Pads a string on the right to the length you need.
RPAD(<text>, <length>)
RPAD(<text>, <length>, <fill>)
Adds characters at the end until the string reaches the required length; without the third argument — spaces. Its mirror function is LPAD, which pads on the left. Often used to line text up in a column or pad a code to a fixed length.
employees
| name | department | salary | bonus | phone |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emma | backend | 1200 | 300 | +44 7700 900123 |
| Liam | backend | 1000 | NULL | NULL |
| Olivia | frontend | 1350 | 150 | +44 7700 900456 |
| Noah | frontend | 950 | NULL | +44 7700 900789 |
| Sophia | design | 1200 | 200 | NULL |
These tables already exist in the sandbox — the examples below use them. Want to try this in your own database? Copy the SQL.
| zeros | dots |
|---|---|
| 7000 | ab... |
| line |
|---|
| Emma....1200 |
| Liam....1000 |
| Olivia..1350 |
| Noah....950 |
| Sophia..1200 |
Each name is padded with dots to 8 characters, so the salaries line up neatly, like page numbers in a table of contents.
| cut |
|---|
| Post |
RPAD truncates a longer string rather than leaving it as is: RPAD('PostgreSQL', 4) gives Post.
It only accepts text: RPAD(1, 5, '0') throws function rpad(integer, integer, unknown) does not exist. Cast the type: RPAD(id::text, 5, '0').
Trailing spaces in the result aren't visible in the table, but they're there: RPAD('ab', 5) is ab plus three spaces.