Re: Preserving the string

Sounds like it must be getting cast to a number somewhere along the track. You probably have been here, but make sure that: 1. You are not performing any mathamatical calculations or comparisons on them. 2. When putting then in the DB make sure the string of numbers is quoted. Try var_dump($string_of_numbers) to see if it has the leading 0's and what its type is immediately before you insert into the DB. Cheers, Owen Prime http://www.noggin.com.au Michael Conway wrote: > I have a problem using barcodes. They are variable in length (up to 13 > integers). I had to add them to the tables a strings (varchar(13)) to > preserve the leading zeros that are not uncommon. The problem comes > with inserting these barcodes into other tables (passing them using > href). When using a shopping cart application and inserting the barcode > from the product table into the items table (to store the user's > shopping cart contents), the leading zeros are lost. Needless to say > that using the original tables with the true barcodes to verify the > contents of the user's cart for purchases and pricing subsequently > fails. Is there a way to ensure the string is preserved in its entirety > when added to a new table using scripts? > > > > Michael Conway > > mconway3@cox.net > > (703) 968-8875