How can PHP developers optimize their code to prevent performance issues when using wildcards in database searches?
Using wildcards in database searches can lead to performance issues, especially when searching large datasets. To optimize the code, developers can limit the use of wildcards by providing more specific search criteria or by using indexes on the columns being searched. Additionally, using prepared statements can help prevent SQL injection attacks and improve performance.
// Example code snippet using prepared statements to prevent performance issues with wildcards in database searches
$searchTerm = "%example%"; // Search term with wildcard
$stmt = $pdo->prepare("SELECT * FROM table WHERE column LIKE :searchTerm");
$stmt->bindParam(':searchTerm', $searchTerm, PDO::PARAM_STR);
$stmt->execute();
$results = $stmt->fetchAll();