Idea - Option to select Null values as default per attribute

Option to select Null values as default per attribute

New

Database

The debate about the null values is still alive and kicking in the OutSystems community. This shouldn't be a "war" between team No Null Values and team Null Values. Null values do exist in other platforms and they can't simple be ignored.

It's not the first time since I work with OutSystems that I need to differentiate between a 0 and null values. Of course there are some workarounds, but are they the best approach? I don't think so.

What if we could settle this "battle" once and for all?

I propose giving developers the power to decide if null values should be the default for an attribute when creating it. Attribute per attribute. There could be an extra option in the attribute property, bellow "Default value", a checkbox with the label "allow null values". Always unselected by default.

Simple right? And this is a common option in other platforms.

It sounds reasonable to me and may solve the "war", as everyone can have their predilect choice.

25 Jan 2024

Abeer elAssal

MVP

That's very interesting idea Marta, recently we kind of needed that in our project as well, i guess it will be helpful to say if it's null or 0 cause total different values!

25 Jan 2024

Frenk Hartog

This could be a great solution to a problem we've been having at our company. Indeed other databases may Support a Null so when talking to those databases we need to create a bunch of extra logic to make sure they know when our 0 is a 0 or when our 0 is a Null.
Being able to support a Null on database level is of course not as easily said as done but it would be great if Outsystems can, indeed, find a way to support this instead of every developer having to find and build a solution on their own.

25 Jan 2024