Re: [patch] Proposal for \crosstabview in psql

Dean Rasheed wrote:

> I don't think we should allow sorting colV values client-side,
> overriding a server-side ORDER BY clause in the query.

I shared that opinion until (IIRC) the v8 or v9 of the patch.
Most of the evolution of this patch has been to go
from no client-side sorting option at all, to the full range
of possibilities, ascending or descending, and in both
vertical and horizontal directions.

I agree that colV sorting can be achieved through the
query's ORDER BY, which additionally is more efficient
so it should be the primary choice.

The reason to allow [+/-]colV in \crosstabview is because
I think the average user will expect it, by symmetry with colH.
As the display is reorganized to be like a "grid" instead of a "list
with several columns", we shift the focus to the symmetry
between horizontal and vertical headers, rather than on
the pre-crosstab form of the resultset, even if it's the
same data.
It's easier for the user to just stick a + in front of a column
reference than to figure out that the same result could
be achieved by editing the query and changing/adding
an ORDER BY.

Or said otherwise, having the [+/-] colV sorting is a way to
avoid the question:
"we can sort the horizontal header, so why can't we sort the
vertical header just the same?"

Best regards,
--
Daniel Vérité
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