Replacing * with %

Hello all! I can't for the love of god get neither ereg_replace nor str_replace to work. I wan't to replace * with % so I can use SELECT ... WHERE whatever LIKE "string%" in MySQL. I've tried ereg_replace("*","%",$search_name). Didn't work. I tried escaping the asterisk. I tried double-escaping the asterisk. I tried str_replace("*","%",$search_name), and that didn't work either. I tried just about everything I could think of, escaping, double- escaping and triple-escaping ad nauseum, but it just wont work. Oh, yes, I also tried $search_name=ereg_replace(blablabla); What a surprise. It didn't work. Yes, I've RTFM, RTMFM, read from my PHP Blackbook to phpbuilder.net and just about everything in between. Pretty soon I'll start bashing away on that Solaris 8 box over there. Markus - frustrated -- Markus Lervik Linux-administrator with a kungfoo grip Vaasa City Library - Regional Library markus.lervik@vaasa.fi +358-6-325 3589 / +358-40-832 6709