# Numeric Text Field & Null Values

**URL:** <https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field-null-values/12051>\
**Category:** Ignition\
**Created:** [August 20, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field-null-values/12051 "2016-08-20T18:51:13Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![phassler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@phassler](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/phassler)\
**Post date:** [August 20, 2016, 6:51pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field-null-values/12051/1 "2016-08-20T18:51:13Z")

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I have a window that edits numeric entries in a database table that allows NULL values. I can’t find any way to use Numeric Text fields and still allow NULL values. The only way I can think of is to use a text field but then I lose all of the built in numeric validation. Any suggestions?

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**Author:** ![Tim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/tim/32/3361_2.png) [@Tim](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Tim)\
**Post date:** [August 23, 2016, 5:29pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field-null-values/12051/2 "2016-08-23T17:29:31Z")

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```auto
try({Root Container.Data}['ColumnName'], 0)
```

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![phassler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f8ce5/32.png) [@phassler](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/phassler)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 1:00pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field-null-values/12051/3 "2016-08-24T13:00:46Z")

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Thanks Tim but I must be missing something. How does this help me enter nothing into a numeric text field?

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Tim](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/inductiveautomation/user_avatar/forum.inductiveautomation.com/tim/32/3361_2.png) [@Tim](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/u/Tim)\
**Post date:** [August 24, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://forum.inductiveautomation.com/t/numeric-text-field-null-values/12051/4 "2016-08-24T17:17:05Z")

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Sorry thought you wanted to handle reading null values. you could use a formatted text field with the formatted mask pattern set to #. This would be equivalent to a text field which only allows numerical entries. But, if you want it to set your value to null you’d probably need to handle that in scripting your update statement.