Re: Logical Replication upgrade - Mailing list pgsql-docs

From David G. Johnston
Subject Re: Logical Replication upgrade
Date
Msg-id CAKFQuwZ86BE49-gzFunuu=u1ieT+T6q900=1Cx=vuO9Aqv9kcg@mail.gmail.com
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In response to Logical Replication upgrade  (PG Doc comments form <noreply@postgresql.org>)
Responses Re: Logical Replication upgrade
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On Wed, Apr 15, 2026 at 7:52 AM PG Doc comments form <noreply@postgresql.org> wrote:
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/18/logical-replication-upgrade.html
Description:

Hello there,

I don't know if it's me but I find this sentence quite confusing in its
current wording:
All slots on the old cluster must be usable, i.e., there are no slots whose
pg_replication_slots.conflicting is not true.

The prerequisite is that no replication slot has conflicting=true right?
So this sentence (the i.e. part) suggests the opposite, as per my
understanding.

Here is the link (29.13.1):
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/logical-replication-upgrade.html#STEPS-TWO-NODE-CIRCULAR-LOGICAL-REPLICATION-CLUSTER:~:text=there%20are%20no%20slots%20whose%20pg_replication_slots.conflicting%20is%20not%20true


You are correct.  Usage of a double-negative should be avoided as a matter of style, but in this case it actually resolves to an untrue statement.


I've copied the committer for this.  Removing the "not" is simple enough; though writing in the negative sense, while good for an SQL where clause, does make reading in English more difficult.  Would rather say "all slots must be false" rather than "no slots can be true".  The next item regarding no persistent slots has the same complaint though it is factually correct as written.  Though NULL is a valid value here so maybe the negative phrasing is indeed necessary...

David J.

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