<?php
echo str_replace_once('nothing', 'something', 'there is nothing to do, nothing to see');
function str_replace_once($str_pattern, $str_replacement, $string){
if (strpos($string, $str_pattern) !== false){
$occurrence = strpos($string, $str_pattern);
return substr_replace($string, $str_replacement, strpos($string, $str_pattern), strlen($str_pattern));
}
return $string;
}