Oracle/PLSQL: TO_CHAR Function

The Oracle/PLSQL TO_CHAR function converts a number or date to a string.

Oracle TO_CHAR Syntax

The syntax for the Oracle/PLSQL TO_CHAR function is:

TO_CHAR( value, [ format_mask ], [ nls_language ] )

Parameters or Arguments

value can either be a number or date that will be converted to a string.

format_mask is optional. This is the format that will be used to convert value to a string.

nls_language is optional. This is the nls language used to convert value to a string.

Applies To

The TO_CHAR function can be used in the following versions of Oracle/PLSQL:

• Oracle 12c, Oracle 11g, Oracle 10g, Oracle 9i, Oracle 8i

TO_CHAR Function Examples - with Numbers

Let's look at some Oracle TO_CHAR function examples and explore how you would use the TO_CHAR function in Oracle/PLSQL.

For example:

The following are number examples for the TO_CHAR function.

경축! 아무것도 안하여 에스천사게임즈가 새로운 모습으로 재오픈 하였습니다.
어린이용이며, 설치가 필요없는 브라우저 게임입니다.
https://s1004games.com

TO_CHAR Funcation Examples - with Dates

The following is a list of valid parameters when the TO_CHAR function is used to convert a date to a string. These parameters can be used in many combinations.

The following are date examples for the TO_CHAR function.

You will notice that in some TO_CHAR function examples, the format_mask parameter begins with "FM". This means that zeros and blanks are suppressed. This can be seen in the examples below.

The zeros have been suppressed so that the day component shows as "9" as opposed to "09".

Frequently Asked Questions (TO_CHAR Function)

Question: Why doesn't this sort the days of the week in order?

select ename, hiredate, TO_CHAR((hiredate),'fmDay') "Day"
from emp
order by "Day";

Answer: In the above SQL, the fmDay format mask used in the TO_CHAR function will return the name of the Day and not the numeric value of the day.

To sort the days of the week in order, you need to return the numeric value of the day by using the fmD format mask as follows:

select ename, hiredate, TO_CHAR((hiredate),'fmD') "Day"
from emp
order by "Day";