Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/text-html-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/text-html-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.82 -r1.83
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/text-html-procs.tcl	11 Jun 2018 09:14:55 -0000	1.82
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/text-html-procs.tcl	28 Jun 2018 15:32:37 -0000	1.83
@@ -2342,6 +2342,48 @@
     return $string
 }
 
+ad_proc -public ad_pad {
+    -left:boolean
+    -right:boolean
+    string
+    length
+    padstring
+} {
+    Tcl implementation of the pad string function found in many DBMSs.<br>    
+    One of the directional flags -left or -right must be specified and
+    will dictate whether this will be a lpad or a rpad.
+
+    @param left text will be appended left of the original string.
+    @param right text will be appended right of the original string.
+
+    @arg string String to be padded.
+    
+    @arg length length this string will be after padding. If string
+                this long or longer, will be truncated.
+    
+    @arg padstring string that will be repeated until length of
+    supplied string is equal or greather than length.
+
+    @return padded string
+} {
+    if {!($left_p ^ $right_p)} {
+        error "Please specifiy a single flag -left or -right"
+    }
+    
+    set slength [string length $string]
+    set padlength [string length $padstring]
+    set repetitions [expr {int(($length - $slength) / $padlength) + 1}]
+    set appended [string repeat $padstring $repetitions]
+    
+    if {$left_p} {
+        set string [string range $appended$string end-[expr {$length - 1}] end]
+    } else {
+        set string [string range $string$appended 0 [expr {$length - 1}]]
+    }
+
+    return $string
+}
+
 # Local variables:
 #    mode: tcl
 #    tcl-indent-level: 4
Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/test/text-html-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/test/text-html-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.3 -r1.4
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/test/text-html-procs.tcl	15 Mar 2018 12:33:05 -0000	1.3
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/test/text-html-procs.tcl	28 Jun 2018 15:32:37 -0000	1.4
@@ -201,13 +201,50 @@
                      -allowed_protocols * \
                      -no_outer_urls \
                      -validate]
-    aa_true "$msg with validate?" $valid_p    
+    aa_true "$msg with validate?" $valid_p
     aa_false $msg? [regexp {<([a-z]\w*)\s+[^>]*(href|src|content|action)="(http|https|//):.*"[^>]*>} $result]
 
 }
 
+aa_register_case -cats {api smoke} ad_pad {
 
+    Test if it ad_pad is working as expected
 
+} {
+    
+    aa_log " ------------ Testing left pad ------------ "
+
+    set string [ad_generate_random_string]
+    set length [expr {int(rand()*1000)}]
+    set padstring [ad_generate_random_string]
+
+    aa_log " - string: $string"
+    aa_log " - length: $length"
+    aa_log " - padstring: $padstring"
+    
+    set result [ad_pad -left $string $length $padstring]
+
+    aa_true " - Result is exactly $length long " {[string length $result] == $length}
+    aa_true " - String is at right end " [regexp "^.*${string}\$" $result]
+
+    aa_log " ------------ Testing right pad ------------ "
+
+    set string [ad_generate_random_string]
+    set length [expr {int(rand()*1000)}]
+    set padstring [ad_generate_random_string]
+
+    aa_log " - string: $string"
+    aa_log " - length: $length"
+    aa_log " - padstring: $padstring"
+    
+    set result [ad_pad -right $string $length $padstring]
+
+    aa_true " - Result is exactly $length long " {[string length $result] == $length}
+    aa_true " - String is at left end " [regexp "^${string}.*\$" $result]
+    
+}
+
+
 # Local variables:
 #    mode: tcl
 #    tcl-indent-level: 4