Left Function

Description

Returns a specified number of characters from the left side of a string.

Syntax

Left(string, length)

The Left function syntax has these named arguments:

Part

Description

string

String expression from which the leftmost characters are returned. If string contains Null, Null is returned.

length

Numeric expression indicating how many characters to return. If 0, a zero-length string is returned. If greater than or equal to the number of characters in string, the entire string is returned.


Remarks

To determine the number of characters in string, use the Len function.

Note Another function (LeftB) is provided for use with byte data contained in a string. Instead of specifying the number of characters to return, length specifies the number of bytes.

See Also

Len Function, Mid Function, Right Function.

Example

This example uses the Left function to return a specified number of characters from the left side of a string.


AnyString = "Hello World"        ' Define string.= Left(AnyString, 1)        ' Returns "H".= Left(AnyString, 7)        ' Returns "Hello W".= Left(AnyString, 20)        ' Returns "Hello World".