`isDark` throws an error and the app crashes if a color is set to `NULL` in the database

[iPurpl3x]

Current Behavior

When a tag is saved in the database with the color column set to NULL, then when trying to display that tag in the UI, there will be an error as the isDark util will try to call replace on a null variable. The app crashes then because of this.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set the color column of a tag to NULL
2. Open that tag index page

Expected Behavior

No error

Environment

• Flarum version:1.7.1
• PHP version: 8.1

[SychO9]

this doesn't seem to trigger any errors on a normal flarum instance, since the color value when creating/editing is always a string on the database. Is that correct for your case?

[iPurpl3x]

That is correct, most entries in my db have an empty string as value, but some have NULL. I guess this has been changed manually or by an external script. But either the color column should not be nullable or this error needs to be fixed, for safety.

[davwheat]

I'd propose making it not nullable since that is what Flarum already expects.

[SychO9]

changing the column now would break any instances that have null values, so I think we need to make the util param nullable and check. Though since by default the color column is always a string from the vanilla app, this can probably just go into 1.8 rather than a patch.

[davwheat]

Why do we not just convert NULL values to empty strings and then make it not nullable?

[SychO9]

wouldn't it count as a breaking change though if a nullable column is made non-nullable? the case in this issue is that there is custom code that sets null values because it's possible.

[davwheat]

I suppose... my thought is that it shouldn't have null values and anyone doing that is doing it wrong, but realistically null values actually make more sense than empty strings.

[iPurpl3x]

I agree that

realistically null values actually make more sense than empty strings.

And of course, no need for a patch release, I can do a small db request to set all columns that are NULL to EMPTY.