Re: [HACKERS] psql updates

Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
> ... I'd particularly be interested whether the readline related
> compilation problem is gone, since by readline's CHANGELOG I cannot
> decode when or where the problem was introduced or removed.

It was still there, but I fixed it.  Given the lack of any clear version
info for libreadline, adding a configure-time test seems to be the
way to go.

The particular problem I saw was that the exported variable
rl_completion_append_character doesn't exist in old versions of
libreadline.  (How old?  I dunno, but a RedHat 4.2 box I have access to
has a libreadline that's like that.)  I arranged to #ifdef out psql's
attempt to set the variable unless configure sees that the variable
is declared in <libreadline.h>.  With that change, psql builds
successfully against that libreadline version.  The tab-completion
behavior seems a little flaky (if you press tab when you don't have
a partial keyword typed, it wipes out whatever word you do have typed)
but I doubt it is worth trying to fix that.  I'm satisfied if psql
builds and is usable --- anyone who complains about the tab behavior
can be told they need a newer libreadline.
        regards, tom lane