How to implement a SQL like 'LIKE' operator in java?

Question

I need a comparator in java which has the same semantics as the sql \'like\' operator. For example:

myComparator.like(\"digital\",\"%ital%\");
myComparator.l         


        

Answer 1

You could turn '%string%' to contains(), 'string%' to startsWith() and '%string"' to endsWith().

You should also run toLowerCase() on both the string and pattern as LIKE is case-insenstive.

Not sure how you'd handle '%string%other%' except with a Regular Expression though.

If you're using Regular Expressions:

• Quote the string before you replace the % characters
• Watch out for escaped characters in the LIKE String