Re: How to add locale support for each column?

Dennis Bjorklund <db(at)zigo(dot)dhs(dot)org> writes:

> Still, we want the final solution to be what the sql standard specify. A
> function as the proposed is however useful until a standard sql solution
> is implemented. I've used a similar function for some projects and it have
> worked well for me also.

I haven't read the standard in this area (and the sections I have read don't
lead me to think reading this section would be a trivial task), but from what
I've seen people describe here I think the standard behaviour will be nigh
useless anyway. From what I understand the standard has you declare a locale
per column. That would mean the entire column can only store strings from a
single locale.

So in my application I would need to declare a new set of columns in every
table every time I localize it for a new language. And worse, for
user-provided input where each input could be in the user's locale language I
wouldn't be able to store it in a properly normalized table where one column
stores the user's input in whatever locale he prefers.

I actually would prefer an interface like he describes. And I think it's
enlightening that everyone that tries their hand at this seems to come up with
an interface much like this. You say you did for example, and I did also when
I needed a strxfrm interface. (I discussed it on the list but strangely the
list archives search isn't finding it)

> I think such a function fits perfect in contrib.

I would like to see all the locale handling functions people have proposed
over time gathered up and merged into a single coherent source base. There are
probably a lot of duplicate code, and some could probably benefit from copying
code from others.

I don't think this is just a stop-gap solution though. I expect it would live
on in contrib and continue to be useful even if the standard locale handling
is ever implemented -- which will only happen if someone somewhere finds it
would actually be useful for their needs.

Possibly it would be useful to consider this as a low level interface. Then
define a localized data type that uses it to implement the standard behaviour.

--
greg