
First off:
  This is a suggestion for minor changes to the output generated by the \?
  command in psql. While it is more of a documentation issue, it would
  involve changing code (well, a few strings) - is this the right place for
  raising the subject? I would be happy to submit a patch if the changes are
  acceptable.

Background:
  In psql the \? command shows a summary of the available "slash" commands.
  The syntax shown is however not always consistent (neither with the \?
  command output nor with the psql manpage); eg.:

  "\cd [DIRNAME]  change the current working directory"

  implies that provision of a parameter is optional (correct), whereas

  "\C TITLE       set table title"

  implies that a title parameter is required. This is not in fact the case,
  as executing \C without a parameter will unset any title previously set
  with the same command. This behaviour is however correctly
  documented in the manpage, which also shows the
  command syntax as "\C [ title ]".

  Similar is true of the following slash commands: \d \e \f \g \s \T

Solution:
  Appended is a list of relevant backslash commands, their current
  description as produced by  \?, the respective manpage description (or
  first part thereof) and suggested replacment for the \? description.
  Assumption is that square brackets - as used elsewhere within the 
  \? output and the manpage documentation - imply optional parameters.


Yours pedantically

Ian Barwick

Suggestions follow:

\C
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\C TITLE       set table title

man:
\C [ title ]
        Set the title of any tables being  printed  as  the
        result  of  a  query  or unset any such title. (...)

psql \? new:
\C [ TITLE ]  set table title (or unset with no arguments)


\d
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\d TABLE       describe table (or view, index, sequence)

man:
\d relation
        Shows all columns of relation  (which  could  be  a
        table,  view, index, or sequence), (...)

psql \? new:
\d [ RELATION ] describe relation (table, view, index or sequence)


\e
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\e FILENAME    edit the current query buffer or file with external editor

man
\edit (or \e) [ filename ]
        If filename is specified, the file is edited; (...)

psql \? new:
\e [ FILENAME ]  edit the current query buffer or file with external editor


\f
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\f STRING      set field separator

man:
\f [ string ]
        Sets the field separator for unaligned query output. (...)

psql \? new:
\f [ STRING ] show or set field separator


\g
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\g FILENAME    send SQL command to server (and write results to file or |pipe)

man:
\g [ { filename | |command } ]
        Sends the current query input buffer to the backend
              and optionally saves  the  output  in  filename  or
              pipes the output into a separate Unix shell to exe?
              cute command. (...)

psql \? new:
\g [ FILE | |PIPE ] send SQL command to server (and write results to file or  
        |pipe)


\s
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\s FILENAME    print history or save it to file

man:
\s [ filename ]
              Print or save the command line history to filename.

psql \? new:
\s [ FILENAME ]   print command line history or save it to file


\T
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

psql \?:
\T TEXT        set HTML table tag attributes

man:
\T table_options
        Allows you to specify options to be  placed  within
        the  table  tag  in  HTML tabular output mode. (...)

psql  \? new:
\T [ TAG_ATTR ]   set HTML <table> tag attributes (or unset with no arguments)


__END__

Tue, 26 Feb 2002 00:13:14 +0100
Ian Barwick <barwick@gmx.net>
psql and output from \?
Ian Barwick writes:

>   Appended is a list of relevant backslash commands, their current
>   description as produced by  \?, the respective manpage description (or
>   first part thereof) and suggested replacment for the \? description.
>   Assumption is that square brackets - as used elsewhere within the
>   \? output and the manpage documentation - imply optional parameters.

Nicely observed.  Please send in a patch.  Accurate documentation is
important.

> psql \? new:
> \C [ TITLE ]  set table title (or unset with no arguments)

I don't think we use spaces between the brackets and the text anywhere
else in console-formatted output, so we might not want to start here.

Also, the part in the parentheses is ambiguous.  Maybe "(without
arguments: unset)".

> psql \? new:
> \d [ RELATION ] describe relation (table, view, index or sequence)

Comma before "or".

> psql \? new:
> \e [ FILENAME ]  edit the current query buffer or file with external editor

Maybe drop the "current".  (This was not introduced by you, but you might
as well do it.)


