We created a simple utility class that allows us to treat null and
empty strings the same.:
public class Text
{
public static boolean isBlank (String s) {
return s==null || s.length()==0;
}
public static boolean isSet (String s) {
return !isBlank(s);
}
...
}
So we have these calls peppered through our code. Having both methods
makes the source infintely more readable.
Interestingly, one of the legacy systems we deal with has no NULLABLE
database fields, so our situation is opposite to yours: we had to
convert all nulls to empty strings! To us, the fact that Struts
(actually HTTP, I think) set fields to the empty string was a bonus!
Good luck.
-- Jim
Rick Reumann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes:
> One thing I really don't like is that when I use a form bean in
> struts, if the user doesn't type in anything in a form element text
> box I would like the form bean member to be set to null not set as an
> empty string. If they are empty strings then I'm going to have to
> check them all for being empty strings and set them to null before I
> do any inserts into the database. Is that the normal behavior of how
> form beans work? (my form bean extends ValidatorForm ). If so, how
> have others dealt with this design issue. Do you normally modify your
> form bean set methods to test for and empty string and if so then
> maybe set the field to null? Or do most just check for the empty
> string somewhere later? To me it makes more programming sense to be
> sure the fields are set to null. If you had a text box ask:
> "If you have a brother, type his name: " and the user didn't have a
> brother so he didn't type anything, the form would be populated with
> brotherName = ""; when really it should be null.
>
> Without struts I had to do all these checks manually anyway (ie. if (
> request.getParameter("brotherName") != "" &&
> request.getParameter("brotherName") != null ) bean.setBrotherName(
> request.getParameter("brotherName") ), so I love who struts takes care
> of all of this. Just wondering where most of you deal with setting
> empty strings to null?
>
>
>
> --
>
> Rick
> mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>
> "Once while walking through the mall a guy came up to me and said
> 'Hey, hows it going?'. So I grabbed his arm and twisted it up behind
> his head and said 'Now whose asking the questions?'"
> -Jack Handey
>
>
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--
Jim Crossley
http://www.lads.com/~jim
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