Re: [Squirrel-sql-develop] Oppinions on data representation?

[Maury H. <mh...@cr...>]

Glenn:

 > wanted to edit it.  This can be done, but it would be simpler to
 > implement and simpler for the user if there was only one representation.
 >  An easy way to do this is to remove the options in the Session
 > Properties and always display the data in the String form.  So my first
 > set of questions are:
 >
 >     - Does anyone prefer to see "<Binary>" in the field instead of the
 > actual data, and if so, why?
 >     - How upset would you be if we removed the options and set it so
 > that you always see the actual data?

I could live with either.  There are times when the information in the BLOB 
column is only useful when viewed with the appropriate tool (i.e. an image 
viewer, etc.) so having the actual data displayed in the column is not very 
useful.  However, if you went with option 2, I could live with it.

Are you looking into the option of viewing/editing binary data by invoking the 
appropriate tool from SQuirreL?  I remember seeing another tool (whose name 
escapes me at the moment) that allowed you to view binary data as an image, 
HTML (i.e. the tool assumes the data is HTML and loads it into a browser), or 
as a String.  It would be nice if we could get something similar only with 
editing capabilities.

 > The second issue is this.  If I am editing a nullable VARCHAR field and
 > I remove all of the characters from the visible display and save it,
 > does that mean:
 >     - set the field to null, or
 >     - put a zero-length string into the table?
 > My suggestion is that when you remove all the characters, that means a
 > zero-length string, and if you hit the delete key again, the field
 > toggles between a zero-length string an a <null>.  Would that work for you?

In 15+ years of building and supporting relational databases, I have yet to 
come across an application where a zero-length string is a useful data value 
(just lucky I guess?).  I would prefer that an empty string be converted to a 
null value.  If you do implement the proposed behaviour, would it be possible 
to have an on/off switch as part of the session properties (i.e. setting the 
option to 'on' would allow zero length strings, setting the option 'off' would 
convert zero length strings to null values).


Maury...

--
Maury Hammel
Cronus Technologies Inc.

http://www.cronustech.com