original_string: public static function sanitize($string, $mask)
  	{
  		//check if the input mask is an array
  		if( is_array($mask))
  		{
  			//assign value to parts
  			$parts = $mask;
  
  		}
  
  		//check if $mask is a string
  		else if( is_string($mask))
  		{
  			//divide string into substrings
  			$parts = str_split($mask);
  
  		} 
  
  		//not any of the above, return the string 
  		else
  		{
  			//return string
  			return $string;
  
  		}
  		
  		//loop through the parts array normalizing each part
  		foreach ($parts as $part) 
  		{
  			//normalize the part
  			$normalized = self::normalize("\\{$part}");
  
  			//search string and replace normalized string in place of original string from input $string
  			$string = preg_replace("{$normalized}m", "\\{$part}", $string);
  
  		}
  
  		//return the string after sanitizing is complete
  		return $string;
  
  	}
code: public static function sanitize($string, $mask)
  	{
  		//check if the input mask is an array
  		if( is_array($mask))
  		{
  			//assign value to parts
  			$parts = $mask;
  
  		}
  
  		//check if $mask is a string
  		else if( is_string($mask))
  		{
  			//divide string into substrings
  			$parts = str_split($mask);
  
  		} 
  
  		//not any of the above, return the string 
  		else
  		{
  			//return string
  			return $string;
  
  		}
  		
  		//loop through the parts array normalizing each part
  		foreach ($parts as $part) 
  		{
  			//normalize the part
  			$normalized = self::normalize("\\{$part}");
  
  			//search string and replace normalized string in place of original string from input $string
  			$string = preg_replace("{$normalized}m", "\\{$part}", $string);
  
  		}
  
  		//return the string after sanitizing is complete
  		return $string;
  
  	}
code_tokens: public static function sanitize ( $ string , $ mask ) { //check if the input mask is an array if ( is_array ( $ mask ) ) { //assign value to parts $ parts = $ mask ; } //check if $mask is a string else if ( is_string ( $ mask ) ) { //divide string into substrings $ parts = str_split ( $ mask ) ; } //not any of the above, return the string  else { //return string return $ string ; } //loop through the parts array normalizing each part foreach ( $ parts as $ part ) { //normalize the part $ normalized = self :: normalize ( "\\{$part}" ) ; //search string and replace normalized string in place of original string from input $string $ string = preg_replace ( "{$normalized}m" , "\\{$part}" , $ string ) ; } //return the string after sanitizing is complete return $ string ; }
docstring: This method loops through the characters of a string, replacing them with regualar expression friendly
  character representations.
  
  @param string $string The string to be converted
  @param string $mask
  @return string The string after it has been sanitized
docstring_tokens: This method loops through the characters of a string replacing them with regualar expression friendly character representations .