Something that's also annoyed me for a while is that the PLACEHOLDER
strings are inconsistent in whether they describe the data type or the
semantics of the argument.  I think the data type is ultimately more
useful, as the semantics come from the documentation string by definition.

So instead of \C TITLE maybe better \C STRING, and instead of \d TABLE use
\d IDENTIFIER (or maybe NAME).  The latter has two advantages:  First
you're not passing \d a table descriptor, if there was such a thing.  And
second, it informs the user that the SQL identifier quoting rules will
apply to the argument.  I guess FILENAME and DIRNAME are ok as "data
types", but all the other stuff can go, I think.

-- 
Peter Eisentraut   peter_e@gmx.net


Mon, 25 Feb 2002 18:57:04 -0500 (EST)
Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
I haven't seen a followup patch so I decided to work on it myself; 
patch attached and applied to CVS.  Thanks.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ian Barwick wrote:
> 
> First off:
>   This is a suggestion for minor changes to the output generated by the \?
>   command in psql. While it is more of a documentation issue, it would
>   involve changing code (well, a few strings) - is this the right place for
>   raising the subject? I would be happy to submit a patch if the changes are
>   acceptable.
> 
> Background:
>   In psql the \? command shows a summary of the available "slash" commands.
>   The syntax shown is however not always consistent (neither with the \?
>   command output nor with the psql manpage); eg.:
> 
>   "\cd [DIRNAME]  change the current working directory"
> 
>   implies that provision of a parameter is optional (correct), whereas
> 
>   "\C TITLE       set table title"
> 
>   implies that a title parameter is required. This is not in fact the case,
>   as executing \C without a parameter will unset any title previously set
>   with the same command. This behaviour is however correctly
>   documented in the manpage, which also shows the
>   command syntax as "\C [ title ]".
> 
>   Similar is true of the following slash commands: \d \e \f \g \s \T
> 
> Solution:
>   Appended is a list of relevant backslash commands, their current
>   description as produced by  \?, the respective manpage description (or
>   first part thereof) and suggested replacment for the \? description.
>   Assumption is that square brackets - as used elsewhere within the 
>   \? output and the manpage documentation - imply optional parameters.
> 
> 
> Yours pedantically
> 
> Ian Barwick
> 
> Suggestions follow:
> 
> \C
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \C TITLE       set table title
> 
> man:
> \C [ title ]
>         Set the title of any tables being  printed  as  the
>         result  of  a  query  or unset any such title. (...)
> 
> psql \? new:
> \C [ TITLE ]  set table title (or unset with no arguments)
> 
> 
> \d
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \d TABLE       describe table (or view, index, sequence)
> 
> man:
> \d relation
>         Shows all columns of relation  (which  could  be  a
>         table,  view, index, or sequence), (...)
> 
> psql \? new:
> \d [ RELATION ] describe relation (table, view, index or sequence)
> 
> 
> \e
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \e FILENAME    edit the current query buffer or file with external editor
> 
> man
> \edit (or \e) [ filename ]
>         If filename is specified, the file is edited; (...)
> 
> psql \? new:
> \e [ FILENAME ]  edit the current query buffer or file with external editor
> 
> 
> \f
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \f STRING      set field separator
> 
> man:
> \f [ string ]
>         Sets the field separator for unaligned query output. (...)
> 
> psql \? new:
> \f [ STRING ] show or set field separator
> 
> 
> \g
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \g FILENAME    send SQL command to server (and write results to file or |pipe)
> 
> man:
> \g [ { filename | |command } ]
>         Sends the current query input buffer to the backend
>               and optionally saves  the  output  in  filename  or
>               pipes the output into a separate Unix shell to exe?
>               cute command. (...)
> 
> psql \? new:
> \g [ FILE | |PIPE ] send SQL command to server (and write results to file or  
>         |pipe)
> 
> 
> \s
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \s FILENAME    print history or save it to file
> 
> man:
> \s [ filename ]
>               Print or save the command line history to filename.
> 
> psql \? new:
> \s [ FILENAME ]   print command line history or save it to file
> 
> 
> \T
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> psql \?:
> \T TEXT        set HTML table tag attributes
> 
> man:
> \T table_options
>         Allows you to specify options to be  placed  within
>         the  table  tag  in  HTML tabular output mode. (...)
> 
> psql  \? new:
> \T [ TAG_ATTR ]   set HTML <table> tag attributes (or unset with no arguments)
> 
> 
> __END__
> 
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate
> subscribe-nomail command to majordomo@postgresql.org so that your
> message can get through to the mailing list cleanly
> 

