Re: Docs: make source file path references consistent

> On Jan 8, 2026, at 14:44, Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:
>
> Chao Li <li(dot)evan(dot)chao(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
>> On Dec 25, 2025, at 17:07, Chao Li <li(dot)evan(dot)chao(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:
>>> This patch is derived from [1]. While reviewing that thread, I noticed that when the documentation refers to .h and .cfiles in the PostgreSQL source tree, it uses a mix of full source-tree paths and short relative paths. This inconsistency can be confusing for future documentation authors, who may be unsure which form to use.
>
>> Added to CF for tracking: https://commitfest.postgresql.org/patch/6380/
>
> Is this actually worth spending time on?
>
> Sure, in an ideal world every last line of our source code and
> documentation would be totally consistent and read like it had
> flowed from a single pen. But the effort to get there seems
> out of proportion to the value, and the effort to keep it there
> over time would be even more so.

That’s a fair point. I agree it’s unrealistic to flow everything from a single pen. I noticed some inconsistencies in both the source tree and the documentation and was trying to make a small improvement. In my understanding, PG is built by many contributors around the world, with each person adding a small brick over time.

>
> I'd be much happier to see us spending time on, say, improving
> the many barely-intelligible comments in the code. That takes
> serious thought and work though (ChatGPT is unlikely to help).
>

I will withdraw this patch and put my time elsewhere. Thanks for the perspective.

Best regards,
--
Chao Li (Evan)
HighGo Software Co., Ltd.
https://www.highgo.com/