Re: Add \i option to bring in the specified file as a quoted literal - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

From Alvaro Herrera
Subject Re: Add \i option to bring in the specified file as a quoted literal
Date
Msg-id 20131121200350.GB6041@eldon.alvh.no-ip.org
Whole thread Raw
In response to Re: Add \i option to bring in the specified file as a quoted literal  (Piotr Marcinczyk <pmarcinc@gmail.com>)
Responses Re: Add \i option to bring in the specified file as a quoted literal
List pgsql-hackers
Piotr Marcinczyk escribió:

>         <varlistentry>
> +         <term><literal>\ib <replaceable class="parameter">filename</replaceable> [ <replaceable
class="parameter">quote_string</replaceable>] </literal></term>
 
> +         <listitem>
> +         <para>
> +         The <literal>\ib</> command appends content of file <literal>filename</literal> 
> +         to current query buffer. If parameter <literal>quote_string</literal> 
> +         is not set, no quotation is used. If it is set, content of file will be
> +         quoted by <literal>quote_string</literal> enclosed in <literal>$</literal>.
> +         </para>
> +         </listitem>
> +       </varlistentry>

Doesn't this quoting thing seem like a usability problem?  I mean,
there's no way you can possibly know what string to use unless you first
verify the contents of the file yourself.  I think this is something
that should be done automatically by psql.

But, really, having to read stuff and transform into a quoted literal
seems wrong to me.  I would like something that would read into a client
variable that can later be used as a positional parameter to a
parametrized query, so

\ib homer ~/photos/homer.jpg
insert into people (name, photo) values ('Homer', :homer);

and have psql turn that into 

PQexecParams("insert into people (name, photo) values ('homer', $1)",    some_array_with_homer);

so that no quoting needs to happen anywhere.

-- 
Álvaro Herrera                http://www.2ndQuadrant.com/
PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Training & Services



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