Design issue: Handling null datetimes from legacy databases.

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I'm writing a demo website in VB/Dot Net 2.0. The database is SQL 2000 and
the design is at least partially legacy. (And this is the first real web
work I've done in 2.0. All previous work was in 1.1) It is my intent to
stay as close to defaults as possible: i.e. using the most generic techniques
possible with as little coding as possible.

My existing database table has some datetime field values that are null. I
have a page with a detailsview bound to a record in that table. The
datetime fields on my webpage are templates. The read-only screen has no
problem displaying the record, but when I hit the Edit link, the page crashes
with the message: 'Conversion from type 'DBNull' to type 'Date' is not
valid.' So far I have not been able to intercept this in VB code.

Apparently it is useless to set the field's xsd default property to
something like '1/1/1900' or '1/1/1753'. I still get the crash. Also I
cannot set the NullValue property to anything other than (Throw Exception)
when the field is a datetime.

I'm getting the impression from my reading that the best approach is to not
permit null datetimes in the first place and that I should simply revise the
database table.

Suggestions?

[sloan]

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q...+nullable+C%23

http://www.c-sharpcorner.com/UploadF...abletypes.aspx
You can google search "nullable datetime" and find some stuff.

The second URL above is one I picked.
Luckily, you are at using (at least) 2.0.

.........


"B. Chernick" <BC*******@discussions.microsoft.comwrote in message
news:18**********************************@microsof t.com...

I'm writing a demo website in VB/Dot Net 2.0. The database is SQL 2000
and
the design is at least partially legacy. (And this is the first real web
work I've done in 2.0. All previous work was in 1.1) It is my intent to
stay as close to defaults as possible: i.e. using the most generic
techniques
possible with as little coding as possible.

My existing database table has some datetime field values that are null.
I
have a page with a detailsview bound to a record in that table. The
datetime fields on my webpage are templates. The read-only screen has no
problem displaying the record, but when I hit the Edit link, the page
crashes
with the message: 'Conversion from type 'DBNull' to type 'Date' is not
valid.' So far I have not been able to intercept this in VB code.

Apparently it is useless to set the field's xsd default property to
something like '1/1/1900' or '1/1/1753'. I still get the crash. Also I
cannot set the NullValue property to anything other than (Throw Exception)
when the field is a datetime.

I'm getting the impression from my reading that the best approach is to
not
permit null datetimes in the first place and that I should simply revise
the
database table.

Suggestions?