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

? psql
Index: help.c
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/bin/psql/help.c,v
retrieving revision 1.46
diff -c -r1.46 help.c
*** help.c	7 Mar 2002 17:54:42 -0000	1.46
--- help.c	11 Mar 2002 18:20:34 -0000
***************
*** 193,239 ****
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\c[onnect] [DBNAME|- [USER]]\n"
  		 "                connect to new database (currently \"%s\")\n"),
  			PQdb(pset.db));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\C TITLE       set table title\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\cd [DIRNAME]  change the current working directory\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\copy ...      perform SQL COPY with data stream to the client host\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\copyright     show PostgreSQL usage and distribution terms\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\d TABLE       describe table (or view, index, sequence)\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\d{t|i|s|v}... list tables/indexes/sequences/views\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\d{p|S|l}      list access privileges, system tables, or large objects\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\da            list aggregate functions\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\dd NAME       show comment for table, type, function, or operator\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\df            list functions\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\do            list operators\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\dT            list data types\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\du [PATTERN]  Lists all configured users or only those that match pattern\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\e FILENAME    edit the current query buffer or file with external editor\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\echo TEXT     write text to standard output\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\encoding ENCODING  set client encoding\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\f STRING      set field separator\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\g FILENAME    send SQL command to server (and write results to file or |pipe)\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\h NAME        help on syntax of SQL commands, * for all commands\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\H             toggle HTML output mode (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.popt.topt.format == PRINT_HTML));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\i FILENAME    execute commands from file\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\l             list all databases\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\lo_export, \\lo_import, \\lo_list, \\lo_unlink\n"
! 					"                large object operations\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\o FILENAME    send all query results to file or |pipe\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\p             show the content of the current query buffer\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\pset VAR      set table output option (VAR := {format|border|expanded|\n"
! 					"                fieldsep|null|recordsep|tuples_only|title|tableattr|pager})\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\q             quit psql\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\qecho TEXT    write text to query output stream (see \\o)\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\r             reset (clear) the query buffer\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\s FILENAME    print history or save it to file\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\set NAME VALUE  set internal variable\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\t             show only rows (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.popt.topt.tuples_only));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\T TEXT        set HTML table tag attributes\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\timing        toggle timing of queries (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.timing));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\unset NAME    unset (delete) internal variable\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\w FILENAME    write current query buffer to file\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\x             toggle expanded output (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.popt.topt.expanded));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\z             list table access privileges\n"));
--- 193,239 ----
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\c[onnect] [DBNAME|- [USER]]\n"
  		 "                connect to new database (currently \"%s\")\n"),
  			PQdb(pset.db));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\C [TITLE]     set table title, or unset with no title\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\cd [DIR]      change the current working directory\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\copy ...      perform SQL COPY with data stream to the client host\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\copyright     show PostgreSQL usage and distribution terms\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\d [TABLE]     describe table (or view, index, sequence)\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\d{t|i|s|v}... list tables/indexes/sequences/views\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\d{p|S|l}      list access privileges, system tables, or large objects\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\da            list aggregate functions\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\dd [NAME]     show comment for table, type, function, or operator\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\df            list functions\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\do            list operators\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\dT            list data types\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\du [PATTERN]  lists all configured users or only those that match pattern\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\e [FILE]      edit the current query buffer or file with external editor\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\echo TEXT     write text to standard output\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\encoding ENCODING  set client encoding\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\f [SEPARATOR] set field separator, or unset if none\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\g [FILE]      send SQL command to server (and write results to file or |pipe)\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\h NAME        help on syntax of SQL commands, * for all commands\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\H             toggle HTML output mode (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.popt.topt.format == PRINT_HTML));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\i FILE        execute commands from file\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\l             list all databases\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\lo_export, \\lo_import, \\lo_list, \\lo_unlink\n"
! 					"                 large object operations\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\o FILE        send all query results to file or |pipe\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\p             show the content of the current query buffer\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\pset VAR      set table output option (VAR := {format|border|expanded|\n"
! 					"                 fieldsep|null|recordsep|tuples_only|title|tableattr|pager})\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\q             quit psql\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\qecho TEXT    write text to query output stream (see \\o)\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\r             reset (clear) the query buffer\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\s [FILE]      print history or save it to file\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\set NAME VALUE  set internal variable\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\t             show only rows (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.popt.topt.tuples_only));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\T [TAG_ATTR]  set HTML table tag attributes, or unset if none\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\timing        toggle timing of queries (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.timing));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\unset NAME    unset (delete) internal variable\n"));
! 	fprintf(fout, _(" \\w FILE        write current query buffer to file\n"));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\x             toggle expanded output (currently %s)\n"),
  			ON(pset.popt.topt.expanded));
  	fprintf(fout, _(" \\z             list table access privileges\n"));
Mon, 11 Mar 2002 13:21:29 -0500 (EST)
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Re: psql and output from \?
Peter Eisentraut wrote:
> Ian Barwick writes:
> 
> >   Appended is a list of relevant backslash commands, their current
> >   description as produced by  \?, the respective manpage description (or
> >   first part thereof) and suggested replacment for the \? description.
> >   Assumption is that square brackets - as used elsewhere within the
> >   \? output and the manpage documentation - imply optional parameters.
> 
> Nicely observed.  Please send in a patch.  Accurate documentation is
> important.

