Обсуждение: SHOW command always returns text field

I was slightly surprised the other day that the SHOW command always
returns a field of type text even if the underlying parameter has one of
the other types (int, real, etc.).  Is this intentional?  Would it be
worth refining?

Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
> I was slightly surprised the other day that the SHOW command always
> returns a field of type text even if the underlying parameter has one of
> the other types (int, real, etc.).  Is this intentional?  Would it be
> worth refining?

I'm disinclined to mess with it.  One thing that couldn't easily be
"cleaned up" is the textual output for nominally-numeric parameters
that have units.
        regards, tom lane

Excerpts from Tom Lane's message of mié ago 10 14:12:49 -0400 2011:
> Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
> > I was slightly surprised the other day that the SHOW command always
> > returns a field of type text even if the underlying parameter has one of
> > the other types (int, real, etc.).  Is this intentional?  Would it be
> > worth refining?
> 
> I'm disinclined to mess with it.  One thing that couldn't easily be
> "cleaned up" is the textual output for nominally-numeric parameters
> that have units.

How about having it return a record?  We could have the units in a
separate column ... and perhaps show the raw value too (I have wished to
see the raw value plenty of times).  Backwards compatibility is a
serious problem though :-)

-- 
Álvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com>
The PostgreSQL Company - Command Prompt, Inc.
PostgreSQL Replication, Consulting, Custom Development, 24x7 support

Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@commandprompt.com> writes:
> Excerpts from Tom Lane's message of mié ago 10 14:12:49 -0400 2011:
>> Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net> writes:
>>> I was slightly surprised the other day that the SHOW command always
>>> returns a field of type text even if the underlying parameter has one of
>>> the other types (int, real, etc.).  Is this intentional?  Would it be
>>> worth refining?

>> I'm disinclined to mess with it.  One thing that couldn't easily be
>> "cleaned up" is the textual output for nominally-numeric parameters
>> that have units.

> How about having it return a record?

I think that's already covered by the pg_settings view.  The question is
whether plain SHOW ought to change.  I don't see the point.
        regards, tom lane