<?php
function justify($str, $maxlen) {
    $str = trim($str);

    $strlen = strlen($str);
    if ($strlen >= $maxlen) {
        return substr($str, 0, $maxlen);
    }

    $space_count = substr_count($str, ' ');
    if ($space_count === 0) {
        return str_pad($str, $maxlen, ' ', STR_PAD_BOTH);
    }

    $extra_spaces_needed = $maxlen - $strlen;
    $total_spaces = $extra_spaces_needed + $space_count;

    $space_string_avg_length = $total_spaces / $space_count;
    $short_string_multiplier = floor($space_string_avg_length);
    $long_string_multiplier = ceil($space_string_avg_length);

    $short_fill_string = str_repeat(' ', $short_string_multiplier);
    $long_fill_string = str_repeat(' ', $long_string_multiplier);

    $limit = ($space_string_avg_length - $short_string_multiplier) * $space_count;

    $words_split_by_long = explode(' ', $str, $limit+1);
    $words_split_by_short = $words_split_by_long[$limit];
    $words_split_by_short = str_replace(' ', $short_fill_string, $words_split_by_short);
    $words_split_by_long[$limit] = $words_split_by_short;

    $result = implode($long_fill_string, $words_split_by_long);

    return $result;
}

$tests = array(
    'hello world there ok then',
    'hello',
    'ok then',
    'this string is almost certainly longer than 48 I think',
    'two words',
    'three ok words',
    '1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9'
);

foreach ($tests as $test) {
    $len_before = strlen($test);
    $processed = str_replace(' ', '_', justify($test, 48));
    $len_after = strlen($processed);
    echo "IN($len_before): $test\n";
    echo "OUT($len_after): $processed\n";
}

IN(25): hello world there ok then
OUT(48): hello_______world_______there_______ok______then
IN(5): hello
OUT(48): _____________________hello______________________
IN(7): ok then
OUT(48): ok__________________________________________then
IN(54): this string is almost certainly longer than 48 I think
OUT(48): this_string_is_almost_certainly_longer_than_48_I
IN(9): two words
OUT(48): two________________________________________words
IN(14): three ok words
OUT(48): three__________________ok__________________words
IN(17): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
OUT(48): 1_____2_____3_____4_____5_____6_____7_____8____9