filter valid utf-8 byte sequences

valid_utf8_bytes.php

<?php
/**
 * filter valid utf-8 byte sequences
 *
 * take over all valid bytes, drop an invalid sequence until first
 * non-matching byte, start over at that byte.
 * 
 * @param string $str
 * @return string
 */
function valid_utf8_bytes($str)
{
    $return = '';
    $length = strlen($str);
    $invalid = array_flip(array("\xEF\xBF\xBF" /* U-FFFF */, "\xEF\xBF\xBE" /* U-FFFE */));

    for ($i=0; $i < $length; $i++)
    {
        $c = ord($str[$o=$i]);

        if ($c < 0x80) $n=0; # 0bbbbbbb
        elseif (($c & 0xE0) === 0xC0) $n=1; # 110bbbbb
        elseif (($c & 0xF0) === 0xE0) $n=2; # 1110bbbb
        elseif (($c & 0xF8) === 0xF0) $n=3; # 11110bbb
        elseif (($c & 0xFC) === 0xF8) $n=4; # 111110bb
        else continue; # Does not match

        for ($j=++$n; --$j;) # n bytes matching 10bbbbbb follow ?
            if ((++$i === $length) || ((ord($str[$i]) & 0xC0) != 0x80))
                continue 2
        ;

        $match = substr($str, $o, $n);

        if ($n === 3 && isset($invalid[$match])) # test invalid sequences
            continue;

        $return .= $match;
    }
    return $return;
}

@todo: Check for invalid UTF-8 bytes, check for UTF-16 range.

this saved my life.

you are a savior.

thank you.