Re: Fixed length datatypes. WAS [GENERAL] UUID's as

On Fri, Jun 30, 2006 at 12:39:52PM -0400, mark@mark.mielke.cc wrote:
> > Only this could be used to create other types too, for cryptographic
> > functions for example. PostgreSQL doesn't have any type generators yet,
> > so I'm unsure whether a patch creating one would be accepted for core.
> 
> Not sure what I think of this. I suppose the intention would be for it
> to work for lengths other than 16? I can see people wanting to use such
> a generalized function for char as well as bytea, for at least latin1
> characters...
> 
> If people agree to a generic 16-byte type, or a hex type with defined
> fixed length with a set of standard functions and index operators that
> it should work for, but nobody more qualified wants to make the patch
> - I'll step up.

I think it'd be extremely useful to have a means of defining
fixed-length hex types, such as UUIDs and hashes (ie: SHA1). I usually
only see people trying to do the same thing for CHAR in poorly-designed
systems, but I suspect anyone dealing with legacy stuff might welcome
that ability as well.
-- 
Jim C. Nasby, Sr. Engineering Consultant      jnasby@pervasive.com
Pervasive Software      http://pervasive.com    work: 512-231-6117
vcard: http://jim.nasby.net/pervasive.vcf       cell: 512-569-9461