list

The list() function in PHP is used to assign multiple variables as if they were an array. Technically, list() is not a function in PHP, it is a language construct.

Ruby has no real need for a function such as list(), as the same can be achieve using parallel assignment - i.e. assigning comma separated variables to elements of an array using the normal assignment operator.

PHP

$langs = array('php', 'ruby', 'perl');
list($lang1, $lang2, $lang3) = $langs;
echo $lang1;	// php
echo $lang2;	// ruby
echo $lang3;	// perl

Ruby

langs = [ "php", "ruby", "perl" ];
lang1, lang2, lang3 = langs;
puts lang1;	# php
puts lang2;	# ruby
puts lang3;	# perl

implode

The implode function takes and array and forms a string by concatenating the elements in the array.

PHP

$langs = array('python', 'java', 'ruby');
$string = implode(', ', $langs);
echo $string;
// => python, java, ruby

Ruby

puts ['perl', 'python', 'java'].join(', ');
# => python, java, ruby

explode

The explode function takes 2 parameters - the first is the delimiter, and the second is the string to be exploded. It returns an array of strings, each of which is a substring of the original, formed by splitting the original string on boundaries formed by the string delimiter.

PHP

$my_string = 'perl, python, java';
$array = explode(', ', $my_string);
var_dump($a);
/*
Array (
	[0] => perl
	[1] => python
	[2] => java
)
*/

Ruby

my_string = 'perl, python, java';
puts my_string.split(', ');
# => ["perl", "python", "java"]