Re: Re: csv format for psql - Mailing list pgsql-hackers

Hello Pavel,

[...]

it is correct. Default format is aligned, that doesn't use fieldsep.

My comment is that currently fieldsep is kind of a variable, the value of which is displayed and reliable wrt commands executed afterwards, and the proposed approach changes that by adding a new "default" state.

[...]

There should be similar mechanism like fieldsep_zero, that reset settings.
Some like fieldsep_default.

The user-visible fieldsep_zero is a horrible hack which exposes the fact that C strings cannot hold character zero because it is the end of string marker. The user should not have to care! I wish it would be simply removed, and that "\pset fieldsep '\0'" or something like that would do the trick.

Having another one of these, which would create 4 boolean states which would have to be interpreted (eg if default is true and zero is true and sep is ';', and format is csv, what will I get?) by the user to guess what is going to happen looks unhelpful.

For me adding another user-visible fieldsep-related boolean a no go.

Also, if I do "\pset fielsep ''" then the \pset output does not allow to
distinguish between the unset state and set to empty state.

This is question - how to fieldsep be related to current format. Aligned
format doesn't use fieldsep.

For me \pset reflects the current value of output options. With the proposed approach it does not mean that anymore, as already said above.

I would not expect a committer to accept such a strange no-possible-return
to previous state because of a hidden state (whether fieldsep has been set
or not in the past) behavior.

This design is very similar to already implemented fieldsep_zero - look to
code. It is nothing new.

Alas you are right. I suggest not to go on the same path again:-)

So I can do better?

Dunno. Possibly.

1. use special default string for formats that doesn't field sep - like
"not used" or some
2. I can implemet the option fieldsep_default - very similary to
fieldsep_zero to reset fieldsep to default state.

I strongly dislike option 2, as expressed above. I would enthousiastically review any patch that would aim are removing these "*_zero" options. I might submit it someday.

I'm more unclear about option 1. Maybe it could be managed cleanly.

I'm still at odds that it would mean that \pset would not show the actual setting anymore, but something harder to explain, "actual value or some format-specific value, depending".

--
Fabien.