Let us take a closer look at the MySQL concat_ws and its usage. At Bobcares our MySQL support services will give you a detailed overview of its functionality and usage in MySQL.

Concat_ws in MySQL

CONCAT_WS(separator,str1,str2,...) The concat_ws in MySQL refers to Concatenate With Separator. It is a specialized form of CONCAT() in MySQL. The first argument acts as the separator for the other arguments. When concatenating strings, put the separator between them.

The separator, like the rest of the inputs, can be a string. If the separator is NULL, the outcome is NULL.

Refer to the example given below to get a clear picture of its function.

mysql> SELECT CONCAT_WS(',','First name','Second name','Last Name'); - 'First name,Second name,Last Name' mysql SELECT CONCAT_WS(',','First name',NULL,'Last Name'); - 'First name,Last Name'

As shown above the CONCAT_WS() method won’t skip the empty strings. It does, however, disregard any NULL values after the separator parameter.

In short, the MySQL CONCAT_WS() method can concatenate two or more strings separated by a separator. The term WS in MySQL CONCAT_WS() stands for WITH SEPARATOR. The CONCAT_WS() function acts as the concatenation function with a separator.

Syntax

CONCAT_WS(Separator, String1,String2,…,StringN)

The parameters to the MySQL CONCAT_WS functions are Separator. The strings can concatenate as a single string with that separator.

Except for numeric values, it is mandatory to include separators between the quotes. For example, refer below;

Example

mysql> SELECT CONCAT_WS(' ','New', 'World'); | CONCAT_WS(' ','New', 'World') | | New World |
1 row in set (0.00 sec)

In the above example, we can see that the string’ that is the white space acts as a separator and is put between two strings (New and World) that must be concatenated.

mysql> SELECT CONCAT_WS(' is our ','World','Home'); | CONCAT_WS(' is our ','New','Home') | | World is our Home | 1 row in set (0.00 sec)

In the above example, we can see that the string’is our’functions as a separator and is put between two strings, World and Home, which are set concatenate. This is how we can use and manage the Concat_ws argument.

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Conclusion

To sum up, MySQL Concat_ws is an argument function that serves as a separator between other arguments. It concatenates (or combines) a configurable number of string inputs into a single string.