MySQL: Explain LPAD() function in MySQL.

 

In MySQL, the LPAD() function is used to left-pad a string with a specified set of characters, up to a certain length. This is often used to format strings, ensuring that they have a specific length by adding characters to the left side of the original string.

The basic syntax of the LPAD() function is as follows:

sql
LPAD(str, length, padstr)

• str: The original string that you want to left-pad.
• length: The length of the resulting string after padding.
• padstr: The string or characters to use for padding. This is optional, and if not provided, it defaults to a space.

Here's an example:

sql
SELECT LPAD('123', 5, '0') AS padded_string;

This query will return the string '00123' because the original string '123' is left-padded with zeros to make the total length 5.

If the padstr parameter is not provided, it defaults to a space character. For example:

sql
SELECT LPAD('abc', 6,' ') AS padded_string;

This query will return the string ' abc' because the original string 'abc' is left-padded with spaces to make the total length 6.

The LPAD() function is useful in scenarios where you need to format strings to a specific length, such as when dealing with fixed-width data in a table or when creating formatted outputs.