Remove accents without using iconv

Question

What is the best way to remove accents eg.

ÈâuÑ" becomes "Eaun"

Without using iconv

Answer 1

mb_convert_encoding should work.

Answer 2

Complete working code. I know this is long, but it's a sure-shot way used by Wordpress.

<?php

function seems_utf8($str) 
{
    $length = strlen($str);
    for ($i=0; $i < $length; $i++) {
        $c = ord($str[$i]);
        if ($c < 0x80) $n = 0; # 0bbbbbbb
        elseif (($c & 0xE0) == 0xC0) $n=1; # 110bbbbb
        elseif (($c & 0xF0) == 0xE0) $n=2; # 1110bbbb
        elseif (($c & 0xF8) == 0xF0) $n=3; # 11110bbb
        elseif (($c & 0xFC) == 0xF8) $n=4; # 111110bb
        elseif (($c & 0xFE) == 0xFC) $n=5; # 1111110b
        else return false; # Does not match any model
        for ($j=0; $j<$n; $j++) { # n bytes matching 10bbbbbb follow ?
            if ((++$i == $length) || ((ord($str[$i]) & 0xC0) != 0x80))
                return false;
        }
    }
    return true;
}

/**
 * Converts all accent characters to ASCII characters.
 *
 * If there are no accent characters, then the string given is just returned.
 *
 * @param string $string Text that might have accent characters
 * @return string Filtered string with replaced "nice" characters.
 */
function remove_accents($string) {
    if ( !preg_match('/[\x80-\xff]/', $string) )
        return $string;

    if (seems_utf8($string)) {
        $chars = array(
        // Decompositions for Latin-1 Supplement
        chr(195).chr(128) => 'A', chr(195).chr(129) => 'A',
        chr(195).chr(130) => 'A', chr(195).chr(131) => 'A',
        chr(195).chr(132) => 'A', chr(195).chr(133) => 'A',
        chr(195).chr(135) => 'C', chr(195).chr(136) => 'E',
        chr(195).chr(137) => 'E', chr(195).chr(138) => 'E',
        chr(195).chr(139) => 'E', chr(195).chr(140) => 'I',
        chr(195).chr(141) => 'I', chr(195).chr(142) => 'I',
        chr(195).chr(143) => 'I', chr(195).chr(145) => 'N',
        chr(195).chr(146) => 'O', chr(195).chr(147) => 'O',
        chr(195).chr(148) => 'O', chr(195).chr(149) => 'O',
        chr(195).chr(150) => 'O', chr(195).chr(153) => 'U',
        chr(195).chr(154) => 'U', chr(195).chr(155) => 'U',
        chr(195).chr(156) => 'U', chr(195).chr(157) => 'Y',
        chr(195).chr(159) => 's', chr(195).chr(160) => 'a',
        chr(195).chr(161) => 'a', chr(195).chr(162) => 'a',
        chr(195).chr(163) => 'a', chr(195).chr(164) => 'a',
        chr(195).chr(165) => 'a', chr(195).chr(167) => 'c',
        chr(195).chr(168) => 'e', chr(195).chr(169) => 'e',
        chr(195).chr(170) => 'e', chr(195).chr(171) => 'e',
        chr(195).chr(172) => 'i', chr(195).chr(173) => 'i',
        chr(195).chr(174) => 'i', chr(195).chr(175) => 'i',
        chr(195).chr(177) => 'n', chr(195).chr(178) => 'o',
        chr(195).chr(179) => 'o', chr(195).chr(180) => 'o',
        chr(195).chr(181) => 'o', chr(195).chr(182) => 'o',
        chr(195).chr(182) => 'o', chr(195).chr(185) => 'u',
        chr(195).chr(186) => 'u', chr(195).chr(187) => 'u',
        chr(195).chr(188) => 'u', chr(195).chr(189) => 'y',
        chr(195).chr(191) => 'y',
        // Decompositions for Latin Extended-A
        chr(196).chr(128) => 'A', chr(196).chr(129) => 'a',
        chr(196).chr(130) => 'A', chr(196).chr(131) => 'a',
        chr(196).chr(132) => 'A', chr(196).chr(133) => 'a',
        chr(196).chr(134) => 'C', chr(196).chr(135) => 'c',
        chr(196).chr(136) => 'C', chr(196).chr(137) => 'c',
        chr(196).chr(138) => 'C', chr(196).chr(139) => 'c',
        chr(196).chr(140) => 'C', chr(196).chr(141) => 'c',
        chr(196).chr(142) => 'D', chr(196).chr(143) => 'd',
        chr(196).chr(144) => 'D', chr(196).chr(145) => 'd',
        chr(196).chr(146) => 'E', chr(196).chr(147) => 'e',
        chr(196).chr(148) => 'E', chr(196).chr(149) => 'e',
        chr(196).chr(150) => 'E', chr(196).chr(151) => 'e',
        chr(196).chr(152) => 'E', chr(196).chr(153) => 'e',
        chr(196).chr(154) => 'E', chr(196).chr(155) => 'e',
        chr(196).chr(156) => 'G', chr(196).chr(157) => 'g',
        chr(196).chr(158) => 'G', chr(196).chr(159) => 'g',
        chr(196).chr(160) => 'G', chr(196).chr(161) => 'g',
        chr(196).chr(162) => 'G', chr(196).chr(163) => 'g',
        chr(196).chr(164) => 'H', chr(196).chr(165) => 'h',
        chr(196).chr(166) => 'H', chr(196).chr(167) => 'h',
        chr(196).chr(168) => 'I', chr(196).chr(169) => 'i',
        chr(196).chr(170) => 'I', chr(196).chr(171) => 'i',
        chr(196).chr(172) => 'I', chr(196).chr(173) => 'i',
        chr(196).chr(174) => 'I', chr(196).chr(175) => 'i',
        chr(196).chr(176) => 'I', chr(196).chr(177) => 'i',
        chr(196).chr(178) => 'IJ',chr(196).chr(179) => 'ij',
        chr(196).chr(180) => 'J', chr(196).chr(181) => 'j',
        chr(196).chr(182) => 'K', chr(196).chr(183) => 'k',
        chr(196).chr(184) => 'k', chr(196).chr(185) => 'L',
        chr(196).chr(186) => 'l', chr(196).chr(187) => 'L',
        chr(196).chr(188) => 'l', chr(196).chr(189) => 'L',
        chr(196).chr(190) => 'l', chr(196).chr(191) => 'L',
        chr(197).chr(128) => 'l', chr(197).chr(129) => 'L',
        chr(197).chr(130) => 'l', chr(197).chr(131) => 'N',
        chr(197).chr(132) => 'n', chr(197).chr(133) => 'N',
        chr(197).chr(134) => 'n', chr(197).chr(135) => 'N',
        chr(197).chr(136) => 'n', chr(197).chr(137) => 'N',
        chr(197).chr(138) => 'n', chr(197).chr(139) => 'N',
        chr(197).chr(140) => 'O', chr(197).chr(141) => 'o',
        chr(197).chr(142) => 'O', chr(197).chr(143) => 'o',
        chr(197).chr(144) => 'O', chr(197).chr(145) => 'o',
        chr(197).chr(146) => 'OE',chr(197).chr(147) => 'oe',
        chr(197).chr(148) => 'R',chr(197).chr(149) => 'r',
        chr(197).chr(150) => 'R',chr(197).chr(151) => 'r',
        chr(197).chr(152) => 'R',chr(197).chr(153) => 'r',
        chr(197).chr(154) => 'S',chr(197).chr(155) => 's',
        chr(197).chr(156) => 'S',chr(197).chr(157) => 's',
        chr(197).chr(158) => 'S',chr(197).chr(159) => 's',
        chr(197).chr(160) => 'S', chr(197).chr(161) => 's',
        chr(197).chr(162) => 'T', chr(197).chr(163) => 't',
        chr(197).chr(164) => 'T', chr(197).chr(165) => 't',
        chr(197).chr(166) => 'T', chr(197).chr(167) => 't',
        chr(197).chr(168) => 'U', chr(197).chr(169) => 'u',
        chr(197).chr(170) => 'U', chr(197).chr(171) => 'u',
        chr(197).chr(172) => 'U', chr(197).chr(173) => 'u',
        chr(197).chr(174) => 'U', chr(197).chr(175) => 'u',
        chr(197).chr(176) => 'U', chr(197).chr(177) => 'u',
        chr(197).chr(178) => 'U', chr(197).chr(179) => 'u',
        chr(197).chr(180) => 'W', chr(197).chr(181) => 'w',
        chr(197).chr(182) => 'Y', chr(197).chr(183) => 'y',
        chr(197).chr(184) => 'Y', chr(197).chr(185) => 'Z',
        chr(197).chr(186) => 'z', chr(197).chr(187) => 'Z',
        chr(197).chr(188) => 'z', chr(197).chr(189) => 'Z',
        chr(197).chr(190) => 'z', chr(197).chr(191) => 's',
        // Euro Sign
        chr(226).chr(130).chr(172) => 'E',
        // GBP (Pound) Sign
        chr(194).chr(163) => '');

