This article is written about how to use the Oracle/PLSQL LPAD function with syntax and examples.
Description
The Oracle/PLSQL LPAD function pads the left-side of a string with a specific set of characters (when string1 is not null).
Syntax
The syntax for the LPAD function in Oracle/PLSQL is:
LPAD( string1, padded_length [, pad_string] )Parameters or Arguments
string1
The string to pad characters to (the left-hand side).
padded_length
The number of characters to return. If the padded_length is smaller than the original string, the LPAD function will truncate the string to the size of padded_length.
pad_string
Optional. This is the string that will be padded to the left-hand side of string1. If this parameter is omitted, the LPAD function will pad spaces to the left-side of string1.
Returns
The LPAD function returns a string value.
Applies To
The LPAD function can be used in the following versions of Oracle/PLSQL:
Oracle 12c, Oracle 11g, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i, Oracle 8i
Example
Let’s look at some Oracle LPAD function examples and explore how to use the LPAD function in Oracle/PLSQL.
For example:
LPAD('tech', 7);
Result: ' tech'
LPAD('tech', 2);
Result: 'te'
LPAD('tech', 8, '0');
Result: '0000tech'
LPAD('tech on the net', 15, 'z');
Result: 'tech on the net'
LPAD('tech on the net', 16, 'z');
Result: 'ztech on the net'