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To search for a string within a MongoDB collection, you can use the find() method. This method allows you to specify a query that includes the string you are searching for. The query will then be used to search for documents within the collection that match the criteria. The find() method will return an array of documents that match the query. You can then further filter the results by adding additional parameters to the query if needed.
You can use the following methods to perform a query in MongoDB with “like” regex:
Method 1: Find Documents that Contain String
db.collection.find({name: {$regex : /string/i}})
Note that the i indicates a case-insensitive match.
Method 2: Find Documents that Start with String
db.collection.find({name: {$regex : /^string/i}})
Method 3: Find Documents that End with String
db.collection.find({name: {$regex : /string$/i}})
The following examples show how to use each method with a collection teams with the following documents:
db.teams.insertOne({team: "Mavs", position: "Guard", points: 31})
db.teams.insertOne({team: "Spurs", position: "Guard", points: 22})
db.teams.insertOne({team: "Rockets", position: "Center", points: 19})
db.teams.insertOne({team: "Warriors", position: "Forward", points: 26})
db.teams.insertOne({team: "Cavs", position: "Guard", points: 33})
Example 1: Find Documents that Contain String
We can use the following code to find all documents that contain the string ‘avs’ in the team field:
db.teams.find({team: {$regex : /avs/i}})
This query returns the following two documents:
{ _id: ObjectId("618050098ffcfe76d07b1da5"),
team: 'Mavs',
position: 'Guard',
points: 31 }
{ _id: ObjectId("618285361a42e92ac9ccd2c6"),
team: 'Cavs',
position: 'Guard',
points: 33 }
Example 2: Find Documents that Start with String
We can use the following code to find all documents that start with the string ‘gua’ in the position field:
db.teams.find({position: {$regex : /^gua/i}})
This query returns the following three documents:
{ _id: ObjectId("618050098ffcfe76d07b1da5"),
team: 'Mavs',
position: 'Guard',
points: 31 }
{ _id: ObjectId("6180504e8ffcfe76d07b1da7"),
team: 'Spurs',
position: 'Guard',
points: 22 }
{ _id: ObjectId("618285361a42e92ac9ccd2c6"),
team: 'Cavs',
position: 'Guard',
points: 33 }
Example 3: Find Documents that End with String
We can use the following code to find all documents that end with the string ‘ward’ in the position field:
db.teams.find({position: {$regex : /ward$/i}})
This query returns the following document:
{ _id: ObjectId("618050808ffcfe76d07b1dab"),
team: 'Warriors',
position: 'Forward',
points: 26 }
Note: You can find the complete documentation for $regex .