text.lpad

Description

Pads the start (left side) of a string with a specified character until it reaches the desired length.

Syntax 

flex.text.lpad(string, length, padChar)

Parameters

Parameter Type Required Description
string string/number Yes The string to pad (will be converted to string if number)
length number Yes The target length after padding
padChar string No The character to use for padding (default: space ‘ ‘)

Returns

Type: string

The padded string. If the original string is already longer than the target length, it is returned unchanged. Returns null if input is null.

Examples

Example 1: Basic Left Padding 

RETURN flex.text.lpad('5', 3, '0') AS result

Output:

result
------
005

Example 2: Formatting Numbers with Leading Zeros 

MATCH (o:Order)
RETURN flex.text.lpad(toString(o.id), 8, '0') AS orderId

Output:

orderId
--------
00000123
00000456

Example 3: Aligning Text 

WITH ['Total:', 'Subtotal:', 'Tax:'] AS labels
UNWIND labels AS label
RETURN flex.text.lpad(label, 12, ' ') AS aligned

Output:

aligned
--------------
      Total:
   Subtotal:
        Tax:

Notes

  • Returns null if input is null
  • Converts numbers to strings automatically
  • Default padding character is a space
  • If string is already longer than target length, returns original string
  • Useful for formatting IDs, aligning columns, or creating fixed-width output

See Also