MySQL Inserts: NULL or Empty String? How to Handle Optional Field Values in PHP

MySQL and PHP Inserts: NULL vs. Empty Strings

When encountering optional MySQL field values, it's often desirable to insert NULL instead of an empty string. Here's how to achieve this in PHP:

Solution 1: Prepared Statements

PHP's prepared statements handle null values seamlessly, even if the original variable contains null. This simplifies the process and eliminates the need for additional code:

$query = "INSERT INTO data (notes, id, filesUploaded, lat, lng, intLat, intLng)
          VALUES (?,?,?,?,?,?,?)";
$data = [$notes, $id, $imageUploaded, $lat, $long, $intLat, $intLng];
$conn->prepare($query)->execute($data);

Solution 2: Explicit Null Check

If you prefer to explicitly set the variable to null based on its content, use the following approach:

$intLat = ($intLat === '') ? null : $intLat;

This conditional statement assigns null to $intLat if it's empty, and preserves its original value otherwise.

By implementing one of these solutions, you can ensure that optional MySQL fields are correctly inserted in the database as NULL rather than empty strings.

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