Zero Padding

For example, if you represent 123 in 5 digits, it becomes ‘00123’. When zero-padding a signed number, care must be taken not to add ‘0’ before the sign.

The opposite of zero padding, the process of removing extra zeros, is called zero suppression.

Examples of Zero Padding

Aligning the digits of the file name so that it can be sorted in the correct order when sorted by name
For example, align the digits of file names like ‘file1.txt’, ‘file2.txt’, ‘file10.txt’ to ‘file01.txt’, ‘file02.txt’, ‘file10.txt’.
Representing data in fixed length and eliminating the need for delimiters between items
Comma-separated, variable-length, CSV data
```
123,456,789
```
5-digit fixed-length data
```
001230045600789
```
Aligning customer IDs and product codes to a certain number of digits to facilitate management.
Customer IDs and product codes are often managed in a certain number of digits, and by aligning the number of digits with zero padding, data search and operation become easier.

Related Terms

Zero Suppress
The process of removing extra zeros from a string representing a number. It is also called zero suppression when zeros are replaced with spaces instead of being removed.