Done.

> Also, the part in the parentheses is ambiguous.  Maybe "(without
> arguments: unset)".

I made it consistent with others, no parens.

  fprintf(fout, _(" \\f [SEPARATOR] set field separator, or unset if none\n")

> 
> > psql \? new:
> > \d [ RELATION ] describe relation (table, view, index or sequence)
> 
> Comma before "or".

Already done.

> 
> > psql \? new:
> > \e [ FILENAME ]  edit the current query buffer or file with external editor
> 
> Maybe drop the "current".  (This was not introduced by you, but you might
> as well do it.)

I removed current in all \? cases when describing query buffer.

> 
> Something that's also annoyed me for a while is that the PLACEHOLDER
> strings are inconsistent in whether they describe the data type or the
> semantics of the argument.  I think the data type is ultimately more
> useful, as the semantics come from the documentation string by definition.
> 
> So instead of \C TITLE maybe better \C STRING, and instead of \d TABLE use
> \d IDENTIFIER (or maybe NAME).  The latter has two advantages:  First
> you're not passing \d a table descriptor, if there was such a thing.  And
> second, it informs the user that the SQL identifier quoting rules will
> apply to the argument.  I guess FILENAME and DIRNAME are ok as "data
> types", but all the other stuff can go, I think.

I can understand a more formal indicator in the documentation, but for
\? it is really just quick help, and showing SEPARATOR rather than the more
generic STRING is clearer, I think.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

Mon, 11 Mar 2002 13:26:53 -0500 (EST)
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Re: psql and output from \?
On Monday 11 March 2002 19:21, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> I haven't seen a followup patch so I decided to work on it myself;
> patch attached and applied to CVS.  Thanks.

I hang my head in shame and plead an unfortunate period
of downtime due to an unplanned affliction with work :-(

"Unfortunately" after submitting my suggestions I took a look at 
the source code (should have done it the other way round)
and found a few more (minor) discrepancies between what
\? says and what the various slash commands do.

This mainly affects the various \d commands, many (but not
all) of which take a regular expression ("pattern") as an optional
argument. Particularly the following \? output:

...
 \d{t|i|s|v}... list tables/indexes/sequences/views
 \d{p|S|l}      list access privileges, system tables, or large objects
...

is misleading, because \dp and \dl can only be used on their own,
whereas any combination of  i, s, t, v and / or S can be used together:
\dtvS is valid, whereas \dpSl is not. Also, \d{t|i|s|v|S} and \dp accept
a regular expression as an argument, \dl does not.