        $string = strtr($string, $chars);
    } else {
        // Assume ISO-8859-1 if not UTF-8
        $chars['in'] = chr(128).chr(131).chr(138).chr(142).chr(154).chr(158)
            .chr(159).chr(162).chr(165).chr(181).chr(192).chr(193).chr(194)
            .chr(195).chr(196).chr(197).chr(199).chr(200).chr(201).chr(202)
            .chr(203).chr(204).chr(205).chr(206).chr(207).chr(209).chr(210)
            .chr(211).chr(212).chr(213).chr(214).chr(216).chr(217).chr(218)
            .chr(219).chr(220).chr(221).chr(224).chr(225).chr(226).chr(227)
            .chr(228).chr(229).chr(231).chr(232).chr(233).chr(234).chr(235)
            .chr(236).chr(237).chr(238).chr(239).chr(241).chr(242).chr(243)
            .chr(244).chr(245).chr(246).chr(248).chr(249).chr(250).chr(251)
            .chr(252).chr(253).chr(255);

        $chars['out'] = "EfSZszYcYuAAAAAACEEEEIIIINOOOOOOUUUUYaaaaaaceeeeiiiinoooooouuuuyy";

        $string = strtr($string, $chars['in'], $chars['out']);
        $double_chars['in'] = array(chr(140), chr(156), chr(198), chr(208), chr(222), chr(223), chr(230), chr(240), chr(254));
        $double_chars['out'] = array('OE', 'oe', 'AE', 'DH', 'TH', 'ss', 'ae', 'dh', 'th');
        $string = str_replace($double_chars['in'], $double_chars['out'], $string);
    }

    return $string;
}


$str = "ÈâuÑ";
echo remove_accents($str); // Output: EauN
?>

Answer 3

A lot more simply:

$text = "ÈâuÑ foo bar 88.";
var_dump(preg_replace('/\p{M}/u', '',
    Normalizer::normalize($text, Normalizer::FORM_D)));

gives:

string(16) "EauN foo bar 88."

The idea is to decompose the characters into the form where they're actually two Unicode code units, with an individual one for the accents. Then, you remove those accents.

\p{M} means "a character intended to be combined with another character (e.g. accents, umlauts, enclosing boxes, etc.)".