> -----Original Message-----
> From: Andrew Ballard [mailto:aball...@gmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, January 27, 2009 11:39 AM
> To: revDAVE
> Cc: php-general@lists.php.net
> Subject: Re: [PHP] Global Changes With Loop To Allow Nulls In A
> Table...
> 
> On Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 11:53 AM, revDAVE <c...@hosting4days.com>
> wrote:
> > Hi Folks,
> >
> > Newbie question....
> >
> > I have a mysql table with 100 fields, currently all do not allow
> nulls.
> > Rather than hand typing in phpMyAdmin, I would like a way to loop
> through
> > all fields and update them to allow nulls....
> >
> > My Beginning attempt needs help...
> >
> >
> > $i = 1;
> > while ($i <= 100):
> >
> > // how do I word this to just change whatever field we are on to
> allow
> > nulls?
> >
> > $sql = 'ALTER TABLE `mytable` ?*update*?
> `'.$???WhatEverField??[$i].'`
> > ?ALLOWNULL?;';
> >
> > //mysql_query($sql);
> >
> > $result = mysql_query($sql) or die("<br /><br /> Could not renumber
> dB $sql
> > <br /><br />" . mysql_error());
> >
> >
> >    $i++;
> > endwhile;
> 
> 
> The other responses should get you started if this is something you
> really want to do. However, I'll play devil's advocate here and just
> raise the question why you would want to make this change in the first
> place. I'm not quite as anti-NULL as a lot of arguments I've read
> against them, but I tend to agree that the number of columns that
> accept NULL values should be kept as small as possible. Even if you
> decide that you need to allow NULL values in some cases, IMHO I
> wouldn't write a script that ran through my entire database and opened
> every column in every table to accept.

I just thought I'd throw this out there...

A lot of people who post questions on this list are programming their 
algorithms and structuring their applications in a certain way because that's 
what the client wants, or that's what their boss told them to do. Yes, 
accepting NULL values in a database is frowned upon (unless the table is a 
transaction table)... but I doubt his boss or his client cares in the least.

My 2 cents. ;)


// Todd

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