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#1
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Allow Zero Length String Property - 2000 vs 2003
Hello,
I created a table using MS Access 2003 (Which uses Access 2000 format database), the default value for the attribute, "Allow Zero Length String" has been changed to Yes. Can anyone please verify, why it has been done? Is there any way to change this default. My two cents: For the past 6 years I am used to seeing the default for "Allow Zero Length String" to No. Changing all of a sudden to Yes, broke a whole lot of things. It is extremely frustrating. Why the folks at Microsoft do not get the concept of backward compatibility. Actually, if you look at every other relational database, Null value is what goes into a column, when you try to insert a zero length string. With that in mind, the defaul of No for the attribute made sense. I would appreciate the comments. -- Ash |
#2
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We've asked as well, but I don't believe we ever got an answer. However, I
don't see why changing the default would break anything. You should always be checking all your properties to ensure that they're correct before you start using your tables. -- Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP http://I.Am/DougSteele (no e-mails, please!) "Ash" wrote in message ... Hello, I created a table using MS Access 2003 (Which uses Access 2000 format database), the default value for the attribute, "Allow Zero Length String" has been changed to Yes. Can anyone please verify, why it has been done? Is there any way to change this default. My two cents: For the past 6 years I am used to seeing the default for "Allow Zero Length String" to No. Changing all of a sudden to Yes, broke a whole lot of things. It is extremely frustrating. Why the folks at Microsoft do not get the concept of backward compatibility. Actually, if you look at every other relational database, Null value is what goes into a column, when you try to insert a zero length string. With that in mind, the defaul of No for the attribute made sense. I would appreciate the comments. -- Ash |
#3
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Doug my friend,
I should be checking a lot of things. Why do you think DEFAULT values are there? They are there, so that people don't have to think about them, if they don't have to. You dig? Regards. Ash "Douglas J. Steele" wrote in message ... We've asked as well, but I don't believe we ever got an answer. However, I don't see why changing the default would break anything. You should always be checking all your properties to ensure that they're correct before you start using your tables. -- Doug Steele, Microsoft Access MVP http://I.Am/DougSteele (no e-mails, please!) "Ash" wrote in message ... Hello, I created a table using MS Access 2003 (Which uses Access 2000 format database), the default value for the attribute, "Allow Zero Length String" has been changed to Yes. Can anyone please verify, why it has been done? Is there any way to change this default. My two cents: For the past 6 years I am used to seeing the default for "Allow Zero Length String" to No. Changing all of a sudden to Yes, broke a whole lot of things. It is extremely frustrating. Why the folks at Microsoft do not get the concept of backward compatibility. Actually, if you look at every other relational database, Null value is what goes into a column, when you try to insert a zero length string. With that in mind, the defaul of No for the attribute made sense. I would appreciate the comments. -- Ash |
#4
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I can only assume that it was a misguided attempt to 'protect' inexperienced
users from having to deal with Null values. If so, it was of course doomed to failure, as they will sooner or later have to deal with Null values in numeric or date fields anyway. Are you the same person who posted the 'Allow Zero Length String in MS Access 2002 and 2003' post? If not, be sure to check out that thread if you haven't already done so. -- Brendan Reynolds (MVP) http://brenreyn.blogspot.com The spammers and script-kiddies have succeeded in making it impossible for me to use a real e-mail address in public newsgroups. E-mail replies to this post will be deleted without being read. Any e-mail claiming to be from brenreyn at indigo dot ie that is not digitally signed by me with a GlobalSign digital certificate is a forgery and should be deleted without being read. Follow-up questions should in general be posted to the newsgroup, but if you have a good reason to send me e-mail, you'll find a useable e-mail address at the URL above. "Ash" wrote in message ... Hello, I created a table using MS Access 2003 (Which uses Access 2000 format database), the default value for the attribute, "Allow Zero Length String" has been changed to Yes. Can anyone please verify, why it has been done? Is there any way to change this default. My two cents: For the past 6 years I am used to seeing the default for "Allow Zero Length String" to No. Changing all of a sudden to Yes, broke a whole lot of things. It is extremely frustrating. Why the folks at Microsoft do not get the concept of backward compatibility. Actually, if you look at every other relational database, Null value is what goes into a column, when you try to insert a zero length string. With that in mind, the defaul of No for the attribute made sense. I would appreciate the comments. -- Ash |
#5
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I can only assume that it was a misguided attempt to 'protect'
