If you really want to do this manually, here is a rough reference implementation that I wrote to blow a full line of CSV text into an array. Be warned : this code DOES NOT process multi-line fields! With this implementation, the entire CSV line should exist on the same line without line breaks!
<?php //----------------------------------------------------------------------- function csvexplode($str, $delim = ',', $qual = "\"") // Explode a single CSV string (line) into an array. { $len = strlen($str); // Store the complete length of the string for easy reference. $inside = false; // Maintain state when we're inside quoted elements. $lastWasDelim = false; // Maintain state if we just started a new element. $word = ''; // Accumulator for current element. for($i = 0; $i < $len; ++$i) { // We're outside a quoted element, and the current char is a field delimiter. if(!$inside && $str[$i]==$delim) { $out[] = $word; $word = ''; $lastWasDelim = true; } // We're inside a quoted element, the current char is a qualifier, and the next char is a qualifier. elseif($inside && $str[$i]==$qual && ($i<$len && $str[$i+1]==$qual)) { $word .= $qual; // Add one qual into the element, ++$i; // Then skip ahead to the next non-qual char. } // The current char is a qualifier (so we're either entering or leaving a quoted element.) elseif ($str[$i] == $qual) { $inside = !$inside; } // We're outside a quoted element, the current char is whitespace and the 'last' char was a delimiter. elseif( !$inside && ($str[$i]==" ") && $lastWasDelim) { // Just skip the char because it leading whitespace in front of an element. } // Outside a quoted element, the current char is whitespace, the "next" char is a delimiter. elseif(!$inside && ($str[$i]==" ") ) { // Look ahead for the next non-whitespace char. $lookAhead = $i+1; while(($lookAhead < $len) && ($str[$lookAhead] == " ")) { ++$lookAhead; } // If the next char is formatting, we're dealing with trailing whitespace. if($str[$lookAhead] == $delim || $str[$lookAhead] == $qual) { $i = $lookAhead-1; // Jump the pointer ahead to right before the delimiter or qualifier. } // Otherwise we're still in the middle of an element, so add the whitespace to the output. else { $word .= $str[$i]; } } // If all else fails, add the character to the current element. else { $word .= $str[$i]; $lastWasDelim = false; } } $out[] = $word; return $out; } // Examples: $csvInput = 'Name,Address,Phone Alice,123 First Street,"555-555-5555" Bob,"345 Second Place, City ST",666-666-6666 "Charlie ""Chuck"" Doe", 3rd Circle ," 777-777-7777"'; // explode() emulates file() in this context. foreach(explode("\n", $csvInput) as $line) { var_dump(csvexplode($line)); } ?>
I would still recommend relying on the PHP built-in function. This (hopefully) will be much more reliable in the long run. Artefacto and Roadmaster are right: all you need to do with the data is best done after you import it.