PHP quotemeta()Functions
Examples
Add a backslash before predefined characters:
<?php
$str = "Hello world. (can you hear me?)";
echo quotemeta($str);
?>
$str = "Hello world. (can you hear me?)";
echo quotemeta($str);
?>
Run Example »
Definition and Usage
The quotemeta() function adds backslashes before certain predefined characters in a string.
Predefined characters:
- Period (.)
- Backslash (\)
- Plus sign (+)
- Asterisk (*)
- Question mark (?)
- Square brackets ([])
- Caret (^)
- Dollar sign ($)
- Parentheses (())
Tip:This function can be used to escape characters that have special meaning, such as ( ), [ ], and * in SQL.
Note:This function is binary-safe.
Syntax
quotemeta(string)
| Parameters | Description |
|---|---|
| string | Required. Specifies the string to be checked. |
Technical Details
| Return value: | Returns a string with metacharacters quoted. |
|---|---|
| PHP Version: | 4+ |
More Examples
Example 1
Add backslashes before multiple predefined characters:
<?php
$str1 = "1 + 1 = 2";
$str2 = "1 * 1 = 1";
$str3 = "Could you borrow me 5$?";
$str4 = "Are you not entertained? (I am..)";
$str5 = "The caret [ ^ ] Looks like a hat!";
echo quotemeta($str1)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str2)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str3)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str4)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str5)."<br>";
?>
$str1 = "1 + 1 = 2";
$str2 = "1 * 1 = 1";
$str3 = "Could you borrow me 5$?";
$str4 = "Are you not entertained? (I am..)";
$str5 = "The caret [ ^ ] Looks like a hat!";
echo quotemeta($str1)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str2)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str3)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str4)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str5)."<br>";
?>
Run Example »
PHP String Reference Manual Other Extensions