Confusing confitional statement

[Rafe Harwood]

ok.. so if thats the issue, then the original

if optiondone<>"" then response.write "" else response.write "<br />"

because if it wasnt "" then that statement becomes true hence it should not
have worked.. yet it does...

Rafe



"Aaron Bertrand - MVP" <aaron@TRASHaspfaq.com> wrote in message
news:OkqzeQfVDHA.2000@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

> Maybe optiondone is NULL, which is not the same as ""?
>
>
>
> "Rafe Harwood" <rafe@harvardclose.co.uk> wrote in message
> news:EOxVa.1156$CR5.70@newsfep3-gui.server.ntli.net...

> > I have a problem with an if statement which runs along the lines of ...
> >
> > do while not rst.eof
> > if optiondone<>rst.fields("description") then response.write

> "<div

> > class=""littleandorange""
> > style=""font-size:90%"">"&rst.fields("description")&"</div>"
> > optiondone=rst.fields("description")
> > if optiondone<>"" then response.write "" else response.write

> "<br

> > />"
> > response.write "<form action="""&myurl&"?"&myqs&"""
> > method=""post""><input type=""hidden"" name=""add""
> > value="""&rst.fields("itemID")&""" /><input type=""image"" id=""submit""
> > src=""/images/select.gif"" alt=""Add "&rst.fields("name")&" at
> > "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&" to your order"" /> -
> > "&rst.fields("name")&" -

"&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"</form>"

> > rst.movenext
> > loop
> >
> > This version with the weird if optiondone<>"" then response.write

> ""

> > else response.write "<br />" works fine.. to my mind that would

mean

> > that exactly the same should work if used the other way round and using

=

> > instead of <> and the basically non-existant response, looking for a
> > negative to produce the required action.
> >
> > If I try this however..
> >
> > do while not rst.eof
> > if optiondone<>rst.fields("description") then response.write

> "<div

> > class=""littleandorange""
> > style=""font-size:90%"">"&rst.fields("description")&"</div>"
> > optiondone=rst.fields("description")
> > if optiondone="" then response.write "<br />"
> > response.write "<form action="""&myurl&"?"&myqs&"""
> > method=""post""><input type=""hidden"" name=""add""
> > value="""&rst.fields("itemID")&""" /><input type=""image"" id=""submit""
> > src=""/images/select.gif"" alt=""Add "&rst.fields("name")&" at
> > "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&" to your order"" /> -
> > "&rst.fields("name")&" -

"&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"</form>"

> > rst.movenext
> > loop
> >
> > then it falls over and the break is not written...
> >
> > Any ideas as to why a negative response works yet a positive fails?
> >
> > Rafe
> >
> >

>
>

[Bob Barrows]

Comparing anything to Null returns Null, not True or False.

Far better is to check the length of optiondone:

if len(optiondone) > 0 then 3
etc.

HTH,
Bob Barrows


Rafe Harwood wrote:

> ok.. so if thats the issue, then the original
>
> if optiondone<>"" then response.write "" else response.write "<br />"
>
> because if it wasnt "" then that statement becomes true hence it
> should not have worked.. yet it does...
>
> Rafe
>
>
>
> "Aaron Bertrand - MVP" <aaron@TRASHaspfaq.com> wrote in message
> news:OkqzeQfVDHA.2000@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

>> Maybe optiondone is NULL, which is not the same as ""?
>>
>>
>>
>> "Rafe Harwood" <rafe@harvardclose.co.uk> wrote in message
>> news:EOxVa.1156$CR5.70@newsfep3-gui.server.ntli.net...

