[Gambas-user] handling database nulls

[Bruce]

This has sort of been asked before. However, the answers I have found haven't 
helped.

My database has a LOT of integer fields, arranged into sets of fieldwork 
results.  The majority of them contain nulls, quite validly as the data for a 
particular set may not have been entered or even collected yet.

My Gambas problem is creating the classes for the various plot types.  Within 
Gambas the data items are integers. When I try and read the existing datum 
point into the class (as in dp.rangeheight=$dbresult!rangeheight ) it is 
complaining that the value is a null not an integer, as in "wanted integer, 
got null instead").

Now, coercing the value of the object data to zero is NOT valid, as in the 
above example, the rangeheight is null not zero, as zero means 0m above the 
basepoint.  Similarly, coercing it to a negative value wont work either, as 
that means meters below the base point.

Is there any way to set the value of an integer variable to an "uninitalised" 
state?

bruce