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MariaDB SPACE() Function

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MariaDB SPACE(N) returns a string containing N space characters. If N is NULL, the function returns NULL.

Syntax

SPACE(N)

N is the requested number of spaces. If it is zero or negative, SPACE() returns an empty string. To repeat another character or substring, use REPEAT().

Make the spaces visible

Spaces are difficult to see in a result grid. QUOTE() surrounds the result with quotes, and CHAR_LENGTH() reports the number of characters:

SELECT QUOTE(SPACE(6)) AS six_spaces,
       CHAR_LENGTH(SPACE(6)) AS character_count;

QUOTE(SPACE(6)) = '      '
CHAR_LENGTH(SPACE(6)) = 6

Zero, negative, and NULL counts

Zero or negative counts produce an empty string; a NULL argument produces NULL:

SELECT LENGTH(SPACE(0)) AS zero_count,
       LENGTH(SPACE(-1)) AS negative_count,
       SPACE(NULL) AS null_count;

zero_count = 0
negative_count = 0
null_count = NULL

Further reading