hibernate/hibernate-orm · error · ParsingException

Unrecognized trim specification

Error message

Unrecognized trim specification

What it means

Error "Unrecognized trim specification" thrown in hibernate/hibernate-orm.

Source

Thrown at hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/query/hql/internal/SemanticQueryBuilder.java:5548

				null,
				queryEngine()
		);
	}

	@Override
	public SqmTrimSpecification visitTrimSpecification(HqlParser.TrimSpecificationContext ctx) {
		// JPA says the default is BOTH
		final var trimSpec = ctx != null ? trimSpec( ctx ) : TrimSpec.BOTH;
		return new SqmTrimSpecification( trimSpec, nodeBuilder() );
	}

	private static TrimSpec trimSpec(HqlParser.TrimSpecificationContext ctx) {
		final var symbol = ((TerminalNode) ctx.getChild( 0 )).getSymbol();
		return switch ( symbol.getType() ) {
			case HqlParser.LEADING -> TrimSpec.LEADING;
			case HqlParser.TRAILING -> TrimSpec.TRAILING;
			case HqlParser.BOTH -> TrimSpec.BOTH;
			default -> throw new ParsingException( "Unrecognized trim specification" );
		};
	}

	@Override
	public SqmExpression<Character> visitTrimCharacter(HqlParser.TrimCharacterContext ctx) {
		final String trimCharText;
		if ( ctx == null ) {
			// JPA says space is the default
			trimCharText = " ";
		}
		else {
			final var parameter = ctx.parameter();
			if ( parameter != null ) {
				//noinspection unchecked
				return (SqmExpression<Character>) parameter.accept( this );
			}
			else {
				trimCharText = unquoteStringLiteral( ctx.getText() );

View on GitHub (pinned to fad1729dce)

Solutions

1. The trim specification is not recognized. Use LEADING, TRAILING, or BOTH in the trim() function.

When it happens

Trigger: An invalid keyword/field is used in a datetime, pad, or trim expression: Unrecognized trim specification

Common situations: HQL queries using extract(), pad(), or trim() with a field/specification keyword that is not one of the documented values.

AI-assisted analysis of hibernate/hibernate-orm@fad1729dce (2026-08-22). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c4bfeb85a3e0b440. Report an issue: GitHub.