Home » U++ Library support » U++ SQL » Store empty string to database
| Store empty string to database [message #37581] |
Sat, 20 October 2012 16:29  |
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Hi everyone!
Is it possible to differentiate between empty string and NULL in a database? As far as I can tell, storing "", e.g. in Insert(), always results to NULL being inserted. I believe it is because in U++ empty string is considered to be Null.
Is there some workaround to this? I can easily imagine cases where one needs to differentiate between NULL and "" in databases. So far I only came up with ugly solution of forcing the literal value of "''" into SqlVal instead of "", but that is not very nice solution (and by that I mean it is basically a hack  ).
Also, the same problem might arise in the Core itself. That is actually the reason why there is String::IsVoid(). So, wouldn't it be more logical to store Null in String as the "void state"? Or at least behave like this in the Sql layer, but then it would be kind of inconsistent behavior which is not very good either...
Best regards,
Honza
[Updated on: Sat, 20 October 2012 16:29] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Store empty string to database [message #37583 is a reply to message #37581] |
Sat, 20 October 2012 17:55  |
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Out of curiosity, I tried to alter String(const Nuller&) and IsNull(const String&) and compile TheIDE. It compiles well (not surprising ) and it even mostly runs (very surprising  ). There are some artifacts caused by improper use of not-any-more-interchangeable calls to IsEmpty and IsNull, but most of the application somehow works. The most broken parts of U++ (with this patch) are not surprisingly CParser, CodeEditor and other classes heavily dealing with strings. I was expecting it to be much worse Maybe there is hope to make the switch and start using void as null 
Honza
PS: The patch (for other curios people ) :
--- upp-production/uppsrc/Core/String.h (revision 5441)
+++ upp-production/uppsrc/Core/String.h (working copy)
@@ -341,7 +341,7 @@
int GetCharCount() const;
String() { Zero(); }
- String(const Nuller&) { Zero(); }
+ String(const Nuller&) { ptr = (char *)(voidptr + 1); LLen() = 0; SLen() = 15; chr[KIND] = 50; }
String(const String& s) { String0::Set(s); }
String(const char *s);
String(const String& s, int n) { ASSERT(n >= 0 && n <= s.GetLength()); String0::Set(~s, n); }
@@ -495,7 +495,7 @@
}
template<>
-inline bool IsNull(const String& s) { return s.IsEmpty(); }
+inline bool IsNull(const String& s) { return s.IsVoid(); }
template<>
inline String AsString(const String& s) { return s; }[Updated on: Sat, 20 October 2012 18:25] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Store empty string to database [message #37584 is a reply to message #37581] |
Sat, 20 October 2012 18:17 |
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mirek
Messages: 13975
Registered: November 2005
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Ultimate Member |
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| dolik.rce wrote on Sat, 20 October 2012 10:29 |
Hi everyone!
Is it possible to differentiate between empty string and NULL in a database? As far as I can tell, storing "", e.g. in Insert(), always results to NULL being inserted. I believe it is because in U++ empty string is considered to be Null.
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Correct. This is long running issue. Originaly, U++ inherited this from Oracle. In around 2001, we have shortly experimented with !IsNull(String()), but we have found this causing even more problem (e.g. for integer values, it is logical that "empty" EditInt yields Null. So it is sort of expected that empty EditString is Null). So we have reverted and restored IsNull(String()) behaviour.
| Quote: |
Is there some workaround to this? I can easily imagine cases where one needs to differentiate between NULL and "" in databases.
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At this moment, no. In the past, we tried String::GetZero() as special value representing empty string in DB... Never got actually used and supported in Sql, so was removed. If we are about to restore something like this, I think it should go along this line (e.g. SqlEmptyString() and IsSqlEmptyString()).
Mirek
Mirek
[Updated on: Sat, 20 October 2012 18:18] Report message to a moderator |
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| Re: Store empty string to database [message #37585 is a reply to message #37584] |
Sat, 20 October 2012 22:51 |
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| mirek wrote on Sat, 20 October 2012 18:17 |
| Quote: |
Is there some workaround to this? I can easily imagine cases where one needs to differentiate between NULL and "" in databases.
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At this moment, no. In the past, we tried String::GetZero() as special value representing empty string in DB... Never got actually used and supported in Sql, so was removed. If we are about to restore something like this, I think it should go along this line (e.g. SqlEmptyString() and IsSqlEmptyString()).
Mirek
Mirek
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Ok, for now I will use this: SqlVal SqlEmptyString(){
static SqlVal s("''",SqlS::HIGH);
return s;
}
// which can be used as
sql * Insert(TBL)(SOMECOL, str.IsEmpty()?SqlEmptyString():str)
Honza
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