Thread: Adding a Column documentation is misleading
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website: Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/ddl-alter.html Description: In 5.6.1. Adding a Column, there is a kind of example 'ALTER TABLE products ADD COLUMN description text;' The words 'description' and 'text' are misleading -- as according to the formal documentation of the SQL command (https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/sql-altertable.html), they should be 'column_name' and 'data_type'. A similar problem exists for removing a column, and other actions.
On 2019-Nov-06, PG Doc comments form wrote: > Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/ddl-alter.html > Description: > > In 5.6.1. Adding a Column, there is a kind of example 'ALTER TABLE products > ADD COLUMN description text;' > > The words 'description' and 'text' are misleading -- as according to the > formal documentation of the SQL command > (https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/sql-altertable.html), they should be > 'column_name' and 'data_type'. Well, it's an example, so "description" is the column name and "text" is its data type. If you had a table called products, you could run that command and it would work just fine (assuming you don't already have a column called description, doh). Maybe the example could be made clearer by using some other column name and some other data type, so that they don't resemble english prose or keywords. Maybe "alter table cities add column year_founded integer". Do you want to propose something better than that? > A similar problem exists for removing a column, and other actions. Let's hear your proposed changes. -- Álvaro Herrera https://www.2ndQuadrant.com/ PostgreSQL Development, 24x7 Support, Remote DBA, Training & Services
On Tuesday, November 5, 2019, PG Doc comments form <noreply@postgresql.org> wrote:
The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/ddl-alter.html
Description:
In 5.6.1. Adding a Column, there is a kind of example 'ALTER TABLE products
ADD COLUMN description text;'
The words 'description' and 'text' are misleading -- as according to the
formal documentation of the SQL command
(https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/sql-altertable.html), they should be
'column_name' and 'data_type'.
A similar problem exists for removing a column, and other actions.
Chapter 5 is tutorial-like and uses actual meaningful names instead of syntax placeholders. I don’t really see a problem aside from maybe a different example name could be chosen. Making it column_name isn’t an improvement.
David J.
On 07/11/2019 02:13, Alvaro Herrera wrote: > On 2019-Nov-06, PG Doc comments form wrote: > >> Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/ddl-alter.html >> Description: >> >> In 5.6.1. Adding a Column, there is a kind of example 'ALTER TABLE products >> ADD COLUMN description text;' >> >> The words 'description' and 'text' are misleading -- as according to the >> formal documentation of the SQL command >> (https://www.postgresql.org/docs/12/sql-altertable.html), they should be >> 'column_name' and 'data_type'. > Well, it's an example, so "description" is the column name and "text" is > its data type. If you had a table called products, you could run that > command and it would work just fine (assuming you don't already have a > column called description, doh). > > Maybe the example could be made clearer by using some other column name > and some other data type, so that they don't resemble english prose or > keywords. Maybe "alter table cities add column year_founded integer". > Do you want to propose something better than that? > >> A similar problem exists for removing a column, and other actions. > Let's hear your proposed changes. > Now it's explained, it is obvious! Sorry, for the noise. Cheers, Gavin