Re: Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. . - Mailing list pgsql-bugs

From Roland Roberts
Subject Re: Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. .
Date
Msg-id m2wvlbatbz.fsf@tycho.rlent.pnet
Whole thread Raw
In response to Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. .  ("Klein, Robert" <rvklein@ober.com>)
Responses Re: Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. .  (Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>)
List pgsql-bugs
>>>>> "Tom" == Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> writes:

    Tom> "Klein, Robert" <rvklein@ober.com> writes:
    >> [ attlen for a char(n) field is -1 ]

    >> I know in previous versions the length as defined in the create
    >> table statement was given.  Any ideas?

    Tom> Must have been quite a few versions back; attlen has been -1
    Tom> for variable-length datatypes for as long as I've been paying
    Tom> attention. (Of course char(n) isn't *really* variable length,
    Tom> but it's treated that way so that the representation is the
    Tom> same as for varchar(n) and text.)

When did this change?  I haven't looked 6.5, but I thought 6.3 still
has bpchar as fixed length and char(n) was blank padded whereas
varchar was not.

roland
--
               PGP Key ID: 66 BC 3B CD
Roland B. Roberts, PhD                    Unix Software Solutions
roberts@panix.com                      76-15 113th Street, Apt 3B
rbroberts@acm.org                          Forest Hills, NY 11375

pgsql-bugs by date:

Previous
From: Tom Lane
Date:
Subject: Re: Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. .
Next
From: Tom Lane
Date:
Subject: Re: Need some help: attlen is pg_attributes gives a negative value.. .