Re: SQL-spec incompatibilities in similar_escape() and related stuff

Andrew Gierth <andrew@tao11.riddles.org.uk> writes:
> "Andrew" == Andrew Gierth <andrew@tao11.riddles.org.uk> writes:
>  Andrew> The ESCAPE part could in theory be ambiguous if the SIMILAR
>  Andrew> expression ends in a ... SIMILAR TO xxx operator, since then we
>  Andrew> wouldn't know whether to attach the ESCAPE to that or keep it
>  Andrew> as part of the function syntax. But I think this is probably a
>  Andrew> non-issue. More significant is that ... COLNAME ! ESCAPE ...
>  Andrew> again has postfix- vs. infix-operator ambiguities.

> And this ambiguity shows up already in other contexts:

> select 'foo' similar to 'f' || escape escape escape from (values ('oo')) v(escape);
> psql: ERROR:  syntax error at or near "escape"
> LINE 1: select 'foo' similar to 'f' || escape escape escape from (va...


Hmm.  Oddly, you can't fix it by adding parens:

regression=# select 'foo' similar to ('f' || escape) escape escape from (values ('oo')) v(escape);
psql: ERROR:  syntax error at or near "escape"
LINE 1: select 'foo' similar to ('f' || escape) escape escape from (...
                                        ^

Since "escape" is an unreserved word, I'd have expected that to work.
Odd.

The big picture here is that fixing grammar ambiguities by adding
precedence is a dangerous business :-(

            regards, tom lane