4.6.1 Problem
You want to know whether a given string occurs within another string.
4.6.2 Solution
Use LOCATE( ).
4.6.3 Discussion
The LOCATE( ) function takes two arguments representing the substring that you're looking for and the string in which to look for it. The return value is the position at which the substring occurs, or 0 if it's not present. An optional third argument may be given to indicate the position within the string at which to start looking.
mysql> SELECT name, LOCATE('in',name), LOCATE('in',name,3) FROM metal; +----------+-------------------+---------------------+ | name | LOCATE('in',name) | LOCATE('in',name,3) | +----------+-------------------+---------------------+ | copper | 0 | 0 | | gold | 0 | 0 | | iron | 0 | 0 | | lead | 0 | 0 | | mercury | 0 | 0 | | platinum | 5 | 5 | | silver | 0 | 0 | | tin | 2 | 0 | +----------+-------------------+---------------------+
LOCATE( ) is not case sensitive as of MySQL 4.0.0, and is case sensitive before that.
Using the mysql Client Program
Writing MySQL-Based Programs
Record Selection Techniques
Working with Strings
Working with Dates and Times
Sorting Query Results
Generating Summaries
Modifying Tables with ALTER TABLE
Obtaining and Using Metadata
Importing and Exporting Data
Generating and Using Sequences
Using Multiple Tables
Statistical Techniques
Handling Duplicates
Performing Transactions
Introduction to MySQL on the Web
Incorporating Query Resultsinto Web Pages
Processing Web Input with MySQL
Using MySQL-Based Web Session Management
Appendix A. Obtaining MySQL Software
Appendix B. JSP and Tomcat Primer
Appendix C. References