title: Can MySQL automatically convert empty strings to NULL?
body: <p>There is an excellent SO on MySQL empty strings versus NULL here, <a href="https://stackoverflow.com/questions/1267999/mysql-better-to-insert-null-or-empty-string">MySQL, better to insert NULL or empty string?</a>, however it doesn't take in to account 'uniformity' - i.e. if you want to have just one choice in your tables (i.e. empty string OR NULL), which should it be?</p>
  
  <p>My question is, can I get MySQL to automatically store empty strings as NULLs?</p>
  
  <p>After reading the previous SO I am generally inclined to store NULL but the problem is that I have a lot of PHP forms with optional fields, and (when left blank) these return empty strings.</p>