MySQL MID() Function

The MID() function in MySQL extracts a portion (substring) from a string, starting at a specified position and extending for a given length. It's a fundamental tool for manipulating text data.

MID(): Definition and Usage

MID() is very useful for pulling out specific parts of strings. You provide the string, the starting position, and the desired length. The starting position is 1-based (the first character is position 1), and you can use negative numbers to count from the end of the string (-1 for the last character).

Equivalent Functions

The MID() function is equivalent to both SUBSTR() and SUBSTRING() in MySQL.

Syntax


MID(string, start, length)

Parameter Values

Parameter	Description
`string`	The string to extract from. This is required.
`start`	The starting position (1-based index, positive or negative). This is required.
`length` (Optional)	The number of characters to extract. If omitted, the function extracts to the end of the string.

Examples

Extracting a Substring from a Literal

This extracts three characters starting from the fifth position ("Tut").

Syntax


SELECT MID("SQL Tutorial", 5, 3) AS ExtractString;

Output

Tut

Extracting from a Column

This extracts five characters from the `CustomerName` column, starting at position 2. (Assumes a `Customers` table exists with a `CustomerName` column.)

Syntax


SELECT MID(CustomerName, 2, 5) AS ExtractString
FROM Customers;

Output


ExtractString
-------------
(The five-character substring from each CustomerName, starting at position 2, will be shown here.)

Extracting from the End of a String

This extracts five characters from the end of the string.

Syntax


SELECT MID("SQL Tutorial", -5, 5) AS ExtractString;

Output


orial