Change strings::like() pattern parameter from string_scalar to string_view

cpp/benchmarks/ndsh/q09.cpp

@@ -240,9 +240,8 @@ std::unique_ptr<table_with_names> join_data(q9_data const& data)
 
   // Generating the `profit` table
   // Filter the part table using `p_name like '%green%'`
-  auto const p_name = data.part->table().column(1);
-  auto const mask =
-    cudf::strings::like(cudf::strings_column_view(p_name), cudf::string_scalar("%green%"));
+  auto const p_name        = data.part->table().column(1);
+  auto const mask          = cudf::strings::like(cudf::strings_column_view(p_name), "%green%");
   auto const part_filtered = apply_mask(data.part, mask);
 
   // Perform the joins

cpp/include/cudf/strings/contains.hpp

@@ -136,7 +136,9 @@ std::unique_ptr<column> count_re(
  *
  * Any null string entries return corresponding null output column entries.
  *
- * @throw std::invalid_argument if `pattern` or `escape_character` is invalid
+ * The `pattern` and `escape_character` parameter must be valid until a
+ * synchronize is performed on the given `stream` parameter.
+ *
  * @throw std::invalid_argument if `escape_character` contains more than on byte
  *
  * @param input Strings instance for this operation
@@ -148,6 +150,31 @@ std::unique_ptr<column> count_re(
  * @return New boolean column
  */
 std::unique_ptr<column> like(
+  strings_column_view const& input,
+  std::string_view const& pattern,
+  std::string_view const& escape_character = "",
+  rmm::cuda_stream_view stream             = cudf::get_default_stream(),
+  rmm::device_async_resource_ref mr        = cudf::get_current_device_resource_ref());
+
+/**
+ * @brief Returns a boolean column identifying rows which
+ * match the given like pattern
+ *
+ * @deprecated in 25.12 and to be removed in a future release. Use like(strings_column_view,
+ * std::string_view, std::string_view, rmm::cuda_stream_view, rmm::device_async_resource_ref)
+ *
+ * @throw std::invalid_argument if `pattern` or `escape_character` is invalid
+ * @throw std::invalid_argument if `escape_character` contains more than on byte
+ *
+ * @param input Strings instance for this operation
+ * @param pattern Like pattern to match within each string
+ * @param escape_character Optional character specifies the escape prefix.
+ *                         Default is no escape character.
+ * @param stream CUDA stream used for device memory operations and kernel launches
+ * @param mr Device memory resource used to allocate the returned column's device memory
+ * @return New boolean column
+ */
+[[deprecated]] std::unique_ptr<column> like(
   strings_column_view const& input,
   string_scalar const& pattern,
   string_scalar const& escape_character = string_scalar(""),

cpp/src/strings/like.cu

@@ -366,6 +366,17 @@ std::unique_ptr<column> like(strings_column_view const& input,
   return like(input, patterns_itr, d_escape, stream, mr);
 }
 
+std::unique_ptr<column> like(strings_column_view const& input,
+                             std::string_view const& pattern,
+                             std::string_view const& escape_character,
+                             rmm::cuda_stream_view stream,
+                             rmm::device_async_resource_ref mr)
+{
+  auto const ptn = string_scalar(pattern, true, stream);
+  auto const esc = string_scalar(escape_character, true, stream);
+  return like(input, ptn, esc, stream, mr);
+}
+
 std::unique_ptr<column> like(strings_column_view const& input,
                              strings_column_view const& patterns,
                              string_scalar const& escape_character,
@@ -406,6 +417,16 @@ std::unique_ptr<column> like(strings_column_view const& input,
   return detail::like(input, pattern, escape_character, stream, mr);
 }
 
+std::unique_ptr<column> like(strings_column_view const& input,
+                             std::string_view const& pattern,
+                             std::string_view const& escape_character,
+                             rmm::cuda_stream_view stream,
+                             rmm::device_async_resource_ref mr)
+{
+  CUDF_FUNC_RANGE();
+  return detail::like(input, pattern, escape_character, stream, mr);
+}
+
 std::unique_ptr<column> like(strings_column_view const& input,
                              strings_column_view const& patterns,
                              string_scalar const& escape_character,

cpp/tests/streams/strings/contains_test.cpp

@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2023, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
+ * SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2023-2025, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
@@ -31,11 +31,12 @@ TEST_F(StringsContainsTest, Like)
   auto input = cudf::test::strings_column_wrapper({"Héllo", "thesés", "tést", ""});
   auto view  = cudf::strings_column_view(input);
 
