PHP selecting LONG datatype returns erroneous data

Question

I have a simple PHP script that queries an 8.1.6 database table with a couple of LONG datatype columns. The resulting output has a bunch of NULL characters and at the end of the column and duplicate data from the previous row. This only happens with this database instance. I run a similar query against a 9.2 database with LOB columns and the data returns correctly.
$begin = "2004-01-15";
$end = "2004-01-31";
$begin = strtotime($begin." 00:00:00");
$end = strtotime($end." 23:59:59");
$connection = OCIPLogon($oracleUser, $oraclePasswd, $oracleServer);
$query = "SELECT create_date, longcol1, longcol2 from table where create_date >= ".$begin." and create_date <= ".$end." order by create_date ";
$stmt = OCIParse($connection, $query);
OCIExecute($stmt, OCI_DEFAULT);
while (OCIFetch($stmt, OCI_ASSOC+OCI_RETURN_LOBS)) {
     $ncols = OCINumCols($stmt);
     for ( $i = 1; $i <= $ncols; $i++ ) {
          $result = ociresult($stmt, $i);
          if (is_object($result)) { echo "LOADING\n"; $result = $result->load(); }
          echo ocicolumnname($stmt, $i)." (".ocicolumntype($stmt, $i).") => ".trim($result)."\n";
     echo "\n";
output is:
CREATE_DATE (NUMBER) => 1074186503
LONGCOL1 (LONG) => This is my first row/column with a long statement in it. 1234567890 bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^
LONGCOL2 (LONG) => This is my first row second column with a long statement in it. 1234567890 bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^
CREATE_DATE (NUMBER) => 1074184298
LONGCOL1 (LONG) => This is my second row first column with a long statement in it. 567890 bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^
LONGCOL2 (LONG) => This is my second row second column with a long statement in it. 4567890 bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla ^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^@^
The actual data in the two rows is:
First record:
CREATE_DATE => 1074186503
LONGCOL1 => This is my first row/column with a long statement in it. 1234567890 bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
LONGCOL2 => This is my first row second column with a long statement in it. 1234567890 bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla
Second record:
CREATE_DATE => 1074184298
LONGCOL1 => This is my second row first column with a long statement in it.
LONGCOL2 => This is my second row second column with a long statement in it.
I am running PHP 4.3.6 on Linux. The database is Oracle 8.1.6.3.0.
Any idea what is causing this?

Answer 1

Get the latest version of oci8 and re-try. It has been extensively changed since your version. Try pulling the latest PHP from http://snaps.php.net
Try only querying one LONG at a time (just to test whether it works). I recall LONGS needing special treatment in C code.
When was the to_lob() function introduced in Oracle?:
http://download-west.oracle.com/docs/cd/B19306_01/server.102/b14200/functions185.htm#SQLRF06134
Maybe you can convert to a LOB?
-- cj