Re: error messages VERY misleading...!

On Wed, 21 Mar 2001, will trillich wrote:

> DECLARE
>     val int4;
> BEGIN
>     -- minutes
>     val := int( date_part(''epoch'',current_timestamp - $1) / 60 ) ;
>     IF val < 60 THEN
>         val := val / 5; -- round down to 5-minute chunks
>         IF val < 1
>             val := 1;
>         END IF;
>         return (val * 5) || '' min'';
>     END IF;
>     -- other time chunks follow
> END;
> ' LANGUAGE 'plpgsql';
>
>
>     do you see the problem? i sure didn't, not for SEVEN HOURS
>     (thankyouverymuch). here's why:
>
>
> psql=> SELECT showage( CURRENT_TIMESTAMP );
> ERROR:  parser: parse error at or near "$2"
>
>
> now WHO in their right mind would expect anyone to interpret
> 'parse error at $2' as '"IF" needs a "THEN", bubba; where's the
> "THEN", hmm?'?
>
> what $2? there's barely a $1! $2? WTF?
>
> AAUGH!
>
> </bitchmode>
>
> now, i know parsing for compilers/interpreters is a daunting
> task, and meaningful error messages aren't easy to generate...
> in postgresql plpgperl, you're lucky to get a relative line
> number. but i gotta admit, 'near $2' takes the cake! WOW.

My guess is that the variables are treated as $ things
($1 in this case is your argument, $2 == val)

So it's complaining at the val:=1 line.

Yeah, those messages could use help.