connectby questions - Mailing list pgsql-sql

I just installed 7.3rc1 and added contrib/tablefunc.  I am able to get the
example in the README document to work.  I am having trouble understanding
how to get my real data to behave.

The table is:

freshports=# \d element                               Table "public.element"      Column        |     Type     |
           Modifiers
 
---------------------+--------------+--------------------------------------------------id                  | integer
 | not null default
 
nextval('element_id_seq'::text)name                | text         | not nullparent_id           | integer
|directory_file_flag| character(1) | not nullstatus              | character(1) | not null
 

I have been able to get simple examples to work:

freshports=# select id, parent_id from connectby('element', 'id',
'parent_id', '104503', 0) as t(id int, parent_id int, level int);  id   | parent_id
--------+-----------104503 |104504 |    104503104505 |    104503
(3 rows)

Why does level not appear here?  I see a similar problem with this query:

freshports=# select id, parent_id from connectby('element', 'id',
'parent_id', '104503', 0, '/') as t(id int, parent_id int, level int,
branch text);  id   | parent_id
--------+-----------104503 |104504 |    104503104505 |    104503
(3 rows)

Here is the actual data for the above nodes:

freshports=# select * from element where id in (104503, 104504, 104505);  id   |     name     | parent_id |
directory_file_flag| status
 
--------+--------------+-----------+---------------------+--------104503 | multimedia   |     77344 | D
 | A104504 | Makefile     |    104503 | F                   | A104505 | chapter.sgml |    104503 | F
|A
 
(3 rows)

What I would like to include in the output is all of the above fields.
But I can't seem to get that to work:

freshports=# select id, parent_id, name from connectby('element', 'id',
'parent_id', '104503', 0, '/') ast(id int, parent_id int, level int, branch text, name text);
ERROR:  Query-specified return tuple not valid for Connectby: wrong number
of columns

I was able to do this with a view:
freshports=# create view simple_element as select id, parent_id from
element;
CREATE VIEW

freshports=# select * from connectby('simple_element', 'id', 'parent_id',
'104503', 0, '/') as t(id int,
parent_id int, level int, branch text);  id   | parent_id | level |    branch
--------+-----------+-------+---------------104503 |           |     0 | 104503104504 |    104503 |     1 |
104503/104504104505|    104503 |     1 | 104503/104505
 
(3 rows)

Whis is expected given what I see in the README.

But there doesn't seem to be any way to get the name field out:

freshports=# drop view simple_element;
DROP VIEW
freshports=# create view simple_element as select id, parent_id, name from
element;
CREATE VIEW
freshports=# select * from connectby('simple_element', 'id', 'parent_id',
'104503', 0, '/') as t(id int,
parent_id int, level int, branch text);  id   | parent_id | level |    branch
--------+-----------+-------+---------------104503 |           |     0 | 104503104504 |    104503 |     1 |
104503/104504104505|    104503 |     1 | 104503/104505
 
(3 rows)

freshports=# select * from connectby('simple_element', 'id', 'parent_id',
'104503', 0, '/') as t(id int, parent_id int, level int, branch text, name
text);
ERROR:  Query-specified return tuple not valid for Connectby: wrong number
of columns
freshports=#


I hope it's just that it's late and I'm missing something.  Cheers.