Re: SELECT ... FOR UPDATE [WAIT integer | NOWAIT] for 8.5

2009/5/11 Hans-Jürgen Schönig <postgres@cybertec.at>:
> i agree that a GUC is definitely an option.
> however, i would say that adding an extension to SELECT FOR UPDATE, UPDATE
> and DELETE would make more sense form a usability point of view (just my
> 0.02 cents).

I kinda agree with this.  I believe Tom was arguing upthread that any
change of this short should touch all of the places where NOWAIT is
accepted now, and I agree with that.  But having to issue SET as a
separate statement and then maybe do another SET afterward to get the
old value back doesn't seem like it provides any real advantage.  GUCs
are good for properties that you want to set and leave set, not so
good for things that are associated with particular statements.

It also seems to me that there's no reason for NOWAIT to be part of
the syntax, but WAIT n to be a GUC.

...Robert