So with no further ado I humbly submit the attached patch, which builds on 
your patch and tidies up / harmonises the \? output.

(If the patch itself is problematic, please let me know why and how I can
fix it, it's the first patch I've submitted for PostgreSQL).

Yours

Ian Barwick
Mon, 11 Mar 2002 23:35:15 +0100
Ian Barwick <barwick@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
On Monday 11 March 2002 19:26, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> Peter Eisentraut wrote:
> > Something that's also annoyed me for a while is that the PLACEHOLDER
> > strings are inconsistent in whether they describe the data type or the
> > semantics of the argument.  I think the data type is ultimately more
> > useful, as the semantics come from the documentation string by
> > definition.
> >
> > So instead of \C TITLE maybe better \C STRING, and instead of \d TABLE
> > use \d IDENTIFIER (or maybe NAME).  The latter has two advantages:  First
> > you're not passing \d a table descriptor, if there was such a thing.  And
> > second, it informs the user that the SQL identifier quoting rules will
> > apply to the argument.  I guess FILENAME and DIRNAME are ok as "data
> > types", but all the other stuff can go, I think.
>
> I can understand a more formal indicator in the documentation, but for
> \? it is really just quick help, and showing SEPARATOR rather than the more
> generic STRING is clearer, I think.

My first reaction would be "now what counts as a separator?", because it 
sounds like some kind of special character, whereas with STRING it's
clear to me I can use any set of characters I like.

This is not an issue I would lose sleep over however.

Ian Barwick

Mon, 11 Mar 2002 23:44:18 +0100
Ian Barwick <barwick@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
> My first reaction would be "now what counts as a separator?", because it 
> sounds like some kind of special character, whereas with STRING it's
> clear to me I can use any set of characters I like.
> 
> This is not an issue I would lose sleep over however.

OK, we will use your patch version.  I like "PATTERN".

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

Mon, 11 Mar 2002 17:46:11 -0500 (EST)
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Re: psql and output from \?
Ian Barwick writes:

> So with no further ado I humbly submit the attached patch, which builds on
> your patch and tidies up / harmonises the \? output.

That looks a lot better.  A few things, though:

The change to \a seems to be wrong-headed.

The line for \du speaks of "configured" users.  There are no
"unconfigured" users.

\set should be \set [NAME [VALUE]], or strictly speaking even \set [NAME
[VALUE [...]]].

Some lines seem to be in excess of 80 characters.

I guess some of these weren't introduces by you, but if someone is going
to fix this, he might as well take care of these.

-- 
Peter Eisentraut   peter_e@gmx.net


Mon, 11 Mar 2002 18:34:36 -0500 (EST)
Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
On Tuesday 12 March 2002 00:34, Peter Eisentraut wrote:
> Ian Barwick writes:
> > So with no further ado I humbly submit the attached patch, which builds
> > on your patch and tidies up / harmonises the \? output.
>
> That looks a lot better.  A few things, though:
>
> The change to \a seems to be wrong-headed.

What do you mean by "wrong-headed"?
That it should read "toggle aligned output mode" ?
(Would be more logical).

> The line for \du speaks of "configured" users.  There are no
> "unconfigured" users.

That line was from the patch by Rod Taylor (March 1, 2002). Didn't think
to change it. Does "list users" do the job? BTW  psql-ref.sgml also
says "Lists all configured users (...)"

> \set should be \set [NAME [VALUE]], or strictly speaking even \set [NAME
> [VALUE [...]]].

True. I actually started out with:

 \set [NAME [STRING]] set internal variable (no name: list all; no string: '')

which is (almost) accurate but verbose.

> Some lines seem to be in excess of 80 characters.

Longest line is 74 columns (or 77 with the \set line above).

> I guess some of these weren't introduces by you, but if someone is going
> to fix this, he might as well take care of these.

Will submit another patch in the morning (it's late here).


