How to Use the RPAD() Function in MySQL
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Contents
In this article, you will learn how to use the RPAD() function in MySQL.
Using the RPAD() function in MySQL
The RPAD() function in MySQL is used to pad a string with a specific set of characters until it reaches a certain length. It takes three arguments: the string to pad, the length to pad the string to, and the set of characters to use for padding.
Syntax
Here’s the syntax for the RPAD() function:
RPAD(string, length, pad_string)
- string: The string to pad
- length: The length to pad the string to
- pad_string: The set of characters to use for padding
Examples
Basic usage
SELECT RPAD('hello', 10, '.');
This query will return the string “hello….” since the length of the string “hello” is less than 10 characters, and we’re padding it with “.” until it reaches a length of 10.
Using with a column
SELECT RPAD(name, 20, ' ') FROM users;
This query will return the names of all the users in the users table, padded with spaces until they reach a length of 20 characters.
Using with a Unicode character
SELECT RPAD('こんにちは', 10, 'あ');
This query will return the string “こんにちはああ” since we’re padding the Japanese greeting with the Unicode character “あ” until it reaches a length of 10.