| (programming) | Procrustean string - A fixed-length string. If a string value is
too long for the allocated space, it is truncated to fit; and
if it is shorter, the empty space is padded, usually with
space characters. This is an allusion to Procrustes, a legendary robber of ancient Attica. He bound his victims to a bed, and if they were shorter than the bed, he stretched their limbs until they would fit; if their limbs were longer, he lopped them off. |