Functions / String Functions And Operators

left

Returns first n characters in the string, or when n is negative, returns all but last |n| characters.

Reading PG 18current·documented in 17 of 27 versions, 9.1 to 20

Signatures & examples

left ( string text, n integer ) → text

Returns first n characters in the string, or when n is negative, returns all but last |n| characters.

left('abcde', 2) → ab

Version history 2

Definition snapshot: 2026-09-14T13:14:25.684213+00:00@99e6866c · English manual source