| Lists: | pgsql-hackers |
|---|
| From: | Wilfried Schobeiri <schobeiriw(at)videofurnace(dot)com> |
|---|---|
| To: | pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org |
| Subject: | Feature Request - Table Definition query |
| Date: | 2008-10-28 19:04:59 |
| Message-ID: | 8F38740B-B490-4D19-AD04-8DD52482578E@videofurnace.com |
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| Lists: | pgsql-hackers |
Howdy!
It was suggested to me that this proposed feature is interesting
enough to be floated around for discussion.
Don't get your hopes up, because the request is extremely simple:
It could be useful to have a command that returns the table definition
(like pg_dump -st) from within the query interface. This could be
particularly useful if one doesn't have access to or prefers not to
manipulate results coming from a shell. If I have an API from which to
query the database, it seems silly to have to spawn a shell and run a
command to query the very same database.
(I'm not exactly familiar with how pg_dump manipulates or extracts
that data, so this could be a very, very stupid question. If so,
please forgive me.)
Regards,
Wilfried Schobeiri
| From: | Svenne Krap <svenne(at)krap(dot)dk> |
|---|---|
| To: | Wilfried Schobeiri <schobeiriw(at)videofurnace(dot)com> |
| Cc: | pgsql-hackers(at)postgresql(dot)org |
| Subject: | Re: Feature Request - Table Definition query |
| Date: | 2008-10-29 08:20:24 |
| Message-ID: | 49081CC8.4010008@krap.dk |
| Views: | Raw Message | Whole Thread | Download mbox | Resend email |
| Lists: | pgsql-hackers |
> It could be useful to have a command that returns the table definition
> (like pg_dump -st) from within the query interface. This could be
> particularly useful if one doesn't have access to or prefers not to
> manipulate results coming from a shell. If I have an API from which to
> query the database, it seems silly to have to spawn a shell and run a
> command to query the very same database.
Yes. That functionality would be really appreciated by myself and a few
pgsql-users I know.
> (I'm not exactly familiar with how pg_dump manipulates or extracts
> that data, so this could be a very, very stupid question. If so,
> please forgive me.)
Me neither, but I think one of the problems is, that during upgrade you
are supposed to use pg_dump from the new version on the existing
database instance.
The server could most probably only generate its own format (not the
new) which might be a problem.
Perhaps it could be implemented by stored function (autoinstalled and
available in contrib or perhaps installed by a psql on first run) in a
namespace like pg_dump_84 (i.e. tagged with server version). If you want
to upgrade you could then install the new set of functions..
Psql could then be a thin wrapper (which calls the needed functions).
/Svenne