Max () of an empty table... I need it to return 0 any ideas?

I was looking thru the postgresql message archive searching for a solution to my problem... which you articulated quit well... if you have max(key) of an empty table, the result set is { } which when added to anything gives you { }

do you know how make the result of max(key) of a empty table return 0 we have tried writing our oun c funtion :

int
newmax (int arg,int arg2) {
if (arg2==0)
{
return (arg2);
}
else
{
return(arg);
}
}


we call it :

select newmax(max({key}), Count({key})) which returns us { }
if we call it w/ select newmax(3,0)) returns 0
if we call it w/ select newmax(12,4)) returns 4

it does not work on an empty table :(

please help...


-Deva Vejay
devavejay(at)preveho(dot)com