Re: LENGTH function and trailing spaces

I now see what I was saying wrong. I kept saying CHAR and I meant VARCHAR. According to the Guide to SQL: Reference manual (pg 3-18 Data types) "The database server does NOT strip a VARCHAR object of any user-entered trailing blanks, nor does the database server pad the VARCHAR to the full length of the column." ok.. so the question is: if I do this: CREATE TABLE KIRK (VC VARCHAR(100)) INSERT INTO KIRK VALUES ('KIRK AND 2 TRAILING BLANKS ') then how do I find out (in a SQL stmt (no 3-GL code)) that the length stored for that INSERT is 28 cause LENGTH(VC) will surely return 26 won't it? Watje, Paul (watjep@emspo01.hasting.com) wrote: : Just look in a manual at the definition for syscolumns and it will give you : the length : of a char field. I just wrote a small 4gl to re-create an image of a table : and had to : do something similar. : ===================================================================== : Paul Watje Database Something or Another : watjep@hasting.com Hastings Books, Music, & Video : ---------- : From: ilist : To: informix-list : Subject: LENGTH function and trailing spaces : Date: Tuesday, April 04, 1995 9:14PM : Length is documented as returning the length of a character column, : not including the trailing spaces. What method do I use IN SQL to : get the REAL length of character column? i.e. what size would be : available to a program that fetched that column : -- : Kirk Bradley : Oracle Corporation : Mainframe and Integration Technologies Group -- Kirk Bradley Oracle Corporation Mainframe and Integration Technologies Group