How to check if a string starts with "_" in PHP?

In PHP, you can use the substr() function to check if a string starts with a specific character or substring. For example, to check if a string starts with an underscore (_), you can use the following code:

<?php

$string = '_example';
if (substr($string, 0, 1) == '_') {
    echo 'The string starts with an underscore.';
} else {
    echo 'The string does not start with an underscore.';
}

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Another way to check this is by using the built-in function strpos()

<?php

$string = '_example';
if (strpos($string, '_') === 0) {
    echo 'The string starts with an underscore.';
} else {
    echo 'The string does not start with an underscore.';
}

You can also use the str_starts_with() function if it's available in your version of PHP.

<?php

$string = '_example';
if (str_starts_with($string, '_')) {
    echo 'The string starts with an underscore.';
} else {
    echo 'The string does not start with an underscore.';
}

All of the above will return 'The string starts with an underscore.'