As of PHP 5.3, this function is available to parse a comma separated value (CSV) string into an array.

You may also specify the delimiter, enclosure, and escape characters (one character each) which default as comma, double quote, and backslash respectfully.

$data = str_getcsv('Robert, robert@example.com, 867-5309, 123 Fake St., "This guy knows how to enclose his commas in double quotes, and still have a good time!"');
/*
array (
  0 => 'Robert',
  1 => 'robert@example.com',
  2 => '867-5309',
  3 => '123 Fake St.',
  4 => 'This guy knows how to enclose his commas in double quotes, and still have a good time!'
)
*/
See the manual entry for str_getcsv()