After reading the mysql documentation, I am not sure to get correctly the pros and cons of the VARCHAR type.
My understanding is that it is useful when a text field has a length that may vary a lot. For example I am thinking using it for a description field where users will put nothing or a small text (for example "cf protocol 43") or a bigger text. Am I right in my understanding? If yes, Is it right that using VARCHAR(255) has no influence on the database size? I mean let said that users never use more than 128 chars, would have defined the field as VARCHAR(129) be better? What are the disadvantages of using VARCHAR instead of CHAR. Is it going to be considerably slower? Also, If I want to allow users to add an optional comment for each entry of a table, is it reasonnable to use a VARCHAR so that only one byte is used when no comment are added? or should I create another table to store the comments only when defined by the user? Thanks, Christophe -- Christophe Barbé <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> GnuPG FingerPrint: E0F6 FADF 2A5C F072 6AF8 F67A 8F45 2F1E D72C B41E Imagination is more important than knowledge. Albert Einstein, On Science --------------------------------------------------------------------- Before posting, please check: http://www.mysql.com/manual.php (the manual) http://lists.mysql.com/ (the list archive) To request this thread, e-mail <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, e-mail <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Trouble unsubscribing? Try: http://lists.mysql.com/php/unsubscribe.php
