MySQL: Explain RPAD() function in MySQL.

 

In MySQL, the RPAD() function is used to right-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 right side of the original string.

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

sql
RPAD(str, length, padstr)

• str: The original string that you want to right-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 RPAD('123', 5, '0') AS padded_string;

This query will return the string '12300' because the original string '123' is right-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 RPAD('abc', 6, ' ') AS padded_string;

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

The RPAD() 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.