# **LOCATE()**

## **Function Description**

The `LOCATE()` function is a function used to find the location of a substring in a string. It returns the position of the substring in the string and if not found, 0.

Since the `LOCATE()` function returns an integer value, it can be nested in other functions, such as using the substring function to intercept strings.

Regarding case, the `LOCATE()` function is case-insensitive.

## **Function Syntax**

```text
> LOCATE(subtr,str,pos)
```

## **Parameter definition**

| Parameters | Description |
| ---- | ---- |
| substr | Required parameters. `substring` is the string you are looking for. |
| str | Required parameters. `string` is the string to search for. |
| pos | Non-essential parameters. `position` is the location where the query started. |

## **Example**

- Example 1

```text
mysql> SELECT LOCATE('bar', 'footbarbar');
+------------------------------+
| locate(bar, footbarbar) |
+------------------------------+
| 5 |
+------------------------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
```

- Example 2

```text
mysql>SELECT LOCATE('bar', 'footbarbar',6);
+----------------------------------+
| locate(bar, footbarbar, 6) |
+----------------------------------+
| 8 |
+----------------------------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
```

- Example 3

```text
mysql>SELECT SUBSTRING('hello world',LOCATE('o','hello world'),5);
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| substring(hello world, locate(o, hello world), 5) |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| o wor |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
```

- Example 4

```text
mysql>select locate('a','ABC');
+---------------------+
| locate(a, ABC) |
+---------------------+
| 1 |
+---------------------+
1 row in set (0.00 sec)
```