SQL*Plus: Format column width to display a column at a specified length

Lets say that you have a FRUIT table with the following schema.

Name                      Type
-----------------         ---------------------------
NAME                      VARCHAR2(100)
PRICE                       NUMBER
DESC                        VARCHAR2(100)

Since most of the names of your fruits are far more less than 100 characters, there is a big empty space after each name in your query result, and you want to reduce that.

SQL> COLUMN Name FORMAT A50
SQL> select * from FRUITS;

This will reduce the Name column in your query result to 50 characters. Any name longer than 50 characters is truncated.

Reference:
1. Formatting SQL*Plus Reports

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