>>> I have a problem with an if statement which runs along the lines of
>>> ...
>>>
>>> do while not rst.eof
>>> if optiondone<>rst.fields("description") then
>>> response.write "<div class=""littleandorange""
>>> style=""font-size:90%"">"&rst.fields("description")&"</div>"
>>> optiondone=rst.fields("description")
>>> if optiondone<>"" then response.write "" else
>>> response.write "<br />"
>>> response.write "<form action="""&myurl&"?"&myqs&"""
>>> method=""post""><input type=""hidden"" name=""add""
>>> value="""&rst.fields("itemID")&""" /><input type=""image""
>>> id=""submit"" src=""/images/select.gif"" alt=""Add
>>> "&rst.fields("name")&" at "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"
>>> to your order"" /> - "&rst.fields("name")&" -
>>> "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"</form>"
>>> rst.movenext loop
>>>
>>> This version with the weird if optiondone<>"" then
>>> response.write "" else response.write "<br />" works fine.. to
>>> my mind that would mean that exactly the same should work if used
>>> the other way round and using = instead of <> and the basically
>>> non-existant response, looking for a negative to produce the
>>> required action.
>>>
>>> If I try this however..
>>>
>>> do while not rst.eof
>>> if optiondone<>rst.fields("description") then
>>> response.write "<div class=""littleandorange""
>>> style=""font-size:90%"">"&rst.fields("description")&"</div>"
>>> optiondone=rst.fields("description")
>>> if optiondone="" then response.write "<br />"
>>> response.write "<form action="""&myurl&"?"&myqs&"""
>>> method=""post""><input type=""hidden"" name=""add""
>>> value="""&rst.fields("itemID")&""" /><input type=""image""
>>> id=""submit"" src=""/images/select.gif"" alt=""Add
>>> "&rst.fields("name")&" at "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"
>>> to your order"" /> - "&rst.fields("name")&" -
>>> "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"</form>"
>>> rst.movenext loop
>>>
>>> then it falls over and the break is not written...
>>>
>>> Any ideas as to why a negative response works yet a positive fails?
>>>
>>> Rafe

[Bob Barrows]

Ray at <%=sLocation%> wrote:

> What's 3?
>

I SAID not to ask me that ... ;-)

[Rafe Harwood]

> >> "Rafe Harwood" <rafe@harvardclose.co.uk> wrote in message

> >> news:EOxVa.1156$CR5.70@newsfep3-gui.server.ntli.net...
> >>> I have a problem with an if statement which runs along the lines of
> >>> ...
> >>>
> >>> do while not rst.eof
> >>> if optiondone<>rst.fields("description") then
> >>> response.write "<div class=""littleandorange""
> >>> style=""font-size:90%"">"&rst.fields("description")&"</div>"
> >>> optiondone=rst.fields("description")
> >>> if optiondone<>"" then response.write "" else
> >>> response.write "<br />"
> >>> response.write "<form action="""&myurl&"?"&myqs&"""
> >>> method=""post""><input type=""hidden"" name=""add""
> >>> value="""&rst.fields("itemID")&""" /><input type=""image""
> >>> id=""submit"" src=""/images/select.gif"" alt=""Add
> >>> "&rst.fields("name")&" at "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"
> >>> to your order"" /> - "&rst.fields("name")&" -
> >>> "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"</form>"
> >>> rst.movenext loop
> >>>
> >>> This version with the weird if optiondone<>"" then
> >>> response.write "" else response.write "<br />" works fine.. to
> >>> my mind that would mean that exactly the same should work if used
> >>> the other way round and using = instead of <> and the basically
> >>> non-existant response, looking for a negative to produce the
> >>> required action.
> >>>
> >>> If I try this however..
> >>>
> >>> do while not rst.eof
> >>> if optiondone<>rst.fields("description") then
> >>> response.write "<div class=""littleandorange""
> >>> style=""font-size:90%"">"&rst.fields("description")&"</div>"
> >>> optiondone=rst.fields("description")
> >>> if optiondone="" then response.write "<br />"
> >>> response.write "<form action="""&myurl&"?"&myqs&"""
> >>> method=""post""><input type=""hidden"" name=""add""
> >>> value="""&rst.fields("itemID")&""" /><input type=""image""
> >>> id=""submit"" src=""/images/select.gif"" alt=""Add
> >>> "&rst.fields("name")&" at "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"
> >>> to your order"" /> - "&rst.fields("name")&" -
> >>> "&formatcurrency(rst.fields("price"),2)&"</form>"
> >>> rst.movenext loop
> >>>
> >>> then it falls over and the break is not written...
> >>>
> >>> Any ideas as to why a negative response works yet a positive fails?
> >>>
> >>> Rafe

> > "Aaron Bertrand - MVP" <aaron@TRASHaspfaq.com> wrote in message
> > news:OkqzeQfVDHA.2000@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...

> >> Maybe optiondone is NULL, which is not the same as ""?

> Rafe Harwood wrote:

> > ok.. so if thats the issue, then the original
> >
> > if optiondone<>"" then response.write "" else response.write "<br />"
> >
> > because if it wasnt "" then that statement becomes true hence it
> > should not have worked.. yet it does...
> >
> > Rafe

"Bob Barrows" <reb_01501@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:uoVkVifVDHA.2040@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...

