Get URL Parameters from referer

Question

Not 100% sure if this one classes as a php question or is specifically Wordpress...

I'm implementing the Wordpress Settings API with a tabbed settings page. I've added a 'reset tab' button, but since the validation is done on a separate page (options.php) I can't seem to figure out which tab I'm on - without adding the tab as a hidden field, which I want to avoid.

I've found the wp_get_referer() function, but that gives me the full URL - I'm not sure how to pull the tab=tab1 out as a variable.

Update - Answer:

$url = parse_url(wp_get_referer());
parse_str($url['query'], $path);
$tab = $path['tab'];

As said in the answers, some validation is then required.

Answer 1

If tab=tab is in the URL then:

global $_GET;
var_dump($_GET); // debugging only; You should be able to see what you need.

That is pure PHP. If your really need to process that string (I don't know why your would) use parse_url then use parse_str on the query part of it.

$path = parse_url($url);
$path = parse_str($path, $output);
var_dump($output); // again, just debugging

For completeness, please don't use any of those values without validating them.

Did I misunderstand you?