mysql_real_escape_string Escapes special characters in a string for use in an SQL statement &mysql.alternative.note; mysqli_real_escape_string PDO::quote &reftitle.description; stringmysql_real_escape_string stringunescaped_string resourcelink_identifierNULL Escapes special characters in the unescaped_string, taking into account the current character set of the connection so that it is safe to place it in a mysql_query. If binary data is to be inserted, this function must be used. mysql_real_escape_string calls MySQL's library function mysql_real_escape_string, which prepends backslashes to the following characters: \x00, \n, \r, \, ', " and \x1a. This function must always (with few exceptions) be used to make data safe before sending a query to MySQL. The character set must be set either at the server level, or with the API function mysql_set_charset for it to affect mysql_real_escape_string. See the concepts section on character sets for more information. &reftitle.parameters; unescaped_string The string that is to be escaped. &mysql.linkid.description; &reftitle.returnvalues; Returns the escaped string, or &false; on error. &reftitle.examples; ]]> ]]> The query sent to MySQL: This would allow anyone to log in without a valid password. &reftitle.notes; A MySQL connection is required before using mysql_real_escape_string otherwise an error of level E_WARNING is generated, and &false; is returned. If link_identifier isn't defined, the last MySQL connection is used. If magic_quotes_gpc is enabled, first apply stripslashes to the data. Using this function on data which has already been escaped will escape the data twice. If this function is not used to escape data, the query is vulnerable to SQL Injection Attacks. mysql_real_escape_string does not escape % and _. These are wildcards in MySQL if combined with LIKE, GRANT, or REVOKE. &reftitle.seealso; mysql_set_charset mysql_client_encoding addslashes stripslashes The magic_quotes_gpc directive The magic_quotes_runtime directive