Contents
left()
A function returning characters from the left of a string
left() is a system function returning the specified number characters from the left of the provided string.
left() was added in PostgreSQL 9.1.
Usage
left (stringtext,ninteger) →text
If n is negative, returns all but the last n characters.
Change history
- PostgreSQL 9.1
- added (commit 49b27ab5)
Examples
Basic usage example for left():
postgres=# SELECT left('foobar', 3);
left
------
foo
(1 row)
Providing a negative value:
postgres=# SELECT left('foobarbaz', -3);
left
--------
foobar
(1 row)
Usage with a non-Latin character set:
postgres=# SELECT left('ほげほげ', 2);
left
------
ほげ
(1 row)
References
- PostgreSQL documentation: Other String Functions
