- strip_tags: documentation ( source)
- preg_replace: documentation ( source)
- ucfirst: documentation ( source)
<?php
$text = '<p>Lorum ipsum <a href="http://www.test.com">This is a test link</a>.</p>';
$text = ucfirst($text);
$text = preg_replace('/\v+|\\\r\\\n/', '<br />', $text);
$allow = '<p><br><ul><ol><li><strong><img><em><a>';
$text = strip_tags($text, $allow);
echo $text;