Re: Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. . - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

"Klein, Robert" <rvklein@ober.com> writes:
> [ attlen for a char(n) field is -1 ]

> I know in previous versions the length as defined in the create table
> statement was given.  Any ideas?

Must have been quite a few versions back; attlen has been -1 for
variable-length datatypes for as long as I've been paying attention.
(Of course char(n) isn't *really* variable length, but it's treated
that way so that the representation is the same as for varchar(n) and
text.)

atttypmod is what you want for determining the length of char(n) fields.
I believe it's n+4 for a char(n) field.

            regards, tom lane