Oracle / PLSQL: LENGTHB Function

This Oracle tutorial explains how to use the Oracle/PLSQL LENGTHB function with syntax and examples.

Description

The Oracle/PLSQL LENGTHB function returns the length of the specified string, using bytes instead of characters.

Syntax

The syntax for the LENGTHB function in Oracle/PLSQL is:

LENGTHB( string1 )

Parameters or Arguments

string1

The string to return the length for. string1 can be CHAR, VARCHAR2, NCHAR, NVARCHAR2, or single-byte LOB.

Returns

The LENGTHB function returns a numeric value. If string1 is NULL, then the LENGTHB function will return NULL.

Applies To

The LENGTHB function can be used in the following versions of Oracle/PLSQL:

• Oracle 12c, Oracle 11g, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i, Oracle 8i

Example

Let's look at some Oracle LENGTHB function examples and explore how to use the LENGTHB function in Oracle/PLSQL.

For example:

LENGTHB(NULL)
Output: NULL   (single-byte character set)

LENGTHB('')
Output: NULL   (single-byte character set)

LENGTHB(' ')
Output: 1      (single-byte character set)

LENGTHB('aodba.com')
Output: 16     (single-byte character set)

LENGTHB('aodba.com ')
Output: 17     (single-byte character set)