How the ExteriorRing() function works in Mariadb?

The ExteriorRing() function is a spatial function that returns the exterior ring of a polygon. A polygon is a closed shape that consists of one or more rings. A ring is a simple, closed, and non-self-intersecting curve. The exterior ring is the outermost ring of a polygon, and it defines the boundary of the polygon. The interior rings, if any, are the holes inside the polygon.

Syntax

The syntax of the ExteriorRing() function is as follows:

ExteriorRing(polygon)

The function takes one argument, which is a polygon value. The function returns a linestring value that represents the exterior ring of the polygon. If the argument is not a valid polygon, the function returns NULL.

Examples

Example 1: Simple polygon

In this example, we create a simple polygon that has only one ring, which is the exterior ring. We use the ST_GeomFromText() function to create the polygon from a well-known text (WKT) representation. Then we use the ExteriorRing() function to get the exterior ring of the polygon.

SELECT AsText(ExteriorRing(ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0))'))) AS ExteriorRing;

The output is:

+-------------------------------------+
| ExteriorRing                        |
+-------------------------------------+
| LINESTRING(0 0,0 10,10 10,10 0,0 0) |
+-------------------------------------+

The exterior ring is a linestring that connects the four vertices of the polygon.

Example 2: Polygon with a hole

In this example, we create a polygon that has two rings: one exterior ring and one interior ring. The interior ring creates a hole inside the polygon. We use the ST_GeomFromText() function to create the polygon from a WKT representation. Then we use the ExteriorRing() function to get the exterior ring of the polygon.

SELECT AsText(ExteriorRing(ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0),(2 2, 2 8, 8 8, 8 2, 2 2))'))) AS ExteriorRing;

The output is:

+-------------------------------------+
| ExteriorRing                        |
+-------------------------------------+
| LINESTRING(0 0,0 10,10 10,10 0,0 0) |
+-------------------------------------+

The exterior ring is the same as the previous example, and it does not include the interior ring.

Example 3: Multipolygon

In this example, we create a multipolygon that consists of two polygons. A multipolygon is a collection of polygons that may or may not touch each other. We use the ST_GeomFromText() function to create the multipolygon from a WKT representation. Then we use the ExteriorRing() function to get the exterior ring of the multipolygon.

SELECT AsText(ExteriorRing(ST_GeomFromText('MULTIPOLYGON(((0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0)),((20 20, 20 30, 30 30, 30 20, 20 20)))'))) AS ExteriorRing;

The output is:

+--------------+
| ExteriorRing |
+--------------+
| NULL         |
+--------------+

The ExteriorRing() function returns NULL, because the argument is not a valid polygon. The function only works on single polygons, not multipolygons.

Example 4: Empty polygon

In this example, we create an empty polygon that has no rings. We use the ST_GeomFromText() function to create the polygon from a WKT representation. Then we use the ExteriorRing() function to get the exterior ring of the polygon.

SELECT AsText(ExteriorRing(ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON EMPTY'))) AS ExteriorRing;

The output is:

+--------------+
| ExteriorRing |
+--------------+
| NULL         |
+--------------+

The ExteriorRing() function returns NULL, because the argument is an empty polygon. The function only works on non-empty polygons.

Related Functions

There are some other spatial functions that are related to the ExteriorRing() function. Here are some of them:

• InteriorRingN(polygon, n): This function returns the n-th interior ring of a polygon. The interior rings are the holes inside the polygon. The function returns NULL if the polygon is empty or the n-th interior ring does not exist. For example:

  SELECT AsText(InteriorRingN(ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0),(2 2, 2 8, 8 8, 8 2, 2 2))'), 1)) AS InteriorRing;
  

  The output is:

  +---------------------------------+
  | InteriorRing                    |
  +---------------------------------+
  | LINESTRING(2 2,2 8,8 8,8 2,2 2) |
  +---------------------------------+

  The function returns the first interior ring of the polygon, which is a linestring that creates a hole inside the polygon.

• NumInteriorRings(polygon): This function returns the number of interior rings in a polygon. The interior rings are the holes inside the polygon. The function returns NULL if the polygon is empty. For example:

  SELECT NumInteriorRings(ST_GeomFromText('POLYGON((0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0),(2 2, 2 8, 8 8, 8 2, 2 2))')) AS NumInteriorRings;
  

  The output is:

  +------------------+
  | NumInteriorRings |
  +------------------+
  |                1 |
  +------------------+

  The function returns the number of interior rings in the polygon, which is 1.

• IsClosed(linestring): This function returns 1 if the linestring is closed, or 0 otherwise. A linestring is closed if its start point and end point are the same. The function returns NULL if the linestring is empty. For example:

  SELECT IsClosed(ST_GeomFromText('LINESTRING(0 0, 0 10, 10 10, 10 0, 0 0)')) AS IsClosed;
  

  The output is:

  +----------+
  | IsClosed |
  +----------+
  |        1 |
  +----------+

  The function returns 1, because the linestring is closed.

Conclusion

The ExteriorRing() function is a useful spatial function that can extract the exterior ring of a polygon. The exterior ring is the outermost ring of a polygon, and it defines the boundary of the polygon. The function only works on single, non-empty, and valid polygons. The function returns a linestring value that represents the exterior ring of the polygon, or NULL if the argument is not a valid polygon. There are some other spatial functions that are related to the ExteriorRing() function, such as InteriorRingN(), NumInteriorRings(), and IsClosed(). These functions can help us manipulate and analyze the rings of polygons.