.PadLeft()

In C#, the .PadLeft() method adds padding to the start of a string until it reaches the specified total length. If a padding character is not specified, it defaults to spaces. This method returns a new string, leaving the original string unchanged.

Syntax

string.PadLeft(int totalWidth);

Or, alternatively:

string.PadLeft(int totalWidth, char paddingChar);

• totalWidth: The desired total length of the string after padding.
• paddingChar (Optional): The character used for padding. If not specified, a space is used by default.

Example

The following example illustrates the usage of .PadLeft() in various scenarios:

using System;

class Program
{
  static void Main()
  {
    string str = "Codecademy";  // Length: 10
    Console.WriteLine($"String: '{str}'");

    // Case 1: Padding with default space character
    string paddingDefault = str.PadLeft(15);
    Console.WriteLine($"Case 1: '{paddingDefault}'");

    // Case 2: Padding with a specific character
    char paddingChar = '.';
    string paddingWithChar = str.PadLeft(15, paddingChar);
    Console.WriteLine($"Case 2: '{paddingWithChar}'");

    // Case 3: Total width is less than string length
    string noPadding = str.PadLeft(1);
    Console.WriteLine($"Case 3: '{noPadding}'");
  }
}

The above example gives the following output:

String: 'Codecademy'
Case 1: '     Codecademy'
Case 2: '.....Codecademy'
Case 3: 'Codecademy'

Codebyte Example

The following runnable example demonstrates different use cases for .PadLeft(), including padding with spaces by default and padding with a specified character:

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