Ann W. Harrison wrote:

> Think a minute people! You shouldn't be using CHAR for variable
> length data. If your data is fixed length, use CHAR - and know
> what length you expect. If your data is variable, use VARCHAR.
> That's what the VAR stands for.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Ann
>

What prevents me to create a tool that expects char or varchar fields
and write it centered on a fixed 80 col terminal ?

I could not know the length of a char field on a database not created by
me, and even on that created by me, I could change the size at any given
moment.

If the developers say:
You must do a secondary call to know the charset and calculate the
maximum buffer size, that's fine, but it does not make it a good
solution. Right know it's the only possible solution, even it's not a
good one.

see you !

--
Alexandre Benson Smith
Development
THOR Software e Comercial Ltda
Santo Andre - Sao Paulo - Brazil
www.thorsoftware.com.br