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Thread: suggestion: docs and psql

suggestion: docs and psql

From
Karel Zak
Date:
I see help in psql for 'create table' and this syntax description is a
short and basic only. It is without 'table_constraint_clause' (FK ..etc).
But it is not problem in the psql. The psql generate internal help from 
SGML docs. Hmm, in this docs is a syntax description split to more blocks
and psql not use all blocks.
For example in InterBase in M$-Win help is *full* syntax always in one block
on help begin and detail description is behind. Not is it better? 
                        Karel

/* ----------------* Karel Zak  *  zakkr@zf.jcu.cz  *  http://home.zf.jcu.cz/~zakkr/*           C, PostgreSQL, PHP,
WWW,http://docs.linux.cz* ----------------*/

Re: suggestion: docs and psql

From
Karel Zak
Date:
On Fri, 5 May 2000, Peter Eisentraut wrote:

> On Fri, 5 May 2000, Karel Zak wrote:
> 
> >  I see help in psql for 'create table' and this syntax description is a
> > short and basic only. It is without 'table_constraint_clause' (FK ..etc).
> 
> \! man create_table
Oh yes, but it is not nice.

> 
> >  But it is not problem in the psql. The psql generate internal help from 
> > SGML docs. Hmm, in this docs is a syntax description split to more blocks
> > and psql not use all blocks.
> 
> Hmm, we could try to mess around with that. I've been thinking about
> extending the help display a little to include at least some narrative but
> that almost requires a full SGML parser. Now, if someone wants to write a
> DSSSL stylesheet for psql's purposes ... ;)
Full syntax in one block is more nice not only for psql, but for native
reading too. You not must scroll and search where syntax description
contionue...
                        Karel

Re: suggestion: docs and psql

From
Thomas Lockhart
Date:
> > Hmm, we could try to mess around with that. I've been thinking about
> > extending the help display a little to include at least some narrative but
> > that almost requires a full SGML parser. Now, if someone wants to write a
> > DSSSL stylesheet for psql's purposes ... ;)

Hmm. We could convert the docs to XML (the wave of the future, someday
;), then start using XML for the frontend/backend protocol (I've read
that M$ and others claim to be doing this, though I'm not sure why
they want to take the hit on the fat ascii tagging typical with XML).

Once we've done that, then you can use the same XML parser and XSL
stylesheets to display help and display results from queries :))

>  Full syntax in one block is more nice not only for psql, but for native
> reading too. You not must scroll and search where syntax description
> contionue...

If you want, try it out with the sgml docs and we can see if it is
usable/readable. Worries about that are the only reason they are done
the way they are currently.
                      - Thomas

-- 
Thomas Lockhart                lockhart@alumni.caltech.edu
South Pasadena, California

RE: suggestion: docs and psql

From
Magnus Hagander
Date:
> > > Hmm, we could try to mess around with that. I've been 
> thinking about
> > > extending the help display a little to include at least 
> some narrative but
> > > that almost requires a full SGML parser. Now, if someone 
> wants to write a
> > > DSSSL stylesheet for psql's purposes ... ;)
> 
> Hmm. We could convert the docs to XML (the wave of the future, someday
> ;), then start using XML for the frontend/backend protocol (I've read
> that M$ and others claim to be doing this, though I'm not sure why
> they want to take the hit on the fat ascii tagging typical with XML).

In the case of Microsoft, they support XML if you want to (so you can query
it right away from your browser (IE, of course...) without the need for a
client library - e.g. "http://servername/somedb?sql=<SQL QUERY>"), but the
native format of the client libraries (such as OLE DB or ODBC) is still TDS.

I guess it makes sense in the way that you can do everything from the
browser without running any code on the webserver (cgi/asp/whatever).

//Magnus