By the end of this tutorial, you’ll confidently use Lodash’s _.pad() method in real JavaScript projects.
_.pad(str, length, chars) centers fill.
Align columns in tables and logs.
Use '0', '-', or any repeat char.
Center vs left-only padding.
Center vs right-only padding.
Pick length based on max content width.
_.pad()?It pads a string on the left and right until it reaches the specified length, using spaces by default.
Import only what you need: import pad from "lodash/pad" keeps bundles small.
_.pad(string, [length=0], [chars=' '])import pad from "lodash/pad";
const original = "Hello";
const result = pad(original, 10);
console.log(JSON.stringify(result));
// -> '" Hello "'| Task | Code pattern | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Center spaces | <code>_.pad('Hello', 10)</code> | " Hello " |
| Custom char | <code>_.pad('123', 6, '0')</code> | 001230 |
| Align names | <code>_.pad(name, maxLen)</code> | Column align |
| Left pad | <code>_.padStart(str, n, '0')</code> | Leading fill |
| Right pad | <code>_.padEnd(str, n, ' ')</code> | Trailing fill |
| Native | <code>str.padStart(n)</code> | ES2017 API |
NoReturns new string
BothCentered fill
SpaceThird arg optional
padStart / padEndOne-sided
Arguments accepted by _.pad():
stringPrimaryThe input string to transform. Lodash coerces null and undefined to an empty string.
return valueNew stringA new string result. The original input is never mutated.
Practical _.pad() patterns with copy-ready code and interactive Try It Yourself labs.
Pad strings with spaces or custom characters to a target length.
Pad a short word with spaces on both sides to length 10.
const original = "Hello";
const padded = _.pad(original, 10);
console.log(JSON.stringify(padded));
// -> '" Hello "'Spaces are added evenly on both sides until the total length is 10.
Fixed-width tables, numeric formatting, and column alignment.
Pad a numeric string with leading zeros using a custom fill character.
const num = "123";
const padded = _.pad(num, 6, "0");
console.log(padded);
// -> "000123"For left-only zero fill, _.padStart is often clearer; _.pad centers by default.
Pad each name to the same width for monospace table output.
const names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"];
const maxLen = Math.max(...names.map((n) => n.length));
names.forEach((name) => {
console.log(_.pad(name, maxLen) + " |");
});
// Alice |
// Bob |
// Charlie |Compute max width once, then pad every row for clean alignment.
Use a non-space fill character for visual separators.
const label = "OK";
const padded = _.pad(label, 8, "-");
console.log(padded);
// -> "--OK----"The fill string repeats; extra padding favors the right side.
One-sided padding and native alternatives.
Compare center, left, and right padding for the same input.
const str = "Hello";
console.log(_.pad(str, 10, "-")); // --Hello---
console.log(_.padStart(str, 10, "-")); // -----Hello
console.log(_.padEnd(str, 10, "-")); // Hello-----Choose the helper that matches your alignment needs.
Modern JavaScript provides built-in padding methods.
const id = "42";
console.log(id.padStart(5, "0")); // "00042"
console.log(_.padStart(id, 5, "0")); // "00042"Lodash is useful for consistent APIs across older runtimes and multi-char fill edge cases.
_.pad() WorksLodash reads the source string and target length.
If the string is shorter, calculate how many fill chars are needed.
Padding is distributed to left and right (extra goes right).
Original string is unchanged; padded result is returned.
_.pad() centers content—use padStart/padEnd for one-sided alignment._.padStart(num, width, '0') is common._.pad() is a practical Lodash string helper for everyday JavaScript tasks. Use the examples above as starting points in your own code.
_.pad()Centered fill.
BasicsTarget total size.
APIThird argument.
FillLeft padding.
RelatedRight padding.
Related_.pad() adds fill characters to both sides of a string so the total length reaches your target—use _.padStart() or _.padEnd() for one-sided padding.
Open the Try It editor and run the examples with your own input.
6 people found this page helpful