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String Type Literal

Description

A string is a sequence of bytes or characters enclosed in single quotes (') or double quotes ("). For example:

'a string'
"another string"

Escape Characters

In strings, certain sequences have special meanings unless the NO_BACKSLASH_ESCAPES SQL mode is enabled. These sequences start with a backslash (), which is known as an escape character. The escape characters recognized by Doris are listed in the table below:

Escape CharacterMeaning
\0ASCII character NUL ('X'00')
\'Single quote (')
\"Double quote (")
\bBackspace
\nNewline
\rCarriage return
\tTab
\ZASCII 26 (Control+Z)
\\Backslash (\)
\%Percent sign %. For details, see the notes below
\_Underscore _. For details, see the notes below

Notes

  1. In pattern matching contexts, % and _ are usually interpreted as wildcards, but using the sequences \% and \_ can search for literal instances of % and _. For more information, see the description of the LIKE operator in the "Pattern Matching Operators" section. If \% or \_ are used outside of pattern contexts, they will be calculated as the string \% and \_, not as % and _.
  2. Backslashes in escape characters not listed in the table are ignored. For example, '\y' and `'y' are equivalent.

Using Quotes in String Literals

There are several ways to include quote characters in strings:

  • In a string enclosed in single quotes ('), single quotes can be written as two single quotes ('').
  • In a string enclosed in double quotes ("), double quotes can be written as two double quotes (").
  • Add an escape character (\) before the quote character.
  • When including a single quote in a string enclosed in double quotes, no special treatment is necessary, nor must the single quote be doubled or escaped. Similarly, when including a double quote in a string enclosed in single quotes, no special treatment is required.