Re: Request for comment on setting binary format output per session - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

On Mon, Oct 9, 2023 at 4:25 PM Jeff Davis <pgsql@j-davis.com> wrote:
> Another thing to consider is that using a GUC for binary formats is a
> protocol change in a way that client_encoding is not. The existing
> documentation for the protocol already specifies when binary formats
> will be used, and a GUC would change that behavior. We absolutely would
> need to update the documentation, and clients (like psql) really should
> be updated.

I think the idea of using a new parameterFormat value is a good one.
Let 0 and 1 continue to mean what they mean, and let clients opt in to
the new mechanism if they're aware of it.

I think it's a pretty bad idea to dump new protocol behavior on
clients who have in no way indicated that they know about it.

--
Robert Haas
EDB: http://www.enterprisedb.com