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What are some alternative methods to using preg_match for finding specific patterns in PHP?

Using preg_match is a common way to find specific patterns in PHP, but there are alternative methods available. One alternative is using the strpos function to check for the presence of a substring within a string. Another option is using the strstr function to find the first occurrence of a string within another string. These alternatives can be useful in situations where regular expressions are not necessary or overly complex.

php
// Using strpos to check for the presence of a substring
$string = "Hello, World!";
$substring = "Hello";
if (strpos($string, $substring) !== false) {
    echo "Substring found!";
}

// Using strstr to find the first occurrence of a string within another string
$string = "Hello, World!";
$substring = "World";
if (strstr($string, $substring)) {
    echo "Substring found!";
}