Implement LIKE Query in PDO

In PDO, when using the LIKE operator, it's crucial to include the % signs in the parameters, not within the query itself. This is because PDO prepared statements encapsulate values in quotes, which can interfere with the % placeholders.

For example, consider the following query:

$query = "SELECT * FROM tbl WHERE address LIKE '%?%' OR address LIKE '%?%'";
$params = array($var1, $var2);

When this query is prepared, the % signs will be encapsulated in quotes, resulting in a query like this:

SELECT * FROM tbl WHERE address LIKE '%"foo"%' OR address LIKE '%"bar"%'

Consequently, the query will not return any results because the double quotes disrupt the intended functionality of the LIKE operator.

To rectify this issue, the % signs should be included in the parameters instead:

$query = "SELECT * FROM tbl WHERE address LIKE ? OR address LIKE ?";
$params = array("%$var1%", "%$var2%");

With this modification, the prepared query will correctly search for addresses containing $var1 or $var2.