[PHP] A simple function to get a 6-chars hexadecimal color starting from any string

function-random-string-to-hex-color.php

/**
 * Function takes a random string and returns an hex color in the 6-digits format
 *
 * @param string $input
 *
 * @return string
 */
function meow_str_to_hex_color($input) {
	//characters that we do not want into an hex color
	$replace = range('g', 'z');
	//md5 of the string (random chars, but always the same for the same start string)
	$str = md5($input);
	//remove unwanted chars
	$str = str_replace($replace, '', $str);
	//check lenght
	if (strlen($str) < 6) {
		//uhhh too short! make it 6-chars long with some zeros
		$str = str_pad ($str , 6, 0, STR_PAD_LEFT);
	}
	else {
		//oh, too long: use first 6 chars
		$str = substr($str, 0, 6);
	}
	return $str;
}