverflow.com/a/57368072/2062851

<script>
    var hash = window.location.hash, //get the hash from url
    cleanhash = hash.replace("#", ""); //remove the #
    //alert(cleanhash);
</script>

<?php
    $hash = "<script>document.writeln(cleanhash);</script>";
    echo $hash;
?>