diff --git a/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c b/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
index a3e1c59a82..d4b3350912 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@
 #include "utils/guc.h"
 #include "utils/memutils.h"
 #include "utils/ps_status.h"
+#include "common/string.h"
 
 
 /* In this module, access gettext() via err_gettext() */
@@ -177,7 +178,6 @@ static void set_errdata_field(MemoryContextData *cxt, char **ptr, const char *st
 static void write_console(const char *line, int len);
 static void setup_formatted_log_time(void);
 static void setup_formatted_start_time(void);
-static const char *process_log_prefix_padding(const char *p, int *padding);
 static void log_line_prefix(StringInfo buf, ErrorData *edata);
 static void write_csvlog(ErrorData *edata);
 static void send_message_to_server_log(ErrorData *edata);
@@ -2338,41 +2338,6 @@ setup_formatted_start_time(void)
 				pg_localtime(&stamp_time, log_timezone));
 }
 
-/*
- * process_log_prefix_padding --- helper function for processing the format
- * string in log_line_prefix
- *
- * Note: This function returns NULL if it finds something which
- * it deems invalid in the format string.
- */
-static const char *
-process_log_prefix_padding(const char *p, int *ppadding)
-{
-	int			paddingsign = 1;
-	int			padding = 0;
-
-	if (*p == '-')
-	{
-		p++;
-
-		if (*p == '\0')			/* Did the buf end in %- ? */
-			return NULL;
-		paddingsign = -1;
-	}
-
-	/* generate an int version of the numerical string */
-	while (*p >= '0' && *p <= '9')
-		padding = padding * 10 + (*p++ - '0');
-
-	/* format is invalid if it ends with the padding number */
-	if (*p == '\0')
-		return NULL;
-
-	padding *= paddingsign;
-	*ppadding = padding;
-	return p;
-}
-
 /*
  * Format tag info for log lines; append to the provided buffer.
  */
@@ -2427,7 +2392,7 @@ log_line_prefix(StringInfo buf, ErrorData *edata)
 
 		/*
 		 * Process any formatting which may exist after the '%'.  Note that
-		 * process_log_prefix_padding moves p past the padding number if it
+		 * process_padding moves p past the padding number if it
 		 * exists.
 		 *
 		 * Note: Since only '-', '0' to '9' are valid formatting characters we
@@ -2441,7 +2406,7 @@ log_line_prefix(StringInfo buf, ErrorData *edata)
 		 */
 		if (*p > '9')
 			padding = 0;
-		else if ((p = process_log_prefix_padding(p, &padding)) == NULL)
+		else if ((p = process_padding(p, &padding)) == NULL)
 			break;
 
 		/* process the option */
diff --git a/src/common/string.c b/src/common/string.c
index 3aa378c051..ea5d4e87bc 100644
--- a/src/common/string.c
+++ b/src/common/string.c
@@ -107,6 +107,40 @@ pg_is_ascii(const char *str)
 	return true;
 }
 
+/*
+ * process_padding --- helper function for processing the format
+ * string
+ *
+ * Note: This function returns NULL if it finds something which
+ * it deems invalid in the format string.
+ */
+const char *
+process_padding(const char *p, int *ppadding)
+{
+	int			paddingsign = 1;
+	int			padding = 0;
+
+	if (*p == '-')
+	{
+		p++;
+
+		if (*p == '\0')			/* Did the buf end in %- ? */
+			return NULL;
+		paddingsign = -1;
+	}
+
+	/* generate an int version of the numerical string */
+	while (*p >= '0' && *p <= '9')
+		padding = padding * 10 + (*p++ - '0');
+
+	/* format is invalid if it ends with the padding number */
+	if (*p == '\0')
+		return NULL;
+
+	padding *= paddingsign;
+	*ppadding = padding;
+	return p;
+}
 
 /*
  * pg_strip_crlf -- Remove any trailing newline and carriage return
diff --git a/src/include/common/string.h b/src/include/common/string.h
index 686c158efe..1f14e3124f 100644
--- a/src/include/common/string.h
+++ b/src/include/common/string.h
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ extern int	strtoint(const char *pg_restrict str, char **pg_restrict endptr,
 extern void pg_clean_ascii(char *str);
 extern int	pg_strip_crlf(char *str);
 extern bool pg_is_ascii(const char *str);
+extern const char* process_padding(const char *p, int *ppadding);
 
 /* functions in src/common/pg_get_line.c */
 extern char *pg_get_line(FILE *stream);