Empty Output? How Do I Determine the Character?

[Hunter Hillegas]

I cannot determine what character is stored in a varchar...

For instance:
thedonnaholics=# select state from mailing_list where rec_num = 7;
state
-------

(1 row)

If I then execute:
thedonnaholics=# select count(*) from mailing_list where state = '';
count
-------
0
(1 row)

So, what is in that first row?

This also returns 0:
thedonnaholics=# select count(*) from mailing_list where state = ' ';
count
-------
0
(1 row)

Any ideas? I'd like to select all rows that contain whatever that first one
contains...

Hunter
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[Tom Lane]

Hunter Hillegas <li***@lastonepicked.com> writes:

I cannot determine what character is stored in a varchar...
For instance:
thedonnaholics=# select state from mailing_list where rec_num = 7;
state
------- (1 row)

I'd say it's either NULL or between one and five space characters.
To find out, try something like

select '>' || state || '<' from mailing_list where rec_num = 7;

regards, tom lane

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[Hunter Hillegas]

Ok... I don't think that it is null:
thedonnaholics=# select count(*) from mailing_list where state = null;
count
-------
0
(1 row)

I ran the query you suggested but I don't know what it means:
thedonnaholics=# select '>' || state || '<' from mailing_list where rec_num
= 7;
?column?
----------

(1 row)

Any insight appreciated.

Thanks,
Hunter

From: Tom Lane <tg*@sss.pgh.pa.us>
Date: Fri, 08 Aug 2003 19:03:24 -0400
To: Hunter Hillegas <li***@lastonepicked.com>
Cc: PostgreSQL <pg***********@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] Empty Output? How Do I Determine the Character?

Hunter Hillegas <li***@lastonepicked.com> writes:

I cannot determine what character is stored in a varchar...
For instance:
thedonnaholics=# select state from mailing_list where rec_num = 7;
state
-------

(1 row)

I'd say it's either NULL or between one and five space characters.
To find out, try something like

select '>' || state || '<' from mailing_list where rec_num = 7;

regards, tom lane

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