Re: correction suggestion for https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/auth-username-maps.html

"David G. Johnston" <david(dot)g(dot)johnston(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
> On Wed, Jul 9, 2025 at 7:56 AM PG Doc comments form <noreply(at)postgresql(dot)org>
> wrote:
>> Pls. let me suggest the correction for the
>> https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/auth-username-maps.html page.
>> It has the following sentence:
>> '
>> If the database-username field starts with a slash (/), the remainder of
>> the
>> field is treated as a regular expression (see Section 9.7.3.1 for details
>> of
>> PostgreSQL's regular expression syntax). It is not possible to use \1 to
>> use
>> a capture from regular expression on system-username for a regular
>> expression on database-username.
>> '
>> It looks like 'to use a capture' has to be replaced by 'to capture'.
>> best regards

> What is written is factually correct. Your suggestion makes it
> incorrect; and wouldn't be good English even if it was.

The existing sentence is pretty mangled English, though. I think
it would be clearer as

When the database-username field is a regular expression, it is
not possible to use \1 within it to refer to a capture from
the system-username field.

Thoughts?

regards, tom lane