/*
* Retrieve the video ID from a YouTube video URL
* @param $ytURL The full YouTube URL from which the ID will be extracted
* @return $ytvID The YouTube video ID string
*/
function getYTid($ytURL) {
$ytvIDlen = 11; // This is the length of YouTube's video IDs
// The ID string starts after "v=", which is usually right after
// "youtube.com/watch?" in the URL
$idStarts = strpos($ytURL, "?v=");
// In case the "v=" is NOT right after the "?" (not likely, but I like to keep my
// bases covered), it will be after an "&":
if($idStarts === FALSE)
$idStarts = strpos($ytURL, "&v=");
// If still FALSE, URL doesn't have a vid ID
if($idStarts === FALSE)
die("YouTube video ID not found. Please double-check your URL.");
// Offset the start location to match the beginning of the ID string
$idStarts +=3;
// Get the ID string and return it
$ytvID = substr($ytURL, $idStarts, $ytvIDlen);
return $ytvID;
}