Re: One-shot expanded output in psql using \G

On Fri, Jan 27, 2017 at 8:31 AM, Stephen Frost <sfrost(at)snowman(dot)net> wrote:

> * Alvaro Herrera (alvherre(at)2ndquadrant(dot)com) wrote:
> > D'Arcy Cain wrote:
> >
> > > I am a pretty heavy user of psql but I don't think that that would be
> so
> > > helpful. I assume you mean a new option, let's call it "\X" the
> causes the
> > > next query to be expanded. I type "\X" then a query. I realize that
> I made
> > > a mistake and have to redo the query so I have to type "\X" again. If
> I
> > > forget then I have to run the query yet again.
> >
> > I think the suggestion is that \G replaces \g (which is the same thing
> > as the semicolon). So you would do this:
> >
> > SELECT * FROM table WHERE table_status = 1; % get a short list; normal
> output
> > SELECT * FROM table WHERE table_id = 123 \G % drill down to one ID
>
> Uh, I figured it was more like \g, which just re-runs the last query..
> As in, you'd do:
>
> table pg_proc; % blargh, I can't read it like this
> \G % ahh, much nicer
>

​This information surprised me. It was unexpected that the last
successfully executed query remains in the query buffer until the next SQL
(and not meta) command is started. I was expecting that as soon as result
was returned to the screen the current query buffer would be cleared in
preparation for the next query.​

A sentence or two describing this behavior (or, more generally the query
buffer itself), probably placed at the end of the "Entering SQL Commands"
section, would help to make this common knowledge.

David J.