How to use the str_pad() function in PHP

A detailed guide on how to use the `str_pad()` function in PHP to pad strings with different characters to a specified length. The article introduces various common uses of this function in programming.

The str_pad() function in PHP is used to pad strings with characters to a desired length. You can pad strings on the right, left, or both sides. In this article, we will explore different ways to use the str_pad() function with practical examples.

PHP Code

<?php
// Pad string from the right
$string1 = str_pad("Hello", 10, ".");
echo $string1;  // Output: Hello.....

// Pad string from the left
$string2 = str_pad("123", 6, "0", STR_PAD_LEFT);
echo $string2;  // Output: 000123

// Pad string from both sides
$string3 = str_pad("PHP", 8, "*", STR_PAD_BOTH);
echo $string3;  // Output: **PHP***
?>

Detailed explanation:

str_pad("Hello", 10, "."): Pads the string "Hello" from the right with a period (.) to a length of 10 characters.
str_pad("123", 6, "0", STR_PAD_LEFT): Pads the string "123" from the left with zeros to make the string 6 characters long.
str_pad("PHP", 8, "*", STR_PAD_BOTH): Pads the string "PHP" on both sides with asterisks (*) to a total length of 8 characters.

System requirements:

PHP 7.0 or above.

How to install the libraries:

No libraries need to be installed. The str_pad() function is built into PHP.

Tips:

Use str_pad() when formatting fixed-length strings, such as displaying numbers or codes with padding characters.
Ensure that the input string is shorter than or equal to the desired length to avoid padding failures.

Tags: PHP, String

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