Helen

> >
> >Should fields be trimmed by default?
> >
> >I would have thought that the data should not be interfered with

as a

> >default and the trimming should be there as an extra facility?

What

> >do folks think?
>
>
> Yes! Otherwise char and varchar columns will clog the buffers with

the

> padding blanks with which these columns arrive at the client. It's

not

> "interfering with data", it's fixing a bad feature.
>

I'm not sure how the BDE works with normal char() and varchar()
columns. But both Chars and Varchars are returned the length of the
data, without any superfluous spaces added by the database and
without removing any spaces added by the user.

Seems to me a much more logical result.

> In this minor case where blank is stored as a value (why????)

probably we

> can have a "no right trimming" column attribute available for

optional use.

>

It's already there - I'm just questioning the default.

> To me, storing a blank rather than empty string in a blank non-null

column

> doesn't make sense at all. Likewise with "meaningful" trailing
> blanks. To change the behaviour of all datasets to fit in with

someone's

> bad data design doesn't seem at all an attractive idea.
>
> Helen
>

Why is storing a space in a char(1) bad design. Surely I'm entitled
to store and retrieve any ascii character?

Regards
Paul