On Wed, 2006-08-09 at 09:02 -0400, Merlin Moncure wrote:
is there a way to configure psql/readline so that it doesn't clear the
screen after browsing a query with 'q'?
I assume you're using the less text pager on a Unix box. I think what you're seeing is less clearing the screen after displaying a query (i.e., it's not psql or readline).
I like the following invocation: less -iMSx4 -FX (see less manpage for explanation). This is particularly useful with ' \pset pager always' (in .psqlrc). The upshot is that less will decide whether the contents fit on one screen both horizontally and vertically; if so it'll display and quit without any interaction, and if not it will permit scrolling in one or both directions.
There are two ways you might enable this:
- set and export the LESS environment variable in your shell setup, like this in .bashrc:
export LESS='-iMSx4 -FX'
- prefix your psql invocation with the LESS environment variable setting, like this:
$ LESS='iMSx4 -FX' psql <optargs...>
-Reece
