What are the common methods for searching a database in PHP, and what are the key components of a SQL query for this purpose?

When searching a database in PHP, common methods include using SQL queries with the SELECT statement along with various clauses such as WHERE, LIKE, and ORDER BY. The key components of a SQL query for searching a database typically include specifying the columns to retrieve, the table to search in, and conditions to filter the results.

// Example of searching a database in PHP using SQL query
$search_keyword = 'example';

// Connect to database
$connection = new mysqli('localhost', 'username', 'password', 'database_name');

// Prepare SQL query
$sql = "SELECT * FROM table_name WHERE column_name LIKE '%".$search_keyword."%'";

// Execute query
$result = $connection->query($sql);

// Fetch and display results
while ($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
    echo $row['column_name'] . "<br>";
}

// Close database connection
$connection->close();