PHP quotemeta() function

Example

Add a backslash before a predefined character:

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

Definition and usage

The quotemeta() function adds a backslash 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 with special meanings, such as ( ), [ ] and * in SQL.

Note: This function is binary safe.

grammar

 quotemeta( string )

parameter	describe
string	Required. Specifies the string to check.

technical details

Return value:	Returns a string quoting metacharacters.
PHP version:	4+

More examples

Example 1

Add a backslash before multiple predefined characters:

<?php$str1 = "1 + 1 = 2";$str2 = "1 * 1 = 1";$str3 = "Could you borrow me 5$?";$str4 = "Are you not entertained? (I am ..)";$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>" ;?>