Re: timeout implementation issues

Jessica Perry Hekman <jphekman(at)dynamicdiagrams(dot)com> writes:
> What's a GUC variable?

A parameter that you can set with SET.

> Would this apply to all subsequent statements? I
> think it needs to apply to just the specified statement.

Yes, if the JDBC spec expects this to be applied to just a single
statement, then a SET variable doesn't fit very nicely with that.
You'd have to have logic on the application side to reset the variable
to "no limit" after the statement --- and this could be rather
difficult. (For example, if you are inside a transaction block and
the statement errors out, you won't be able to simply issue a new SET;
so you'd have to remember that you needed a SET until after you exit
the transaction block. Ugh.)

On the other hand, we do not have anything in the backend now that
applies to just one statement and then automatically resets afterwards;
and I'm not eager to add a parameter with that behavior just for JDBC's
convenience. It seems like it'd be a big wart.

regards, tom lane