Fwd: Question about the enum type - Mailing list pgsql-general

I answered my own question. Should have waited another 5 minutes
before composing the e-mail.


This page:


http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.3/interactive/sql-keywords-appendix.html


States that 'POSITION' is non-reserved, but cannot be a function or
type. Slightly confusing as stated - I appreciate that postgres tried
to accommodate me. Very mildly annoyed that there wasn't some kind of
notice regarding how it helpfully 're-named' my type.


I'm not an experienced administrator though - if this is
well-understood behavior, than consider me educated. ;)


Tim


Begin forwarded message:


<excerpt><bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>From:
</color></bold>Tim Hart <<tjhart@mac.com>

<bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Date:
</color></bold>February 17, 2008 8:24:44 PM CST

<bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>To:
</color></bold>pgsql-general@postgresql.org

<bold><color><param>0000,0000,0000</param>Subject: </color>Question
about the enum type

</bold>

I was playing around with the enum type today. I was toying around
with a schema to model information about baseball, and decided to
create an enum named position:


tjhart=# create type position as enum('pitcher', 'catcher', 'first
base', 'second base', 'third base', 'short stop', 'left field',
'center field', 'right field', 'designated hitter', 'pinch hitter');

CREATE TYPE


At first, I thought I had done something wrong:


tjhart=# select 'pitcher'::position;

ERROR:  syntax error at or near "position"

LINE 1: select 'pitcher'::position;


It took a bit of fumbling and reading - and closer inspection of the
following before I determined what happened:


tjhart=# \dT+ public.*;

                    List of data types

 Schema |    Name    | Internal name | Size | Description

--------+------------+---------------+------+-------------

 public | "position" | position      | 4    |

(1 row)


tjhart=# select 'right field'::"position";

  position

-------------

 right field

(1 row)


tjhart=#


The example 'mood' enum in the documentation isn't quoted when it's
created.


I noticed that 'position' is a function, but I can create types with
the same name as other functions (abs), and the name isn't quoted. I
also tried creating an enum type with a reserved word:


tjhart=# create type select as enum('foo');

ERROR:  syntax error at or near "select"

LINE 1: create type select as enum('foo');

                    ^


I'm just toying around, so this isn't high priority. I'll probably
change the name of the enum to fielding_position for clarity's sake
anyway. But for my own education - what's so unique about the name
'position'?


Tim Hart


</excerpt>
I answered my own question. Should have waited another 5 minutes before
composing the e-mail.

This page:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.3/interactive/sql-keywords-
appendix.html

States that 'POSITION' is non-reserved, but cannot be a function or
type. Slightly confusing as stated - I appreciate that postgres tried
to accommodate me. Very mildly annoyed that there wasn't some kind of
notice regarding how it helpfully 're-named' my type.

I'm not an experienced administrator though - if this is
well-understood behavior, than consider me educated. ;)

Tim

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Tim Hart <tjhart@mac.com>
> Date: February 17, 2008 8:24:44 PM CST
> To: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
> Subject: Question about the enum type
>
> I was playing around with the enum type today. I was toying around
> with a schema to model information about baseball, and decided to
> create an enum named position:
>
> tjhart=# create type position as enum('pitcher', 'catcher', 'first
> base', 'second base', 'third base', 'short stop', 'left field',
> 'center field', 'right field', 'designated hitter', 'pinch hitter');
> CREATE TYPE
>
> At first, I thought I had done something wrong:
>
> tjhart=# select 'pitcher'::position;
> ERROR:  syntax error at or near "position"
> LINE 1: select 'pitcher'::position;
>
> It took a bit of fumbling and reading - and closer inspection of the
> following before I determined what happened:
>
> tjhart=# \dT+ public.*;
>                     List of data types
>  Schema |    Name    | Internal name | Size | Description
> --------+------------+---------------+------+-------------
>  public | "position" | position      | 4    |
> (1 row)
>
> tjhart=# select 'right field'::"position";
>   position
> -------------
>  right field
> (1 row)
>
> tjhart=#
>
> The example 'mood' enum in the documentation isn't quoted when it's
> created.
>
> I noticed that 'position' is a function, but I can create types with
> the same name as other functions (abs), and the name isn't quoted. I
> also tried creating an enum type with a reserved word:
>
> tjhart=# create type select as enum('foo');
> ERROR:  syntax error at or near "select"
> LINE 1: create type select as enum('foo');
>                     ^
>
> I'm just toying around, so this isn't high priority. I'll probably
> change the name of the enum to fielding_position for clarity's sake
> anyway. But for my own education - what's so unique about the name
> 'position'?
>
> Tim Hart
>