Description of SIGHUP GUC parameters

From: Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us>
To: pgsql-docs(at)postgreSQL(dot)org
Subject: Description of SIGHUP GUC parameters
Date: 2006-01-21 19:46:03
Message-ID: 28949.1137872763@sss.pgh.pa.us
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Currently, the standard boilerplate description of a SIGHUP parameter
is

This option can only be set at server start or in the
<filename>postgresql.conf</filename> file.

We've heard from more than one person who found this confusing ---
frequently it's misread as saying that the parameter cannot be changed
after postmaster start. Doubtless this is partly because the
boilerplate phrase for a POSTMASTER parameter is

This option can only be set at server start.

However, previous discussions have dried up without coming up with a
better phrase. It occurred to me today that this might work better:

This option can only be set in the <filename>postgresql.conf</>
file or on the server command line.

I think mentioning the config file first is important to focus attention
on that. The only other way to set these parameters is via command-line
switches, so we should just say that rather than emphasizing the "server
start time" aspect of it, which is exactly what not to emphasize.

Comments?

regards, tom lane

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