LPAD()

All functions > STRING > LPAD()

Returns the string padded on the left to a specified length with a padding string.

Signatures

Returns: String padded on the left to the specified length

LPAD(string: VARCHAR, length: BIGINT, padding: VARCHAR) → VARCHAR

Notes

• If the input is already longer than the target length, the result is truncated on the right
• The padding string is repeated as needed; if it is longer than the gap, only the required portion is used
• If any argument is NULL, the result is NULL (use NULL(VARCHAR) / NULL(BIGINT); bare NULL fails inference)

Examples

SELECT
    -- Pad with dashes
    f1 := LPAD('hello', 10, '-'),
    -- Zero padding
    f2 := LPAD('123', 7, '0'),
    -- Multi-character padding
    f3 := LPAD('AB', 6, 'XY'),
    -- Truncation when too long
    f4 := LPAD('hello', 3, '-'),
    -- No padding needed
    f5 := LPAD('test', 4, ' '),
    -- NULL string yields NULL
    f6 := LPAD(NULL(VARCHAR), 5, 'x')
;