This script connects to the database, cleans the input, and fetches matches.
Create a table named articles to hold the searchable content. script php search engine
prepare("SELECT * FROM articles WHERE title LIKE :term OR content LIKE :term"); $stmt->execute(['term' => "%$searchTerm%"]); $results = $stmt->fetchAll(); echo ""; if ($results) { foreach ($results as $row) { echo " {$row['title']} "; echo " " . substr($row['content'], 0, 150) . "... "; } } else { echo "No results found."; } } ?> Use code with caution. Copied to clipboard Key Improvement Areas This script connects to the database, cleans the
Use PHP's str_replace to bold the search term within the results. substr($row['content'], 0, 150)
Building a search engine with PHP is a great way to learn about data indexing and retrieval. This draft paper outlines a simple internal site search using a MySQL database. PHP Search Engine Architecture A basic search engine works in three stages:
💡 Use Prepared Statements to prevent SQL Injection attacks.
The frontend requires a simple input field. Set the method to GET so users can share search result links.