inexperienced users I'm not sure that I agree. While I understand the arguments for Null in a database, the fact is that Web Interfaces do not do Null. Web Interfaces do empty strings. Coercing Web Interfaces into using Null values is painful, irritating, and misguided. So my first guess would be that it was the push towards Web Interfaces which encouraged MS to set the text property to allow empty strings. To a lesser extent, the same is true of any interface other than the native Access interface, so my second guess would be that it was part of the historical move from an optimised database system to the loose collection of standard parts (office, vba, etc) that is Access today. (david) "Brendan Reynolds" brenreyn at indigo dot ie wrote in message ... I can only assume that it was a misguided attempt to 'protect' inexperienced users from having to deal with Null values. If so, it was of course doomed to failure, as they will sooner or later have to deal with Null values in numeric or date fields anyway. Are you the same person who posted the 'Allow Zero Length String in MS Access 2002 and 2003' post? If not, be sure to check out that thread if you haven't already done so. -- Brendan Reynolds (MVP) http://brenreyn.blogspot.com The spammers and script-kiddies have succeeded in making it impossible for me to use a real e-mail address in public newsgroups. E-mail replies to this post will be deleted without being read. Any e-mail claiming to be from brenreyn at indigo dot ie that is not digitally signed by me with a GlobalSign digital certificate is a forgery and should be deleted without being read. Follow-up questions should in general be posted to the newsgroup, but if you have a good reason to send me e-mail, you'll find a useable e-mail address at the URL above. "Ash" wrote in message ... Hello, I created a table using MS Access 2003 (Which uses Access 2000 format database), the default value for the attribute, "Allow Zero Length String" has been changed to Yes. Can anyone please verify, why it has been done? Is there any way to change this default. My two cents: For the past 6 years I am used to seeing the default for "Allow Zero Length String" to No. Changing all of a sudden to Yes, broke a whole lot of things. It is extremely frustrating. Why the folks at Microsoft do not get the concept of backward compatibility. Actually, if you look at every other relational database, Null value is what goes into a column, when you try to insert a zero length string. With that in mind, the defaul of No for the attribute made sense. I would appreciate the comments. -- Ash |
#6
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Well, if that was the reason, I believe my second point still stands -
changing this property does not solve the problem, as web developers still have to deal with Null values in numeric and date/time fields. -- Brendan Reynolds (MVP) http://brenreyn.blogspot.com The spammers and script-kiddies have succeeded in making it impossible for me to use a real e-mail address in public newsgroups. E-mail replies to this post will be deleted without being read. Any e-mail claiming to be from brenreyn at indigo dot ie that is not digitally signed by me with a GlobalSign digital certificate is a forgery and should be deleted without being read. Follow-up questions should in general be posted to the newsgroup, but if you have a good reason to send me e-mail, you'll find a useable e-mail address at the URL above. "david epsom dot com dot au" david@epsomdotcomdotau wrote in message ... I can only assume that it was a misguided attempt to 'protect' inexperienced users I'm not sure that I agree. While I understand the arguments for Null in a database, the fact is that Web Interfaces do not do Null. Web Interfaces do empty strings. Coercing Web Interfaces into using Null values is painful, irritating, and misguided. So my first guess would be that it was the push towards Web Interfaces which encouraged MS to set the text property to allow empty strings. To a lesser extent, the same is true of any interface other than the native Access interface, so my second guess would be that it was part of the historical move from an optimised database system to the loose collection of standard parts (office, vba, etc) that is Access today. (david) "Brendan Reynolds" brenreyn at indigo dot ie wrote in message ... I can only assume that it was a misguided attempt to 'protect' inexperienced users from having to deal with Null values. If so, it was of course doomed to failure, as they will sooner or later have to deal with Null values in numeric or date fields anyway. Are you the same person who posted the 'Allow Zero Length String in MS Access 2002 and 2003' post? If not, be sure to check out that thread if you haven't already done so. -- Brendan Reynolds (MVP) http://brenreyn.blogspot.com The spammers and script-kiddies have succeeded in making it impossible for me to use a real e-mail address in public newsgroups. E-mail replies to this post will be deleted without being read. Any e-mail claiming to be from brenreyn at indigo dot ie that is not digitally signed by me with a GlobalSign digital certificate is a forgery and should be deleted without being read. Follow-up questions should in general be posted to the newsgroup, but if you have a good reason to send me e-mail, you'll find a useable e-mail address at the URL above. "Ash" wrote in message ... Hello, I created a table using MS Access 2003 (Which uses Access 2000 format database), the default value for the attribute, "Allow Zero Length String" has been changed to Yes. Can anyone please verify, why it has been done? Is there any way to change this default. My two cents: For the past 6 years I am used to seeing the default for "Allow Zero Length String" to No. Changing all of a sudden to Yes, broke a whole lot of things. It is extremely frustrating. Why the folks at Microsoft do not get the concept of backward compatibility. Actually, if you look at every other relational database, Null value is what goes into a column, when you try to insert a zero length string. With that in mind, the defaul of No for the attribute made sense. I would appreciate the comments. -- Ash |
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