Re: New variable server_version_num

On Sat, Jul 29, 2006 at 09:44:10PM -0400, Tom Lane wrote:
> Greg Sabino Mullane <greg(at)turnstep(dot)com> writes:
> > small patch to provide a new variable "server_version_num", which
> > is almost the same as "server_version" but uses the handy
> > PG_VERSION_NUM which allows apps to do things like if ($version >=
> > 80200) without having to parse apart the value of server_version
> > themselves.
>
> This seems pretty useless, as it will be many years before any app
> that actually tries to deal with back server versions could rely on
> the variable existing.

In my case, its non-existence is a guarantee that the server version
number isn't high enough :)

> The correct solution is for client-side libraries to provide the
> feature.

Not if the app is written in SQL, as the bootstrap, regression test,
etc. code for modules frequently is.

> libpq already does (PQserverVersion()) ... and it works for any
> server version from about 6.4 forward ...

See above for why it's good also to have it surfaced to SQL :)

Cheers,
D
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David Fetter <david(at)fetter(dot)org> http://fetter.org/
phone: +1 415 235 3778 AIM: dfetter666
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