integers in MYSQL

fumanshu

I have an integer field in a MYSQL db table :

(...
dates_from int(11) NOT NULL default '0',
dates_to int(11) default NULL,
...)

It is supposed to represent the dates an artist was active from and to. Some are still active so wanted to allow a null entry for dates_to.

As part of a CMS, I have an data entry form. If I leave the above field blank and then try to view it it shows a '0' instead of a blank. Does anyone know a way round this (apart from using a using a function to replace the '0') ??

Any help would be great.

barand

I have always found that using the 'date' field type for dates saves a lot hassle.

jpmoriarty

why not just have a field called "still_active" and put either a 1 or a 0 in it - then if it's =0 you can lookup the date_to field, otherwise you can just not bother.

fumanshu

just need the year though - and using the 'year' data-type only allows going back to 1970....

lordalgae

The DATE data type in mysql allows pretty much any A.D. date after 1000. I'm using version 3.23.51

"The DATE type is used when you need only a date value, without a time part. MySQL retrieves and displays DATE values in 'YYYY-MM-DD' format. The supported range is '1000-01-01' to '9999-12-31'".

cheers