# String.search

## Function

Finds the first occurrence of a string or regular expression in the current string.

## Syntax

```bt
string.search(pattern)
```

## Parameters

| Parameters | Type | Required | Default value | Description |
| ------ | ------ | ------ | ------ | ------ |
| pattern | String/Regex | No | '' | The string or regular expression to find. |

## Return value

| Type | Description |
| ------ | ------ |
| Int | Returns the starting byte position if found; returns -1 if not found. |

## Example

```bt
text = 'hello BT'
result = text.search('BT')

// Output: 6
print result
```

## Notes

- The return value is calculated as a UTF-8 byte offset.