CHARACTER_LENGTH

The CHARACTER_LENGTH() function:

  • Returns the string length in UTF-8 characters for CHAR and VARCHAR columns
  • Returns the string length in bytes (octets) for BINARY and VARBINARY columns
  • Strips the padding from CHAR expressions but not from VARCHAR expressions
  • Is identical to LENGTH() for CHAR and VARCHAR. For binary types, CHARACTER_LENGTH() is identical to OCTET_LENGTH().

Behavior Type

Immutable if USING OCTETS, stable otherwise.

Syntax

[ CHAR_LENGTH | CHARACTER_LENGTH ] ( expression ... [ USING { CHARACTERS | OCTETS } ] )

Parameters

expression

(CHAR or VARCHAR) is the string to measure

 
USING CHARACTERS | OCTETS

Determines whether the character length is expressed in characters (the default) or octets.

Examples

=> SELECT CHAR_LENGTH('1234  '::CHAR(10) USING OCTETS);
 octet_length
--------------
            4
(1 row)
=> SELECT CHAR_LENGTH('1234  '::VARCHAR(10));
 char_length
-------------
           6
(1 row)
=> SELECT CHAR_LENGTH(NULL::CHAR(10)) IS NULL;
 ?column?
----------
 t
(1 row)

See Also