Using Eloquent ORM in Laravel to perform search of database using LIKE

I want to use Eloquent's active record building to build a search query, but it is going to be a LIKE search. I have found the User::find($term) or User::find(1), but this is not generating a like statement. I'm not looking for a direct answer, but if someone could at least give me a direction to look in that'd be great!

You're able to do database finds using LIKE with this syntax:

Model::where('column', 'LIKE', '%value%')->get();

If you need to frequently use LIKE, you can simplify the problem a bit. A custom method like () can be created in the model that inherits the Eloquent ORM:

public  function scopeLike($query, $field, $value){
        return $query->where($field, 'LIKE', "%$value%");
}

So then you can use this method in such way:

User::like('name', 'Tomas')->get();

FYI, the list of operators (containing like and all others) is in code:

/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Database/Query/Builder.php

protected $operators = array(
    '=', '<', '>', '<=', '>=', '<>', '!=',
    'like', 'not like', 'between', 'ilike',
    '&', '|', '^', '<<', '>>',
    'rlike', 'regexp', 'not regexp',
);

disclaimer:

Joel Larson's answer is correct. Got my upvote.

I'm hoping this answer sheds more light on what's available via the Eloquent ORM (points people in the right direct). Whilst a link to documentation would be far better, that link has proven itself elusive.

Use double quotes instead of single quote eg :

where('customer.name', 'LIKE', "%$findcustomer%")

Below is my code:

public function searchCustomer($findcustomer)
{
    $customer = DB::table('customer')
                  ->where('customer.name', 'LIKE', "%$findcustomer%")
                  ->orWhere('customer.phone', 'LIKE', "%$findcustomer%")
                  ->get();

    return View::make("your view here");
}

If you do not like double quotes like me, this will work for you with single quotes:

$value = Input::get('q');
$books = Book::where('name', 'LIKE', '%' . $value . '%')->limit(25)->get();

return view('pages/search/index', compact('books'));