Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -N -r1.126 -r1.126.2.1
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl	8 Feb 2019 15:04:30 -0000	1.126
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl	14 Feb 2019 16:15:00 -0000	1.126.2.1
@@ -336,11 +336,15 @@
 # can't hurt anything to have them defined in when OpenACS is using
 # Postgres too.  --atp@piskorski.com, 2003/04/08 05:34 EDT
 
-ad_proc db_null {} {
-    @return an empty string, which Oracle thinks is null.  This routine was
-    invented to provide an RDBMS-specific null value but doesn't actually
-    work.  I (DRB) left it in to speed porting - we should really clean up
-    the code an pull out the calls instead, though.
+ad_proc -deprecated db_null {} {
+
+    @return an empty string, which Oracle thinks is null.
+
+    Deprecated: This routine was invented to provide an RDBMS-specific null
+    value but doesn't actually work.  I (DRB) left it in to speed porting - we
+    should really clean up the code an pull out the calls instead, though.
+
+    @see ""
 } {
     return ""
 }
@@ -352,14 +356,14 @@
     return $result
 }
 
-ad_proc -public db_nullify_empty_string { string } {
+ad_proc -public -deprecated db_nullify_empty_string { string } {
     A convenience function that returns [db_null] if $string is the empty string.
+
+    Deprecated: essentially just returns the passed string.
+
+    @see: db_null
 } {
-    if { $string eq "" } {
-        return [db_null]
-    } else {
-        return $string
-    }
+    return $string
 }
 
 ad_proc -public db_boolean { bool } {