DBNull.Value

[Mark]

Assume that "some_app_setting" does not exist in my web.config file. Then,
the first line of code below assigns the value null to strApplication. Why
doesn't my IF statement return true, and therefore execute the
Response.Write statement? Is there an alternative way to compare it to
null?

Thanks!
Mark

String strApplication=
ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["some_app_setting"];

if (DBNull.Value.Equals(strApplication))
{
Response.Write("This should print because strApplication is null");
}

[Daniel Pratt]

Hi Mark,

"Mark" <mf****@idonotlikespam.cce.umn.edu> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Assume that "some_app_setting" does not exist in my web.config file. Then, the first line of code below assigns the value null to strApplication. Why doesn't my IF statement return true, and therefore execute the
Response.Write statement? Is there an alternative way to compare it to
null?

Thanks!
Mark

String strApplication=
ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["some_app_setting"];

if (DBNull.Value.Equals(strApplication))
{
Response.Write("This should print because strApplication is null");
}

DBNull is used to represent NULL values in a database table. Although
the term for the value of an unassigned reference is also "null", they are
not the same thing. Suggest:

...
if (strApplication == null)
{
...
}

Regards,
Dan

[Mark]

Checking strApplication == null works, but why doesn't DBNull work?

Thanks!
Mark

"Mark" <mf****@idonotlikespam.cce.umn.edu> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Assume that "some_app_setting" does not exist in my web.config file. Then, the first line of code below assigns the value null to strApplication. Why doesn't my IF statement return true, and therefore execute the
Response.Write statement? Is there an alternative way to compare it to
null?

Thanks!
Mark

String strApplication=
ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["some_app_setting"];

if (DBNull.Value.Equals(strApplication))
{
Response.Write("This should print because strApplication is null");
}

[Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]]

Mark,

Why are you comparing it against DBNull.Value? Why not just compare it
to null? DBNull is used for database null comparisons (for the most part).

Hope this helps.
--
- Nicholas Paldino [.NET/C# MVP]
- mv*@spam.guard.caspershouse.com

"Mark" <mf****@idonotlikespam.cce.umn.edu> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Assume that "some_app_setting" does not exist in my web.config file. Then, the first line of code below assigns the value null to strApplication. Why doesn't my IF statement return true, and therefore execute the
Response.Write statement? Is there an alternative way to compare it to
null?

Thanks!
Mark

String strApplication=
ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["some_app_setting"];

if (DBNull.Value.Equals(strApplication))
{
Response.Write("This should print because strApplication is null");
}

[Mark]

Sorry about the lag ... got it. Thanks!

"Mark" <mf****@idonotlikespam.cce.umn.edu> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Checking strApplication == null works, but why doesn't DBNull work?

Thanks!
Mark

"Mark" <mf****@idonotlikespam.cce.umn.edu> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...

Assume that "some_app_setting" does not exist in my web.config file.

Then,

the first line of code below assigns the value null to strApplication.

Why

doesn't my IF statement return true, and therefore execute the
Response.Write statement? Is there an alternative way to compare it to
null?

Thanks!
Mark

String strApplication=
ConfigurationSettings.AppSettings["some_app_setting"];

if (DBNull.Value.Equals(strApplication))
{
Response.Write("This should print because strApplication is null");
}

[Daniel Pratt]

Hi Mark,

"Mark" <mf****@idonotlikespam.cce.umn.edu> wrote in message
news:%2****************@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

Checking strApplication == null works, but why doesn't DBNull work?

Thanks!
Mark

Just to be explicit: A reference variable having the value of "null"
means that the variable does not reference an object instance. That is, a
reference variable can reference an object instance OR be "null", not both.
DBNull.Value is a reference to an object instance (of type DBNull,
confusingly enough). Therefore DBNull.Value is not "null". Don't get hung up
on the fact that DBNull contains the term "Null". Databases and programming
languages happen to use the same term to represent similar concepts.

Regards,
Dan