Thanks for the link / explanation -- hadn't seen this use before.
GW
----- Original Message -----
> From: Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@gmail.com>
> To: Greg Williamson <gwilliamson39@yahoo.com>
> Cc: "pgsql-general@postgresql.org" <pgsql-general@postgresql.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 3:13 PM
> Subject: Re: [GENERAL] ERROR: syntax error at or near ":"
>
> On 03/06/2013 03:04 PM, Greg Williamson wrote:
>>
>>
>> Graham --
>>
>>> ________________________________
>>> From: Graham Leggett <minfrin@sharp.fm>
>>> To: "pgsql-general@postgresql.org"
> <pgsql-general@postgresql.org>
>>> Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 2:41 PM
>>> Subject: [GENERAL] ERROR: syntax error at or near ":"
>>>
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> I have a text file, and I need to update the value of an element in a
> table with the contents of this text file. Following the instructions at
> http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10968039/postgresql-inserting-value-of-a-column-from-a-file
> I tried this, but get the error below, which I do not understand.
>>>
>>> Can anyone explain what might be going wrong, and what I should do
> instead?
>>>
>>> patricia=# \set content `cat /tmp/certificates.txt`
>>> patricia=# update property set value = :'content' where key =
> 'patricia.home.security.cacerts';
>>> ERROR: syntax error at or near ":"
>>> LINE 1: update property set value = :'content' where key =
> 'patricia...
>>> ^
>>>
>> The colon (":") is not needed, just remove it. A pair of colons
> is used to indicate a cast of a value; off hand I am not coming up with any use
> of a colon in basic SQL.
>
> http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.2/interactive/app-psql.html#APP-PSQL-INTERPOLATION
>
>>
>> Greg W.
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Adrian Klaver
> adrian.klaver@gmail.com
>
>
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