Transformation Language Reference > Functions > LPAD
  

LPAD

Adds a set of blanks or characters to the beginning of a string to set the string to a specified length.

Syntax

LPAD( first_string, length [,second_string] )
The following table describes the arguments for this command:
Argument
Required/
Optional
Description
first_string
Required
Can be a character string. The strings you want to change. You can enter any valid transformation expression.
length
Required
Must be a positive integer literal. This argument specifies the length you want each string to be.
second_string
Optional
Can be any string value. The characters you want to append to the left-side of the first_string values. You can enter any valid transformation expression. You can enter a specific string literal. However, enclose the characters you want to add to the beginning of the string within single quotation marks, as in 'abc'. This argument is case sensitive. If you omit the second_string, the function pads the beginning of the first string with blanks.

Return Value

String of the specified length.
NULL if a value passed to the function is NULL or if length is a negative number.

Examples

The following expression standardizes numbers to six digits by padding them with leading zeros:
LPAD( PART_NUM, 6, '0')
PART_NUM
RETURN VALUE
702
000702
1
000001
0553
000553
484834
484834
LPAD counts the length from left to right. If the first string is longer than the length, LPAD truncates the string from right to left. For example, LPAD(‘alphabetical’, 5, ‘x’) returns the string ‘alpha’.
If the second string is longer than the total characters needed to return the specified length, LPAD uses a portion of the second string:
LPAD( ITEM_NAME, 16, '*..*' )
ITEM_NAME
RETURN VALUE
Flashlight
*..**.Flashlight
Compass
*..**..**Compass
Regulator System
Regulator System
Safety Knife
*..*Safety Knife