Re: Permanent settings - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Aidan Van Dyk
Subject Re: Permanent settings
Date
Msg-id 20080219153426.GJ10774@yugib.highrise.ca
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Permanent settings  (Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net>)
Responses Re: Permanent settings  (Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net>)
Re: Permanent settings  (Andrew Dunstan <andrew@dunslane.net>)
List pgsql-hackers
* Magnus Hagander <magnus@hagander.net> [080219 10:28]:

> > But if you *need* a way to "set permanent", couldn't you do with with
> > the following KISS idea?
> > 
> > Any "set permanent" settings should be *appended* to the main config
> > file, preferably with a comment line, like:
> >     # Set by user <USER> from client <CLIENT> on <TIMESTAMP>
> >     some_guc option = some_value
> 
> Are you suggesting we keep appending? So if I set the same parameter 100
> times, it would show up on 100 rows?

In my opinion, absolutely.  It's easy, safe, and the "overhead"
associated with it is minimal, and not in any critical path "work" path.
Add to that the fact that the admin can easily clean up the file any
time he wants too.

> > This does 2 things:
> > 
> > 1) Eliminates a need for a fancy config parser/editor/rewriter
> > 2) Makes it very easy to implement
> > 3) Even allows adminpack to have a "set_permanent" function that could do it
> >    all internally, and not actually need support in the backend core.
> 
> I should warn you that it's on my radar to try to find the compromises
> necessary to merge the required functionality away from adminpack and into
> core for 8.4. Not sure if I'll manage, but I'm certainly going to try.
> Having to install contrib modules to be able to read your logfiles (just
> one of several examples) is another thing that most users I've come in
> contact with hate.

Sure, but the "append via an adminpack function" has the added benifit
that it can easily be "backported" as a contrib module to the previous
versions that pgadmin supports as well.

a.

-- 
Aidan Van Dyk                                             Create like a god,
aidan@highrise.ca                                       command like a king,
http://www.highrise.ca/                                   work like a slave.

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