Re: A suggestion about the usage manual of \d command - Mailing list pgsql-docs

From yuanchao zhang
Subject Re: A suggestion about the usage manual of \d command
Date
Msg-id CAADcJZOaae_jsiEQuW=58hwwPjZB47Jv9Mhf8H4KAJ_GANwa5Q@mail.gmail.com
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In response to Re: A suggestion about the usage manual of \d command  ("David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com>)
Responses Re: A suggestion about the usage manual of \d command
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Okay, no problem. I just encountered this issue and was experiencing some inconvenience as a user. If I have more detailed thoughts, I can add them later. Thank you for your reply anyway.

Best regards
Yuanchao Zhang

David G. Johnston <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> 于2026年2月27日周五 22:12写道:
On Friday, February 27, 2026, yuanchao zhang <zhangyc0706@gmail.com> wrote:
Hi,
I created a domain object named `numeric` using the following statement: `CREATE DOMAIN numeric AS NUMERIC(12,2) DEFAULT 0 CHECK (VALUE >= 0);` After executing this SQL, it indicated that the domain was created successfully. However, when I executed `\dD` in psql, the created domain could not be displayed.

The reason is that the name I used is the same as a built-in type (of course, similar issues exist not only with domains). However, our manual for the `\dD` command lacks relevant explanations, which can mislead users. Users might think an object was successfully created, but the `\d` command doesn't display it, which could make beginners doubt whether the object was created successfully. I suggest adding necessary explanations to the `\d` command's manual.

As explained in your bug report the documentation already covers namespaces, types, and the pattern argument to the \d meta commands.  Covering all of that within the scope of the specific “\dD” meta command to explain your example case is very unappealing.  I honestly don’t see this going anywhere unless you propose specific text and location suggestions for what such a patch should look like.  A real patch is even better, but with solid enough ideas someone might volunteer to bundle it all into sgml format.

David J.

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