Re: massive quotes?

Tom Lane wrote:
> Bruce Momjian <pgman@candle.pha.pa.us> writes:
> > Let me jump in --- there is the issue of how to prevent the backend from
> > running the query through the lexer/parser.  The cleanest idea presented
> > was:
> > [snip]
> 
> That's the same idea that was being discussed in this thread.  I was
> trying to remind people of the existence of prior discussion with
> different (and IMHO better) ideas.
> 
> > The interesting thing I missed at first viewing was that there is a
> > semicolon after the first line.  This allows the backend to go into a
> > COPY-like mode where the client can pass lines to the backend bypassing
> > the lexer/parser.
> 
> What I don't like about this scheme is that it requires mods on both the
> backend and client sides, to solve a problem that could be solved as
> well or better (and definitely more simply) on the client side alone.
> People are being misled by considering only psql, which is so stupid
> that it might actually not need any change to be used with a COPY-based
> function definition mode.  I doubt that is true of any other client.
> For a client that actually understands it's doing a function definition,
> this is *not* simpler nor better.  Instead of running a
> string-literal-quotify transformation on the function text (which you
> must admit is trivial), the client has to support switching into the
> COPY protocol.  That's not simpler.  Add in any meaningful error
> recovery (what do you do if the backend doesn't switch into COPY mode?)
> and it's substantially more complex.

I was assuming when someone executes a COPY FROM STDIN in psql, that the
backend returns something saying, "I am in COPY FROM STDIN mode, pass
all text to me until I say stop".  If that's how it works, wouldn't psql
work with no changes.  I am concerned about psql having to identify when
you are creating a function using the STDIN format.  How would it know?

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