TRIM/TRIMB/TRIMF Functions

Removes blank spaces or another specified character from a string.

Syntax

TRIM(string{, removeChar{, type}})

TRIMB(string)

TRIMF(string)

string An expression that evaluates to the string to be trimmed.

removeChar The character to be removed from the string. The default, if the removeChar parameter is omitted, is a space.

Only the first character in removeChar is significant; subsequent characters are ignored.
If removeChar is an empty string, string is returned unchanged.

type A string containing one of the following characters (the default is "R".):

L Removes all leading occurrences of removeChar.

T Removes all trailing occurrences of removeChar.

B Removes both leading and trailing occurrences of removeChar.

A Removes all occurrences of removeChar.

R Removes leading and trailing occurrences of removeChar and replaces multiple consecutive occurrences with a single character.

Only the first character in type is significant; subsequent characters are ignored.

Note: If string comprises removeChar only, the TRIM function trims to a null string.

For example:

X = "AAAA"
Y = TRIM(X, "A", "R")

Assigns ' ' to variable Y.

The TRIMB and TRIMF functions are shorthand forms of the TRIM function:

TRIMB(string) removes any trailing spaces from string – equivalent to TRIM(string, " ", "T").

TRIMF(string) removes any leading spaces from string – equivalent to TRIM(string, " ", "L").

NEW.STR = TRIM(OLD.STR, CHAR(254), 'T')

Removes all trailing attribute marks from OLD.STR and assigns the new string to NEW.STR.

X = "@@@BB@@@CC@@@"
Y = TRIM(X, "@")
PRINT Y

Removes leading and trailing occurrences of "#" and replaces multiple consecutive occurrences with a single character; prints the string BB@CC.

STR1 = "1230010029911"
X = TRIM(STR1, "1", 'A')
PRINT X

Removes all occurrences of the number 1 and prints the string 230000299.