str_like: Detect a pattern in the same way as 'SQL"s 'LIKE' operator

In stringr: Simple, Consistent Wrappers for Common String Operations

Detect a pattern in the same way as SQL's LIKE operator

Description

str_like() follows the conventions of the SQL LIKE operator:

• Must match the entire string.

• ⁠_⁠ matches a single character (like .).

• ⁠%⁠ matches any number of characters (like ⁠.*⁠).

• ⁠\%⁠ and ⁠\_⁠ match literal ⁠%⁠ and ⁠_⁠.

• The match is case insensitive by default.

Usage

str_like(string, pattern, ignore_case = TRUE)

Arguments

string	Input vector. Either a character vector, or something coercible to one.
pattern	A character vector containing a SQL "like" pattern. See above for details.
ignore_case	Ignore case of matches? Defaults to TRUE to match the SQL LIKE operator.

Value

A logical vector the same length as string.

Examples

fruit <- c("apple", "banana", "pear", "pineapple")
str_like(fruit, "app")
str_like(fruit, "app%")
str_like(fruit, "ba_ana")
str_like(fruit, "%APPLE")

stringr documentation built on Sept. 9, 2025, 5:50 p.m.