-  auto const pattern = cudf::string_scalar("%és", true, cudf::test::get_default_stream());
-  auto const escape  = cudf::string_scalar("%", true, cudf::test::get_default_stream());
+  auto const pattern = std::string_view("%és");
+  auto const escape  = std::string_view("%");
   cudf::strings::like(view, pattern, escape, cudf::test::get_default_stream());
 
+  auto const s_escape = cudf::string_scalar(escape, true, cudf::test::get_default_stream());
   auto const patterns = cudf::test::strings_column_wrapper({"H%", "t%s", "t", ""});
   cudf::strings::like(
-    view, cudf::strings_column_view(patterns), escape, cudf::test::get_default_stream());
+    view, cudf::strings_column_view(patterns), s_escape, cudf::test::get_default_stream());
 }

cpp/tests/strings/like_tests.cpp

@@ -346,18 +346,14 @@ TEST_F(StringsLikeTests, AllNulls)
 
 TEST_F(StringsLikeTests, Errors)
 {
-  auto const input       = cudf::test::strings_column_wrapper({"3", "33"});
-  auto const sv          = cudf::strings_column_view(input);
-  auto const invalid_str = cudf::string_scalar("", false);
+  auto const input = cudf::test::strings_column_wrapper({"3", "33"});
+  auto const sv    = cudf::strings_column_view(input);
 
-  EXPECT_THROW(cudf::strings::like(sv, invalid_str), std::invalid_argument);
-  EXPECT_THROW(cudf::strings::like(sv, std::string_view("3"), invalid_str), std::invalid_argument);
   EXPECT_THROW(cudf::strings::like(sv, std::string_view("3"), std::string_view("ee")),
                std::invalid_argument);
 
   auto patterns          = cudf::test::strings_column_wrapper({"3", ""}, {true, false});
   auto const sv_patterns = cudf::strings_column_view(patterns);
   EXPECT_THROW(cudf::strings::like(sv, sv_patterns), std::invalid_argument);
-  EXPECT_THROW(cudf::strings::like(sv, sv, invalid_str), std::invalid_argument);
   EXPECT_THROW(cudf::strings::like(sv, sv_patterns, std::string_view("ee")), std::invalid_argument);
 }

python/cudf/cudf/core/column/string.py

@@ -1347,8 +1347,8 @@ def str_contains(self, pattern: str | Self) -> Self:
     def like(self, pattern: str, escape: str) -> Self:
         plc_column = plc.strings.contains.like(
             self.to_pylibcudf(mode="read"),
-            pa_scalar_to_plc_scalar(pa.scalar(pattern)),
-            pa_scalar_to_plc_scalar(pa.scalar(escape)),
+            pattern,
+            escape,
         )
         return (
             type(self)

python/pylibcudf/pylibcudf/libcudf/strings/contains.pxd

@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright (c) 2020-2025, NVIDIA CORPORATION.
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 from libcpp.memory cimport unique_ptr
+from libcpp.string cimport string
 from pylibcudf.exception_handler cimport libcudf_exception_handler
 from pylibcudf.libcudf.column.column cimport column
 from pylibcudf.libcudf.column.column_view cimport column_view
@@ -32,8 +33,8 @@ cdef extern from "cudf/strings/contains.hpp" namespace "cudf::strings" nogil:
 
     cdef unique_ptr[column] like(
         column_view source_strings,
-        string_scalar pattern,
-        string_scalar escape_character,
+        string pattern,
+        string escape_character,
         cuda_stream_view stream,
         device_memory_resource* mr) except +libcudf_exception_handler
 

python/pylibcudf/pylibcudf/strings/contains.pxd

@@ -2,14 +2,10 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 
 from pylibcudf.column cimport Column
-from pylibcudf.scalar cimport Scalar
 from pylibcudf.strings.regex_program cimport RegexProgram
 from rmm.pylibrmm.memory_resource cimport DeviceMemoryResource
 from rmm.pylibrmm.stream cimport Stream
 
