LPAD

Returns a VARCHAR value representing a string of a specific length filled on the left with specific characters.

Behavior type

Syntax

LPAD ( expression , length [ , fill ] )

Arguments

expression

(CHAR OR VARCHAR) specifies the string to fill

length

(INTEGER) specifies the number of characters to return

fill

(CHAR OR VARCHAR) specifies the repeating string of characters with which to fill the output string. The default is the space character.

Examples

=> SELECT LPAD('database', 15, 'xzy');
      LPAD
-----------------
 xzyxzyxdatabase
(1 row)

If the string is already longer than the specified length it is truncated on the right:

=> SELECT LPAD('establishment', 10, 'abc');
    LPAD
------------
 establishm
(1 row)