PHP quotemeta() Function

PHP String Functions

Example

Add a backslash before the predefined characters:

<?php
$str = "Hello world. (can you hear me?)";
echo quotemeta($str);
?>

Run Instances

Definition and Usage

The quotemeta() function adds a backslash before certain predefined characters in a string.

Predefined Characters:

  • Period (.)
  • Backslash (\)
  • Plus (+)
  • Asterisk (*)
  • Question mark (?)
  • Square brackets ([:])
  • Caret (^)
  • Dollar sign ($)
  • Parentheses (())

Tip:This function can be used to escape special characters, such as ( ) in SQL, [ ] and *.

Note:This function is binary safe.

Syntax

quotemeta(string)
Parameter Description
string Required. Specifies the string to be checked.

Technical Details

Return Value: Returns a string with the quoted meta characters.
PHP Version: 4+

More Examples

Example 1

Add a backslash before multiple predefined characters:

<?php
$str1 = "1 + 1 = 2";
$str2 = "1 * 1 = 1";
$str3 = "Could you borrow me 5$?";
$str4 = "Are you not e&";
$str5 = "The caret [ ^ ] Looks like a hat!";
echo quotemeta($str1)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str2)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str3)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str4)."<br>";
echo quotemeta($str5)."<br>";
?>

Run Instances

PHP String Functions