Pad string

str.padStart(targetLength, padChar)
str.padEnd(targetLength, padChar)

const orderNum = "42";
console.log(orderNum.padStart(6, "0"));  // "000042"

const label = "Price";
console.log(label.padEnd(12, "."));      // "Price......."

Note Useful for formatting IDs, aligning columns in console output, or zero-padding numbers.

LPAD(string, target_length, pad_char)
RPAD(string, target_length, pad_char)

SELECT
  LPAD(CAST(invoice_number AS VARCHAR), 8, '0') AS padded_invoice,
  RPAD(product_code, 10, '.') AS padded_code
FROM invoices;

-- padded_invoice | padded_code
-- 00004271       | PRD-42....

Note LPAD pads on the left, RPAD on the right. If the string is already longer than target_length, it gets truncated to target_length. Commonly used for formatting invoice numbers, report columns, and display output.