Thread: Please add example

Please add example

From
PG Doc comments form
Date:
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/functions-formatting.html
Description:

On this screen:
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/functions-formatting.html

Please consider adding this as an example:
to_char( (now()-INTERVAL '10 minutes') AT TIME ZONE
'UTC','YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI')

Output: 2019-09-05T15:43

Why:
This will demonstrate not only formatting but how to deal with converting
your local timestamp to other timestamps and how to get times relative to
the current time.  This is extremely helpful as a way to deal with so many
external system that need UTC time zones like AWS while your database uses
local time zones.  

This example would have totally changed how I would have dealt with many
issues in my software.  But since the example did not exist I had no idea I
could have went down this path.  

Thanks,

Lance

Re: Please add example

From
Bruce Momjian
Date:
On Thu, Sep  5, 2019 at 03:58:22PM +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:
> The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
> 
> Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/functions-formatting.html
> Description:
> 
> On this screen:
> https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/functions-formatting.html
> 
> Please consider adding this as an example:
> to_char( (now()-INTERVAL '10 minutes') AT TIME ZONE
> 'UTC','YYYY-MM-DD"T"HH24:MI')
> 
> Output: 2019-09-05T15:43
> 
> Why:
> This will demonstrate not only formatting but how to deal with converting
> your local timestamp to other timestamps and how to get times relative to
> the current time.  This is extremely helpful as a way to deal with so many
> external system that need UTC time zones like AWS while your database uses
> local time zones.  
> 
> This example would have totally changed how I would have dealt with many
> issues in my software.  But since the example did not exist I had no idea I
> could have went down this path.  

I did improve the AT TIME ZONE docs in 2018:

    commit dd6073f22a
    Author: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
    Date:   Tue Sep 4 22:34:07 2018 -0400
    
        docs:  improve AT TIME ZONE description
    
        The previous description was unclear.  Also add a third example, change
        use of time zone acronyms to more verbose descriptions, and add a
        mention that using 'time' with AT TIME ZONE uses the current time zone
        rules.
    
        Backpatch-through: 9.3

and you can see the results here:

    https://www.postgresql.org/docs/11/functions-datetime.html#FUNCTIONS-DATETIME-ZONECONVERT

I am not sure it helps to try to show AT TIME ZONE behavior in the
to_char docs.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com

+ As you are, so once was I.  As I am, so you will be. +
+                      Ancient Roman grave inscription +