SQLite like() Function

The SQLite like() function checks if a given string matches a given pattern.

Syntax

Here is the syntax of the SQLite like() function:

like(pattern, str[, escape])

Parameters

pattern

Required. The pattern that uses SQL wildcard syntax. It supports two wildcards: % and _. % can match any number of any characters, _ can match a single any character.

str

Required. The string to check.

escape

Optional. The escape symbol, to escape wildcards in pattern.

Return value

The SQLite like() function returns 1 or 0. If like() returned 1, indicates the given string matches the given pattern; if like() returned 0, indicates the given string does not match the given pattern.

Examples

To check if hello matches the pattern %el%, use the following statement:

SELECT like('%el%', 'hello');

like('%el%', 'hello')
---------------------
1

Here, hello whether matches the pattern %el%.

To check if hello matches the pattern %el__, use the following statement:

SELECT like('%el__%', 'hello');

like('%el__%', 'hello')
-----------------------
1

Here, hello matches the pattern %el__%.

To check if hello matches the pattern %el_, use the following statement:

SELECT like('%el_', 'hello');

like('%el_', 'hello')
---------------------
0

Here, hello does not match the pattern %el_.