Microsoft rejects Visual Studio delay request

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Reason: database applications

The main reason for nullable types is for database applications. Currently, if you try to extract a null value from a data field into a variable, you always get an exception. This is especially inconvenient when dealing with a feature that's been in .Net since 1.0, called strongly typed datasets. In these, you typically extract multiple rows of data from a database, and I've found that dealing with null values with datasets can be unwieldy. You can get rows back fine that contain null values, but it's difficult to assign null values back into them.

I think what they're trying to do is lessen the amount of translation that currently goes on between your business logic and your data access code. You know, in your business logic you use variables like int, DateTime, string, etc., which must be assigned a value (except for string), and in the database realm you have values that have type integer, varchar, and datetime, etc., all of which are nullable. So if you can have nullable types in with your business logic, there's less translation needed between the two.

Doesn't mean anyone has to use them. The same old int, string, etc. variables will still be there if you want them.

Posted by: Mark Miller   Posted on: 08/18/05 You are currently: a Guest | Members login | Terms of Use

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