php echo wildcards

[laurajohn89]

Hi.  I am just wondering can you use some kind of wildcards in an echo statement.  I want to search my database and find for instance anything with an and in it. This is what I have tried:

 

<?php if($type=='*and*'){ echo "checked=\"true\""; }?>

 

Obviously the *'s don't work but is there any kind of way I can search for anything with and in it.

 

BTW the above statement works if I remove the *'s and just want to search for and on its own.

 

Thanks for your help

[mikesta707]

in your query itself you can use wildcards in combination with the LIKE operator. for example

]
$q = "SELECT * FROM Table WHERE column LIKE '%search term%'";

will match any row where column has "search term" in it. the % act as wild cards.

[TeddyKiller]

Or you can try this

 

<?php
$pos = strpos($type,'and');
if($pos === true){ echo "checked=\"true\""; }
?>

[laurajohn89]

Thanks but it doesn't work - leaves it blank.  I can't but it in the SQL statement as I search for many of these in one go.  Thanks for the help though

[mikesta707]

if you cant use the query, then per teddy's suggestion

if($pos !== false){ echo "checked=\"true\""; }

 

you would think === would also work, but it doesn't. Because $pos will return a number when true (like 3, or 4) when using === it fails because the number 4 is not identical to the boolean false. it is convertible to it, but === (identical) means that the right hand side and left hand side or both equal in value and the same type

[laurajohn89]

Still no luck.  I swear I am cursed.  It doesn't work whether and is on its own or amongst other letters.  Thanks once again though.  I must be able to find a way...all nighter I think.

[mikesta707]

the following

<?php
$type = "stuff with and in it";
$pos = strpos($type,'and');
if($pos !== false){ echo "checked=\"true\""; }
?>

works perfectly for me.

 

try stripos() instead of strpos if you want to make the search case insensitive

[TeddyKiller]

Where is $type defined? It might be a problem going else where. Can you echo $type?

 

<?php
echo '$type';
?>

Does it give you the right value?

If so.. try out (Else where on your form.. so your basically troubleshooting)

<?php
$pos = stripos($type,'and'); //Going by mikesta07
if($pos === true){ echo "correct"; } else { echo 'Something was wrong'; exit; }
?>

[laurajohn89]

<?php

echo $type

?>

 

returns: and

 

<?php

$pos = stripos($type,'and'); //Going by mikesta07

if($pos === true){ echo "correct"; } else { echo 'Something was wrong'; exit; }

?>

 

returns: something was wrong

[TeddyKiller]

Try this.. It might be failing because both $type and 'and' are both the same.

<?php
$type = 's'.$type; //Adding on a letter before the actual word and
$pos = stripos($type,'and'); //Going by mikesta07
if($pos === true){ echo "correct"; } else { echo 'Something was wrong'; exit; }
?>

[laurajohn89]

same error again.. sorry this may be frustrating

[trq]

Your looking for preg_match. Nothing at all to do with echo.

[jcbones]

<?php
$column_to_search = 'column';

$search = $_POST['search'];
$ex = explode(' ',$search);

foreach($ex as $value) {
  $str[] = "column LIKE '%$value'";
}

$search = implode(' || ',$str);

$q = "SELECT * FROM Table WHERE $search";

 

 

[oni-kun]

Meh, preg_match on your first code statement would look like this:

<?php 
if(preg_match('/[ *]and[ *]/i', $type)) { 
   echo 'checked="true"'; 
}
?>

 

Which would match " and " but not "random" or "Anderson"

[mikesta707]

($pos === true)

 

as i said before, that doesn't work.

($pos !== false)

 

will though (verified this through testing)

 

using regex would work too, but since you are only checking for the word and to be in a string, using regex seems unecessary. However, if your only looking for the word "and", then oni-kuns regex would work, although theoretically, changing the needle from

"and" to " and " (just padding it with spaces) would work.

$pos = stripos($type,' and ');

 

but that wouldn't match the word and before a period (like "blaah blah and. blah blah") In that case regex would be useful

[laurajohn89]

<td width="25%"><p class="contentclass"><input type="checkbox" name="type[]" id="type[dressage]" value="Dressage" <?php $pos = stripos($type,' Dressage '); if($pos !== false){ echo "checked=\"true\""; }?>/>Dressage</p></td> 

 

(replaced and with Dressage as this is what I am looking for)

 

This neither ticks the box when $type = dressage or when $type = Dressage,Ride etc

[laurajohn89]

works now    Thanks fot the help.  The above was true except I didnt need the spaces either side of the word.