Re: psql and output from \?

Peter Eisentraut wrote:
> Ian Barwick writes:
> 
> >   Appended is a list of relevant backslash commands, their current
> >   description as produced by  \?, the respective manpage description (or
> >   first part thereof) and suggested replacment for the \? description.
> >   Assumption is that square brackets - as used elsewhere within the
> >   \? output and the manpage documentation - imply optional parameters.
> 
> Nicely observed.  Please send in a patch.  Accurate documentation is
> important.

Done.

> Also, the part in the parentheses is ambiguous.  Maybe "(without
> arguments: unset)".

I made it consistent with others, no parens.
 fprintf(fout, _(" \\f [SEPARATOR] set field separator, or unset if none\n")

> 
> > psql \? new:
> > \d [ RELATION ] describe relation (table, view, index or sequence)
> 
> Comma before "or".

Already done.

> 
> > psql \? new:
> > \e [ FILENAME ]  edit the current query buffer or file with external editor
> 
> Maybe drop the "current".  (This was not introduced by you, but you might
> as well do it.)

I removed current in all \? cases when describing query buffer.

> 
> Something that's also annoyed me for a while is that the PLACEHOLDER
> strings are inconsistent in whether they describe the data type or the
> semantics of the argument.  I think the data type is ultimately more
> useful, as the semantics come from the documentation string by definition.
> 
> So instead of \C TITLE maybe better \C STRING, and instead of \d TABLE use
> \d IDENTIFIER (or maybe NAME).  The latter has two advantages:  First
> you're not passing \d a table descriptor, if there was such a thing.  And
> second, it informs the user that the SQL identifier quoting rules will
> apply to the argument.  I guess FILENAME and DIRNAME are ok as "data
> types", but all the other stuff can go, I think.

I can understand a more formal indicator in the documentation, but for
\? it is really just quick help, and showing SEPARATOR rather than the more
generic STRING is clearer, I think.

--  Bruce Momjian                        |  http://candle.pha.pa.us pgman@candle.pha.pa.us               |  (610)
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