-ctypedef fused ColumnOrScalar:
-    Column
-    Scalar
 
 cpdef Column contains_re(
     Column input, RegexProgram prog, Stream stream=*, DeviceMemoryResource mr=*
@@ -25,8 +21,8 @@ cpdef Column matches_re(
 
 cpdef Column like(
     Column input,
-    ColumnOrScalar pattern,
-    Scalar escape_character=*,
+    str pattern,
+    str escape_character=*,
     Stream stream=*,
     DeviceMemoryResource mr=*,
 )

python/pylibcudf/pylibcudf/strings/contains.pyi

@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ from rmm.pylibrmm.memory_resource import DeviceMemoryResource
 from rmm.pylibrmm.stream import Stream
 
 from pylibcudf.column import Column
-from pylibcudf.scalar import Scalar
 from pylibcudf.strings.regex_program import RegexProgram
 
 def contains_re(
@@ -28,8 +27,8 @@ def matches_re(
 ) -> Column: ...
 def like(
     input: Column,
-    pattern: Column | Scalar,
-    escape_character: Scalar | None = None,
+    pattern: str,
+    escape_character: str | None = None,
     stream: Stream | None = None,
     mr: DeviceMemoryResource | None = None,
 ) -> Column: ...

python/pylibcudf/pylibcudf/strings/contains.pyx

@@ -2,17 +2,12 @@
 # SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
 from libcpp.memory cimport unique_ptr
 from libcpp.utility cimport move
-from cython.operator import dereference
+from libcpp.string cimport string
 
 from pylibcudf.column cimport Column
 from pylibcudf.libcudf.column.column cimport column
-from pylibcudf.libcudf.scalar.scalar cimport string_scalar
-from pylibcudf.libcudf.scalar.scalar_factories cimport (
-    make_string_scalar as cpp_make_string_scalar,
-)
 from pylibcudf.libcudf.strings cimport contains as cpp_contains
 from pylibcudf.strings.regex_program cimport RegexProgram
-from pylibcudf.scalar cimport Scalar
 from pylibcudf.utils cimport _get_stream, _get_memory_resource
 from rmm.pylibrmm.memory_resource cimport DeviceMemoryResource
 from rmm.pylibrmm.stream cimport Stream
@@ -139,8 +134,8 @@ cpdef Column matches_re(
 
 cpdef Column like(
     Column input,
-    ColumnOrScalar pattern,
-    Scalar escape_character=None,
+    str pattern,
+    str escape_character=None,
     Stream stream=None,
     DeviceMemoryResource mr=None,
 ):
@@ -154,9 +149,9 @@ cpdef Column like(
     ----------
     input : Column
         The input strings
-    pattern : Column or Scalar
-        Like patterns to match within each string
-    escape_character : Scalar
+    pattern : str
+        Like pattern to match within each string
+    escape_character : str
         Optional character specifies the escape prefix.
         Default is no escape character.
 
@@ -170,35 +165,18 @@ cpdef Column like(
     mr = _get_memory_resource(mr)
 
     if escape_character is None:
-        escape_character = Scalar.from_libcudf(
-            cpp_make_string_scalar("".encode(), stream.view(), mr.get_mr())
-        )
+        escape_character = ""
+
+    cdef string c_escape_character = escape_character.encode()
+    cdef string c_pattern = pattern.encode()
 
-    cdef const string_scalar* c_escape_character = <const string_scalar*>(
-        escape_character.c_obj.get()
-    )
-    cdef const string_scalar* c_pattern
-
-    if ColumnOrScalar is Column:
-        with nogil:
-            result = cpp_contains.like(
-                input.view(),
-                pattern.view(),
-                dereference(c_escape_character),
-                stream.view(),
-                mr.get_mr()
-            )
-    elif ColumnOrScalar is Scalar:
-        c_pattern = <const string_scalar*>(pattern.c_obj.get())
-        with nogil:
-            result = cpp_contains.like(
-                input.view(),
-                dereference(c_pattern),
-                dereference(c_escape_character),
-                stream.view(),
-                mr.get_mr()
-            )
-    else:
-        raise ValueError("pattern must be a Column or a Scalar")
+    with nogil:
+        result = cpp_contains.like(
+            input.view(),
+            c_pattern,
+            c_escape_character,
+            stream.view(),
+            mr.get_mr()
+        )
 
     return Column.from_libcudf(move(result), stream, mr)

python/pylibcudf/tests/test_string_contains.py

@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ def test_like():
     arr = pa.array(["1a2aa3aaa"])
     got = plc.strings.contains.like(
         plc.Column.from_arrow(arr),
-        plc.Column.from_arrow(pa.array([pattern])),
+        pattern,
     )
     expect = pc.match_like(arr, pattern)
     assert_column_eq(expect, got)