(PHP 4, PHP 5)
parse_str — Parses the string into variables
$str
   [, array &$arr
  ] )
   Parses str as if it were the query string
   passed via a URL and sets variables in the current scope. 
  
Note:
To get the current QUERY_STRING, you may use the variable $_SERVER['QUERY_STRING']. Also, you may want to read the section on variables from external sources.
Note:
The magic_quotes_gpc setting affects the output of this function, as parse_str() uses the same mechanism that PHP uses to populate the $_GET, $_POST, etc. variables.
strThe input string.
arr
       If the second parameter arr is present,
       variables are stored in this variable as array elements instead.
      
No value is returned.
Example #1 Using parse_str()
<?php
$str = "first=value&arr[]=foo+bar&arr[]=baz";
parse_str($str);
echo $first;  // value
echo $arr[0]; // foo bar
echo $arr[1]; // baz
parse_str($str, $output);
echo $output['first'];  // value
echo $output['arr'][0]; // foo bar
echo $output['arr'][1]; // baz
?>