Re: [HACKERS] backslash in psql output

From: Bruce Momjian <maillist(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us>
To: tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us (Tom Lane)
Cc: hackers(at)postgreSQL(dot)org
Subject: Re: [HACKERS] backslash in psql output
Date: 1998-10-11 01:45:50
Message-ID: 199810110145.VAA01988@candle.pha.pa.us
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> You can't tell the difference between a NULL field and an all-blanks
> value in this format; nor can you really be sure how many trailing
> blanks there are in tuples 3 and 5. So the goal is readability,
> not lack of ambiguity. Given that goal, I don't see the value of
> printing backslash escapes. Are you really having difficulty telling
> the data vertical bar from the ones used as column separators?
> Physical alignment is the cue the eye relies on, I think.
>
> The only cases that PQprint inserted backslashes for were the column
> separator char (unnecessary per above example), newlines (also not
> exactly hard to recognize), and backslash itself. All of these
> seem unnecessary and confusing to me.

OK, I understand your point here, that we must maximize readability, and
that robustness is not as important.

OK, let's keep the removal of backslashes. Can you recommend a nice
NULL display, perhaps '[NULL]' or '<NULL>'?

--
Bruce Momjian | http://www.op.net/~candle
maillist(at)candle(dot)pha(dot)pa(dot)us | (610) 853-3000
+ If your life is a hard drive, | 830 Blythe Avenue
+ Christ can be your backup. | Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania 19026

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