<returnvalue>32</returnvalue>
       </para></entry>
      </row>

      <row>
       <entry role="func_table_entry"><para role="func_signature">
        <indexterm>
         <primary>char_length</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <indexterm>
         <primary>character string</primary>
         <secondary>length</secondary>
        </indexterm>
        <indexterm>
         <primary>length</primary>
         <secondary sortas="character string">of a character string</secondary>
         <see>character string, length</see>
        </indexterm>
        <function>char_length</function> ( <type>text</type> )
        <returnvalue>integer</returnvalue>
       </para>
       <para role="func_signature">
        <indexterm>
         <primary>character_length</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <function>character_length</function> ( <type>text</type> )
        <returnvalue>integer</returnvalue>
       </para>
       <para>
        Returns number of characters in the string.
       </para>
       <para>
        <literal>char_length('jos&eacute;')</literal>
        <returnvalue>4</returnvalue>
       </para></entry>
      </row>

      <row>
       <entry role="func_table_entry"><para role="func_signature">
        <indexterm id="function-lower">
         <primary>lower</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <function>lower</function> ( <type>text</type> )
        <returnvalue>text</returnvalue>
       </para>
       <para>
        Converts the string to all lower case, according to the rules of the
        database's locale.
       </para>
       <para>
        <literal>lower('TOM')</literal>
        <returnvalue>tom</returnvalue>
       </para></entry>
      </row>

      <row>
       <entry role="func_table_entry"><para role="func_signature">
        <indexterm>
         <primary>lpad</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <function>lpad</function> ( <parameter>string</parameter> <type>text</type>,
        <parameter>length</parameter> <type>integer</type>
        <optional>, <parameter>fill</parameter> <type>text</type> </optional> )
        <returnvalue>text</returnvalue>
       </para>
       <para>
        Extends the <parameter>string</parameter> to length
        <parameter>length</parameter> by prepending the characters
        <parameter>fill</parameter> (a space by default).  If the
        <parameter>string</parameter> is already longer than
        <parameter>length</parameter> then it is truncated (on the right).
       </para>
       <para>
        <literal>lpad('hi', 5, 'xy')</literal>
        <returnvalue>xyxhi</returnvalue>
       </para></entry>
      </row>

      <row>
       <entry role="func_table_entry"><para role="func_signature">
        <indexterm>
         <primary>ltrim</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <function>ltrim</function> ( <parameter>string</parameter> <type>text</type>
        <optional>, <parameter>characters</parameter> <type>text</type> </optional> )
        <returnvalue>text</returnvalue>
       </para>
       <para>
        Removes the longest string containing only characters in
        <parameter>characters</parameter> (a space by default) from the start of
        <parameter>string</parameter>.
       </para>
       <para>
        <literal>ltrim('zzzytest', 'xyz')</literal>
        <returnvalue>test</returnvalue>
       </para></entry>
      </row>

      <row>
       <entry role="func_table_entry"><para role="func_signature">
        <indexterm id="function-normalize">
         <primary>normalize</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <indexterm>
         <primary>Unicode normalization</primary>
        </indexterm>
        <function>normalize</function> ( <type>text</type>
        <optional>, <parameter>form</parameter> </optional> )
        <returnvalue>text</returnvalue>
       </para>
       <para>
        Converts the string to the specified Unicode
        normalization form.  The optional <parameter>form</parameter> key word
        specifies the form: <literal>NFC</literal>