# **LPAD()**

## **Function Description**

The function LPAD(str,len,padstr) is filled with *padstr* on the left side of the string *str* until the string with a total length of *len*, and finally returns the filled string. If the length of *str* is greater than *len*, the last length will be reduced to *len*.
If *len* is a negative number, NULL is returned.

## **Function Syntax**

```text
> LPAD(str,len,padstr)
```

## **Parameter definition**

| Parameters | Description |
| ---- | ---- |
| str | Required parameters, filled string. Both CHAR and VARCHAR types are available. |
| len | Required parameters, total length to be filled.  |
| padstr | Required parameter, used for filling strings. Both CHAR and VARCHAR types are available. |

## **Example**

```text
> drop table if exists t1;
> CREATE TABLE t1(Student_id INT,Student_name VARCHAR(100),Student_Class CHAR(20));
> INSERT INTO t1
VALUES
(1,'Ananya Majumdar', 'IX'),
(2,'Anushka Samanta', 'X'),
(3,'Aniket Sharma', 'XI'),
(4,'Anik Das', 'X'),
(5,'Riya Jain', 'IX'),
(6,'Tapan Samanta', 'X');
> SELECT Student_id, Student_name,LPAD(Student_Class, 10, ' _') AS LeftPaddedString FROM t1;
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Student_id | Student_name | LeftPaddedString |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1 | Ananya Majumdar | _ _ _ _ IX |
| 2 | Anushka Samanta | _ _ _ _ X |
| 3 | Aniket Sharma | _ _ _ _ XI |
| 4 | Anik Das | _ _ _ _ X |
| 5 | Riya Jain | _ _ _ _ IX |
| 6 | Tapan Samanta | _ _ _ _ X |
+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> SELECT Student_id, lpad(Student_name,4,'new') AS LeftPaddedString FROM t1;
+----------------------------------------+
| Student_id | LeftPaddedString |
+----------------------------------------+
| 1 | Anan |
| 2 | Anus |
| 3 | Anik |
| 4 | Anik |
| 5 | Riya |
| 6 | Tapa |
+----------------------------------------+
> SELECT Student_id, lpad(Student_name,-4,'new') AS LeftPaddedString FROM t1;
+----------------------------------------+
| Student_id | LeftPaddedString |
+----------------------------------------+
| 1 | NULL |
| 2 | NULL |
| 3 | NULL |
| 4 | NULL |
| 5 | NULL |
| 6 | NULL |
+----------------------------------------+
> SELECT Student_id, lpad(Student_name,0,'new') AS LeftPaddedString FROM t1;
+----------------------------------------+
| Student_id | LeftPaddedString |
+----------------------------------------+
| 1 | |
| 2 | |
| 3 | |
| 4 | |
| 5 | |
| 6 | |
+----------------------------------------+
```