casting TEXT to CIDR (or to INET) has to be possible

============================================================================
POSTGRESQL BUG REPORT TEMPLATE
============================================================================

Your name : Paul Vixie
Your email address : paul(at)vix(dot)com

System Configuration
---------------------
Architecture (example: Intel Pentium) : Intel Dual Pentium

Operating System (example: Linux 2.0.26 ELF) : Freebsd 4.3

PostgreSQL version (example: PostgreSQL-7.1.1): PostgreSQL-7.2devel

Compiler used (example: gcc 2.95.2) : gcc version 2.95.3

Please enter a FULL description of your problem:
------------------------------------------------

I know there's code in the server to convert presentation-format INET or CIDR
into internal format. To get the effect of C's "inet_netof()" I need to be
able to do this conversion from TEXT rather than from interpreter literals.

Please describe a way to repeat the problem. Please try to provide a
concise reproducible example, if at all possible:
----------------------------------------------------------------------

lartomatic=# select (host(relay)||'/18')::cidr from spam limit 5;
ERROR: Cannot cast type 'text' to 'cidr'
lartomatic=# select (host(relay)||'/18')::inet from spam limit 5;
ERROR: Cannot cast type 'text' to 'inet'

If you know how this problem might be fixed, list the solution below:
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Nope, this is beyond my abilities.