? PHP str_pad() & str_repeat()

? Quick Overview

PHP provides string padding and repeating functions like str_pad() and str_repeat() that allow you to modify strings by padding them with characters or repeating them multiple times. These functions are useful for formatting strings or creating fixed-length strings.

?️ Key Concepts

str_pad() – Pads a string to a fixed length.
str_repeat() – Repeats a string multiple times.

? Syntax & Theory

str_pad(string, length, pad_string, pad_type)
str_repeat(string, times)

? Code Example: str_pad()

? View Code Example

// Padding a string to fixed length using default right padding
<?php
$string = "PHP";
$padded = str_pad($string, 10, "*");
echo $padded;
?>

? Output

PHP******

? Code Example: Padding Direction

? View Code Example

// Demonstrating left, right, and both side padding
<?php
$string = "PHP";
echo str_pad($string, 10, "*", STR_PAD_LEFT);
echo str_pad($string, 10, "*", STR_PAD_RIGHT);
echo str_pad($string, 10, "*", STR_PAD_BOTH);
?>

? Output

*****PHP
PHP*****
**PHP****

? Code Example: str_repeat()

? View Code Example

// Repeating a string multiple times
<?php
$string = "PHP";
echo str_repeat($string, 3);
?>

? Output

PHPPHPPHP

? Interactive Visual Example

Padding visualization using blocks

*****PHP PHP***** **PHP****

? Use Cases

Formatting table columns
Generating fixed-width reports
Creating visual separators
Zero-padding numeric values

✅ Tips & Best Practices

Use str_pad() for clean aligned output
Prefer constants like STR_PAD_LEFT for clarity
Avoid excessive repetition for performance reasons
Pad numbers with zeros for IDs and invoice numbers

? Try It Yourself

Create a zero-padded invoice number
Generate a star separator using str_repeat()
Align names and scores using str_pad()