Best way to represent 3-State Condition?

[r937]

@felgall

Not setting a value in the SQL call is the only way to get an SQL NULL in the database.

not quite so

you can use the SQL keyword NULL

see post #17, “two ways to do it”

[DoubleDee]

Off Topic:

@felgall

PHP NULL and SQL NULL have less in common than HAM and HAMSTER

When roasted slowly with some pineapple glaze they can both be quite tasty!!

Debbie
:angel6:

[arout77]

@r937

not quite so

you can use the SQL keyword NULL

see post #17, “two ways to do it”

Actually there’s a third option as well, which is to use:

$var = null;
$stmt->bindParam(':v1', $var, PDO::PARAM_NULL);

but I didn’t want to assume she’s using PDO; besides, the other ways just look simpler to write out

[DoubleDee]

@arout77

But the easiest way to do it is to just set the column up to have the default value as NULL, and then simply omit it from the query.

This is the way I chose, and I think the best IMO.

Sincerely,

Debbie

[arout77]

Debbie I’m not going to comment on you eating hamsters lol…that thought should have been null

[arout77]

@felgall

NULL in PHP has nothing in common with NULL in SQL - they have completely different meanings.

What a PHP NULL would get converted to on being inserted into the database would depend on the field type - as it is a value and not the absence of a value the only SQL value you can be certain it will not be converted to is NULL.

Not setting a value in the SQL call is the only way to get an SQL NULL in the database.

PHP NULL and SQL NULL have less in common than HAM and HAMSTER

You are very correct that PHP and SQL’s nulls are totally different. I should have been more articulate about what I was saying previously, and how setting variables to null and inserting with PDO works.

[arout77]

@felgall

NULL in PHP has nothing in common with NULL in SQL - they have completely different meanings.

What a PHP NULL would get converted to on being inserted into the database would depend on the field type - as it is a value and not the absence of a value the only SQL value you can be certain it will not be converted to is NULL.

Not setting a value in the SQL call is the only way to get an SQL NULL in the database.

PHP NULL and SQL NULL have less in common than HAM and HAMSTER

You are very correct that PHP and SQL’s nulls are totally different. I should have been more articulate about what I was saying previously, and how setting variables to null and inserting with PDO works.

[DoubleDee]

@arout77

Debbie I’m not going to comment on you eating hamsters lol…that thought should have been null

Ever see those slowly roasted, whole ducks in Chinatown?

Well, you can do wonders with a nice young hamster…

Debbie

P.S. j/k PETA folks!!

[felgall]

@r937

you can use the SQL keyword NULL

Agreed.

I was so busy thinking about how a PHP NULL will not work I forgot about specifying it in the SQL.

What I should have said is that it is the only one of the two ways suggested.