Re: proposal: a validator for configuration files

Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> writes:
> On Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 8:02 PM, Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> wrote:
>> 2. Tentatively apply the new custom_variable_classes setting if any.

> Is there any way that we could get *rid* of custom_variable_classes?
> The idea of using a GUC to define the set of valid GUCs seems
> intrinsically problematic.

Well, we could just drop it and say you can set any dotted-name GUC
you feel like.  The only reason to have it is to have some modicum of
error checking ... but I'm not sure why we should bother if there's no
checking on the second half of the name.  Not sure if that's going too
far in the laissez-faire direction, though.  I can definitely imagine
people complaining "I set plpqsql.variable_conflict in postgresql.conf
and it didn't do anything, how come?"
        regards, tom lane