MySQL LEFT() Function
Example
Extract 3 characters from a string (starting from left):
SELECT LEFT("SQL Tutorial", 3) AS ExtractString;
Try it Yourself »
Definition and Usage
The LEFT() function extracts a number of characters from a string (starting from left).
Tip: Also look at the RIGHT() function.
Syntax
LEFT(string, number_of_chars)
Parameter Values
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| string | Required. The string to extract from |
| number_of_chars | Required. The number of characters to extract. If this parameter is larger than the number of characters in string, this function will return string |
Technical Details
| Works in: | From MySQL 4.0 |
|---|
More Examples
Example
Extract 5 characters from the text in the "CustomerName" column (starting from left):
SELECT LEFT(CustomerName, 5) AS ExtractString
FROM Customers;
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