How Can I Filter an Array in PHP Using a Pattern Similar to SQL\'s LIKE Operator?

Filtering Values from an Array Using SQL LIKE '%search%' in PHP

To filter values from an array based on user input that matches a specified pattern, you can leverage PHP's powerful preg_grep function in conjunction with regular expressions.

Consider the following example, where $data is an array containing colors:

<code class="php"><?php
$data = array('orange', 'blue', 'green', 'red', 'pink', 'brown', 'black');</code>

To find matches based on the user's input, which we'll represent as $input, you can perform the following:

<code class="php"><?php
$input = 'bl';
$input = preg_quote($input, '~'); // Escape special characters in input

$result = preg_grep('~' . $input . '~', $data);</code>

In this example, we quote the input using preg_quote to ensure special characters are properly handled. Then, we use preg_grep with a regular expression that looks for matches of $input in any part of the array elements.

The result is an array containing only the following:

<code class="php"><?php
array(
    'blue',
    'black',
);</code>

By using this technique, you can efficiently filter arrays based on user input, providing a method similar to SQL's LIKE '%search%' operator for PHP arrays.

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