[fdo-internals] [Select] Empty reader or NULL?

[Mateusz Loskot]

Hi,

I'd like to ask about semantic details of FdoISelect::Execute()
operation, especially in DBMS provider.

For instance, if a feature class is directly mapped to table in a database.
Let's imagine the code below is called by a client:


// Connection is Open
FdoPtr<FdoIConnection> conn;

FdoPtr<FdoISelect> cmd;
cmd = static_cast<FdoISelect*>(
    conn->CreateCommand(FdoCommandType_Select));
assert(0 != cmd);

// NOTE: Querying non-existing class
cmd->SetFeatureClassName(L"non-existing-feature-class-name");

// XXX - What Execute() is supposed to return here?
FdoPtr<FdoIFeatureReader> reader = cmd->Execute();


My question is as in line marked with XXX:
If a client queries for a feature class that does not
exist (a non-existing table), what the Execute() operation is supposed
to return?

Is it safe to return NULL pointer to a reader?

Or it should return a kind of empty (terminating) reader, however here I
have no idea how to achieve this kind of feature.

Or an exception is thrown from Execute()?

Cheers
-- 
Mateusz Loskot
http://mateusz.loskot.net