Search L

:::info[Note] This is a point-in-time snapshot of the API documentation from January 2026. Going forward, we will not be maintaining a public copy of these references, and recommend users to refer to the built-in signature helpers available in the Hack LSP instead for complete and up-to-date information. :::

Returns the first position of the "needle" string in the "haystack" string, or null if it isn't found

namespace HH\Lib\Str;

function search_l(
  \HH\Lib\Locale\Locale $locale,
  string $haystack,
  string $needle,
  int $offset = 0,
): ?int;

An optional offset determines where in the haystack the search begins. If the offset is negative, the search will begin that many characters from the end of the string. If the offset is out-of-bounds, a InvalidArgumentException will be thrown.

• To simply check if the haystack contains the needle, see Str\contains_l().
• To get the case-insensitive position, see Str\search_ci_l().
• To get the last position of the needle, see Str\search_last_l().

Guide

• String

Parameters

• \HH\Lib\Locale\Locale $locale
• string $haystack
• string $needle
• int $offset = 0

Returns

• ?int