Bug #1236 Set/Enum function request
Submitted: 9 Sep 2003 20:23 Modified: 7 Oct 2005 7:37
Reporter: Jon Scharff Email Updates:
Status: Won't fix Impact on me:
None 
Category:MySQL Server Severity:S4 (Feature request)
Version: OS:
Assigned to: CPU Architecture:Any

[9 Sep 2003 20:23] Jon Scharff 
Description:
How about an easier way of modifying a set/enum definition? There are times
when I want to add an additional option to one of these types and to do so
I must type in the whole enum over again, plus the additional value.

How to repeat:
n/a

Suggested fix:
Added enum/set functions for adding to/removing from an enum/set.
[7 Oct 2005 7:37] Valeriy Kravchuk 
ALTER TABLE ... MODIFY ... handles this issue just as you described (redefine column, and that's all). In any case, in a table with real data, when you delete element from enum, what do you have to do with data already stored?  You have to process them somehow. So, simple function is not enough. 

Situation is just the same as if you want to use int(4) instead of int(3) as a column time, etc. ALTER TABLE is a solution, at least, until there is no CREATE TYPE SQL statements in MySQL...