The padEnd() method in JavaScript is used to pad the current string with another string (the padString) until the resulting string reaches the specified length (targetLength). This method is useful for ensuring that strings have a consistent length, which can be helpful in formatting output.

Syntax:

string.padEnd(targetLength, padString)

• targetLength: The desired length of the resulting string after padding. If the length of the original string is greater than or equal to this value, the method returns the original string unchanged.
• padString (optional): The string to pad the current string with. If this parameter is not provided, the default value is a space character (' '). The padString will be truncated if its length exceeds the remaining space required to reach the targetLength.

Return Value:

• Returns a new string that is the original string padded on the right side with the padString until it reaches the targetLength.

Example 1: Basic Usage

let str = "Hello";
let paddedStr = str.padEnd(10, "!");

console.log(paddedStr); // "Hello!!!!!"

In this example, the string "Hello" is padded with exclamation marks (!) until it reaches a total length of 10 characters.

Example 2: Default Padding with Spaces

If you do not provide a padString, the method will use a space as the default padding character.

let str = "Hello";
let paddedStr = str.padEnd(10);

console.log(paddedStr); // "Hello     "

Here, the string is padded with spaces.

Example 3: Padding with a Longer String

If the padString is longer than the required padding, it will be truncated to fit the remaining space.

let str = "Hi";
let paddedStr = str.padEnd(10, "abc");

console.log(paddedStr); // "Hiabcabcab"

In this case, since "abc" has a length of 3 and we need 8 more characters, it gets repeated to fill the remaining length.

Example 4: Target Length Less Than Original Length

If the original string is longer than the specified targetLength, padEnd() returns the original string unchanged.

let str = "Hello, World!";
let paddedStr = str.padEnd(10, "!");

console.log(paddedStr); // "Hello, World!"

Here, the original string has a length of 13, so it remains unchanged.

Example 5: Practical Use Case (Formatting Output)

You can use padEnd() for formatting tabular data or aligning text in output.

let items = [
    { name: "Apple", price: "1.20" },
    { name: "Banana", price: "0.80" },
    { name: "Cherry", price: "2.50" },
];

items.forEach(item => {
    console.log(item.name.padEnd(10) + item.price);
});

Output:

Apple     1.20
Banana    0.80
Cherry    2.50

In this example, the names are padded to a consistent length, making the output easier to read.

Summary:

• The padEnd() method is used to pad the end of a string with a specified string until it reaches a given length.
• It takes two parameters: targetLength (the desired length) and padString (the string to pad with).
• If the original string is longer than targetLength, it remains unchanged.
• This method is useful for formatting strings, especially for creating aligned output in console applications or text displays.