What are some alternative functions in PHP that can achieve similar functionality to the LIKE operator?

When working with databases in PHP, the LIKE operator is commonly used to search for a specified pattern in a column. However, if you are looking for alternative functions to achieve similar functionality, you can use functions like strpos() or preg_match() to search for patterns within a string. These functions allow for more flexibility in defining search criteria. 

// Using strpos() to search for a pattern within a string
$string = "Hello World";
$pattern = "Hello";
if (strpos($string, $pattern) !== false) {
    echo "Pattern found in the string";
} else {
    echo "Pattern not found in the string";
}

// Using preg_match() to search for a pattern within a string
$string = "Hello World";
$pattern = "/\bHello\b/";
if (preg_match($pattern, $string)) {
    echo "Pattern found in the string";
} else {
    echo "Pattern not found in the string";
}

Keywords

strpos preg_match stristr strstr substr_compare

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