MySQL: POSITION Function

This tutorial explains how to use the MySQL POSITION function with syntax and examples.

Description

The MySQL POSITION function returns the location of a substring in a string.

Syntax

The syntax for the POSITION function in MySQL is:

POSITION( substring IN string )

Parameters or Arguments

substring

The substring to search for in string.

string

The string to search.

Note

• The first position in string is 1.
• If substring is not found in string, then the POSITION function will return 0.
• When searching for the location of a substring in a string, the POSITION function does not perform a case-sensitive search.
• The POSITION function is a synonym for the LOCATE function.

Applies To

The POSITION function can be used in the following versions of MySQL:

• MySQL 5.7, MySQL 5.6, MySQL 5.5, MySQL 5.1, MySQL 5.0, MySQL 4.1, MySQL 4.0, MySQL 3.23

Example

Let's look at some MySQL POSITION function examples and explore how to use the POSITION function in MySQL.

For example:

mysql> SELECT POSITION('B' IN 'AODBA.com');
Output: 4

mysql> SELECT POSITION('BA' IN 'AODBA.com');
Output: 4

mysql> SELECT POSITION('Z' IN 'AODBA.com');
Output: 0