diff --git a/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c b/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
index f33729513a..91d20214e4 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
+++ b/src/backend/utils/error/elog.c
@@ -177,7 +177,6 @@ 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);
@@ -2339,14 +2338,20 @@ setup_formatted_start_time(void)
 }
 
 /*
- * process_log_prefix_padding --- helper function for processing the format
- * string in log_line_prefix
+ * process_padding --- helper function for processing the format string
  *
+ * This converts initial part of the string
+ * and returns the first non-numeric character.
+ * The result of the conversion will be stored to the second argument.
+ *
+ * This function is similar to executing strtol() and isdigit(),
+ * but this is not affected by any locale settings.
+
  * 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)
+const char *
+parse_padding(const char *p, int *ppadding)
 {
 	int			paddingsign = 1;
 	int			padding = 0;
@@ -2427,7 +2432,7 @@ 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
+		 * parse_padding moves p past the padding number if it
 		 * exists.
 		 *
 		 * Note: Since only '-', '0' to '9' are valid formatting characters we
@@ -2441,7 +2446,7 @@ 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 = parse_padding(p, &padding)) == NULL)
 			break;
 
 		/* process the option */
diff --git a/src/include/utils/elog.h b/src/include/utils/elog.h
index f53607e12e..6e95147fb1 100644
--- a/src/include/utils/elog.h
+++ b/src/include/utils/elog.h
@@ -453,4 +453,7 @@ extern void set_syslog_parameters(const char *ident, int facility);
  */
 extern void write_stderr(const char *fmt,...) pg_attribute_printf(1, 2);
 
+/* support function for parsing format-strings */
+extern const char *parse_padding(const char *p, int *ppadding);
+
 #endif							/* ELOG_H */