> Comparing anything to Null returns Null, not True or False.
>
> Far better is to check the length of optiondone:
>
> if len(optiondone) > 0 then 3
> etc.
>
> HTH,
> Bob Barrows

ok.. after a little editing of the order of posts... and correcting the
typo in the thread hehe

Thanks Bob,
That works for the negative response as if the size is over 0 then I do not
want the break included, but it falls over when testing for a size <1 which
would be the time to display the break.. hence

if len(optiondone)<1 then write "<br />"

which I suppose is the same thing as the null issue but not sure


anyway, that statement also falls over...

the way I just solved it was to check for a null value

if isnull(optiondone) then write "<br />"

still doesnt answer my question about the difference in checking which was
my major bugbear.. but it solves the issue perfectly :O)
thank you for the heads up Aaron :O)

I didnt realise that setting the value of optiondone to "" in fact created a
null and not "" which is obviously what happens, as optiondone is populated
earlier in the results, but on checking for the null after setting it to ""
the response comes back as true and the break displayed

Rafe

[Bob Barrows]

Rafe Harwood wrote:

> Thanks Bob,
> That works for the negative response as if the size is over 0 then I
> do not want the break included, but it falls over when testing for a
> size <1 which would be the time to display the break.. hence
>
> if len(optiondone)<1 then write "<br />"

You don't need this. Why are you doing this? A simple

if len(optiondone)>0 then
'do the stuff you need to do when optiondone contains a value
else
response.write "<br />"
end if

will suffice.

>
> which I suppose is the same thing as the null issue but not sure
>
>
> anyway, that statement also falls over...
>
> the way I just solved it was to check for a null value
>
> if isnull(optiondone) then write "<br />"
>
> still doesnt answer my question about the difference in checking
> which was my major bugbear.. but it solves the issue perfectly :O)
> thank you for the heads up Aaron :O)
>
> I didnt realise that setting the value of optiondone to "" in fact
> created a null and not ""

It doesn't. "" is an empty string. It is NOT Null. Try this:

optiondone = ""
if isnull(optiondone) then
response.write "optiondone contains Null"
else
response.write "opriondone contains an empty string"
end if

> which is obviously what happens, as
> optiondone is populated earlier in the results, but on checking for
> the null after setting it to "" the response comes back as true and
> the break displayed
>

Are you sure??? Your code is written in a very confusing manner (in fact, I
skipped your post the first time since I did not feel like digging into
it) - no formatting or white-space to improve its readability. I suppose it
could be your newsreader doing this... I suspect you may be missing
something, but again, I don't feel like digging into your code. Sorry.

Bob Barrows

[Rafe Harwood]

"Bob Barrows" <reb_01501@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:#3iP8TgVDHA.3332@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...

> Rafe Harwood wrote:

> > Thanks Bob,
> > That works for the negative response as if the size is over 0 then I
> > do not want the break included, but it falls over when testing for a
> > size <1 which would be the time to display the break.. hence
> >
> > if len(optiondone)<1 then write "<br />"

>
> You don't need this. Why are you doing this? A simple
>
> if len(optiondone)>0 then
> 'do the stuff you need to do when optiondone contains a value
> else
> response.write "<br />"
> end if
>
> will suffice.
>

> >
> > which I suppose is the same thing as the null issue but not sure
> >
> >
> > anyway, that statement also falls over...
> >
> > the way I just solved it was to check for a null value
> >
> > if isnull(optiondone) then write "<br />"
> >
> > still doesnt answer my question about the difference in checking
> > which was my major bugbear.. but it solves the issue perfectly :O)
> > thank you for the heads up Aaron :O)
> >
> > I didnt realise that setting the value of optiondone to "" in fact
> > created a null and not ""

>
> It doesn't. "" is an empty string. It is NOT Null. Try this:
>
> optiondone = ""
> if isnull(optiondone) then
> response.write "optiondone contains Null"
> else
> response.write "opriondone contains an empty string"
> end if
>

> > which is obviously what happens, as
> > optiondone is populated earlier in the results, but on checking for
> > the null after setting it to "" the response comes back as true and
> > the break displayed
> >

> Are you sure??? Your code is written in a very confusing manner (in fact,

I

> skipped your post the first time since I did not feel like digging into
> it) - no formatting or white-space to improve its readability. I suppose

it

> could be your newsreader doing this... I suspect you may be missing
> something, but again, I don't feel like digging into your code. Sorry.
>
> Bob Barrows

Ooops.. please excuse the mistake..

the center of the code goes

optiondone=rst.fields("description")
if isnull(optiondone) then write "<br />"

so it is in fact getting a null from the database

Hmmm.. a cup of tea might be in order here

And yes I am using Outlook Express.. and to the people in here who have a
problem with it, Im really not to bothered.. helping and getting help
matters not what tools are used to achieve that :O)

Rafe