Ian Barwick

Tue, 12 Mar 2002 00:55:27 +0100
Ian Barwick <barwick@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
Ian Barwick writes:

> > The change to \a seems to be wrong-headed.
>
> What do you mean by "wrong-headed"?

It's fine as it is and the change makes it less fine.

> > The line for \du speaks of "configured" users.  There are no
> > "unconfigured" users.
>
> That line was from the patch by Rod Taylor (March 1, 2002). Didn't think
> to change it. Does "list users" do the job? BTW  psql-ref.sgml also
> says "Lists all configured users (...)"

That is equally incorrect then.  "list users" is fine.

-- 
Peter Eisentraut   peter_e@gmx.net


Mon, 11 Mar 2002 19:19:17 -0500 (EST)
Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
> > The line for \du speaks of "configured" users.  There are no
> > "unconfigured" users.
>
> That line was from the patch by Rod Taylor (March 1, 2002). Didn't
think
> to change it. Does "list users" do the job? BTW  psql-ref.sgml also
> says "Lists all configured users (...)"

Thats exactly where I took the line from.


Mon, 11 Mar 2002 19:25:58 -0500
"Rod Taylor" <rbt@zort.ca>
Re: psql and output from \?
On Tuesday 12 March 2002 01:25, Rod Taylor wrote:
> (I wrote)
> > That line was from the patch by Rod Taylor (March 1, 2002). Didn't
>
> think
>
> > to change it. Does "list users" do the job? BTW  psql-ref.sgml also
> > says "Lists all configured users (...)"
>
> Thats exactly where I took the line from.

Aha. My apologies, should have been an obvious conclusion.


Ian Barwick

Wed, 13 Mar 2002 22:12:40 +0100
Ian Barwick <barwick@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?
> > I guess some of these weren't introduces by you, but if someone is going
> > to fix this, he might as well take care of these.
> 
> Will submit another patch in the morning (it's late here).

Ian, do you have another version of this patch ready?

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

Thu, 14 Mar 2002 16:40:18 -0500 (EST)
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Re: psql and output from \?
On Thursday 14 March 2002 22:40, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > > I guess some of these weren't introduces by you, but if someone is
> > > going to fix this, he might as well take care of these.
> >
> > Will submit another patch in the morning (it's late here).
>
> Ian, do you have another version of this patch ready?

Patch attached (diff against CVS, replacing previous patch).

Ian Barwick
Thu, 14 Mar 2002 23:30:09 +0100
Ian Barwick <barwick@gmx.net>
Re: psql and output from \?

Your patch has been added to the PostgreSQL unapplied patches list at:

	http://candle.pha.pa.us/cgi-bin/pgpatches

I will try to apply it within the next 48 hours.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Ian Barwick wrote:
> On Thursday 14 March 2002 22:40, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > > > I guess some of these weren't introduces by you, but if someone is
> > > > going to fix this, he might as well take care of these.
> > >
> > > Will submit another patch in the morning (it's late here).
> >
> > Ian, do you have another version of this patch ready?
> 
> Patch attached (diff against CVS, replacing previous patch).
> 
> Ian Barwick

[ Attachment, skipping... ]

> 
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 6: Have you searched our list archives?
> 
> http://archives.postgresql.org

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

Fri, 15 Mar 2002 11:27:13 -0500 (EST)
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Re: psql and output from \?

Patch applied.  Thanks.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------



Ian Barwick wrote:
> On Thursday 14 March 2002 22:40, Bruce Momjian wrote:
> > > > I guess some of these weren't introduces by you, but if someone is
> > > > going to fix this, he might as well take care of these.
> > >
> > > Will submit another patch in the morning (it's late here).
> >
> > Ian, do you have another version of this patch ready?
> 
> Patch attached (diff against CVS, replacing previous patch).
> 
> Ian Barwick

[ Attachment, skipping... ]

> 
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 6: Have you searched our list archives?
> 
> http://archives.postgresql.org

-- 
  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us
  pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610) 853-3000
  +  If your life is a hard drive,     |  830 Blythe Avenue
  +  Christ can be your backup.        |  Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

Mon, 18 Mar 2002 22:01:05 -0500 (EST)
Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us>
Re: psql and output from \?