Re: why do i get 2 as answer for select length('aa '::char(6));

thanks! you are right. we're porting a 20 year old xbase app and it's painful

On Wed, Jan 17, 2018 at 11:32 AM, Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> wrote:

john snow <ofbizfanster@gmail.com> writes:
> when you say char-type values, do you include varchar?

No.  varchar and text consider trailing spaces to be significant.

To my mind, there are very few situations where char(n) is actually
a reasonable choice of datatype.  Maybe for US state abbreviations
or the like.  If you're even asking this question, it suggests that
you ought to be using varchar/text.

char(n) basically exists to support fixed-field-width data designs that
should have died along with the punched cards that inspired them.

                        regards, tom lane