MySQL and multiple likes

[filburt1]

Observe:

PHP Code:

$result = $DB_site->query("SELECT userid, username, vbms_alias,
        IF(options & " . $_USEROPTIONS['emailonpm'] . ", 1, 0) AS emailonpm
        FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "user
        WHERE vbms_alias != \"\" AND LCASE(vbms_alias) NOT IN ($bannedaliases)"); 


Note the NOT IN portion. I want to match against a series of LIKE matches ("%alias1%", "%alias2%", etc.). I can figure out how to match against a single alias with LIKE or a group of aliases exactly with IN, but not both. Ideas?

[Dean C]

Not sure entirely what you're trying to do but have you looked into mysql's regexp capabilities - that may do it for you

[filburt1]

Originally Posted by Dean C

Not sure entirely what you're trying to do but have you looked into mysql's regexp capabilities - that may do it for you

I'm trying to compare a single column to an array of values with a single query. That is, let's say MySQL is looking at the column "alias" with the value "nobody". I want it to check against "noreply", "webmaster", "administrator", and "nobody", and if any of those are found as a substring within the alias, it will skip the row.

A regex will work but checking against an array is still the issue.

[Dean C]

MySQL has a built in substr function

Someone once showed me how it can be used as a search feature but i'm not entirely sure how to use it as a condition. I know it definately can be though. You could split you array into individual strings such as ' AND SUBSTR('ll',1)' or however it's used and then put $conditions at the end of your SQL query

With me?

Edit: http://www.mysql.com/documentation/m...61/content.htm

[filburt1]

Originally Posted by Dean C

MySQL has a built in substr function

Someone once showed me how it can be used as a search feature but i'm not entirely sure how to use it as a condition. I know it definately can be though. You could split you array into individual strings such as ' AND SUBSTR('ll',1)' or however it's used and then put $conditions at the end of your SQL query

With me?

Edit: http://www.mysql.com/documentation/m...61/content.htm

Yes, I get what you're saying...it's just a very unclean solution IMO.

[filburt1]

So no other ideas, then?

Some contextual code if there's still confusion:

PHP Code:

// find out banned aliases and make them unroutable
debugecho("Caching banned aliases...");
$bannedaliases = explode(" ", $vboptions['vbms_bannedaliases']);
foreach ($bannedaliases as $key => $value)
{
    $bannedaliasesp[$key] = addslashes(strtolower($value));
}
$bannedaliases = implode("%\", \"%", $bannedaliases);
$bannedaliases = "\"" . $bannedaliases . "\"";

// ----------------------------------------------------------------------------

// cache users
/**
 * @todo remove username from query (only used for debugging)
 */
debugecho("Caching users...");
$result = $DB_site->query("SELECT userid, username, vbms_alias, email,
        IF(options & " . $_USEROPTIONS['emailonpm'] . ", 1, 0) AS emailonpm
        FROM " . TABLE_PREFIX . "user
        WHERE vbms_alias != \"\" AND LCASE(vbms_alias) NOT IN ($bannedaliases)"); 


[Natch]

MySQL is powerful, but not PHP - your best bet is Mist/Dean's solution to build a list of banned aliases from your array - makes for a large query (number of characters) but it's really a quick query for SQL to run ...

[filburt1]

I ended up using a regular expression, delimiting everything with pipe characters.