Re: ERROR: syntax error at or near ":"

Graham --

>________________________________
> From: Graham Leggett <minfrin(at)sharp(dot)fm>
>To: "pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org" <pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org>
>Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 2:41 PM
>Subject: [GENERAL] ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":"
>
>Hi all,
>
>I have a text file, and I need to update the value of an element in a table with the contents of this text file. Following the instructions at http://stackoverflow.com/questions/10968039/postgresql-inserting-value-of-a-column-from-a-file I tried this, but get the error below, which I do not understand.
>
>Can anyone explain what might be going wrong, and what I should do instead?
>
>patricia=# \set content `cat /tmp/certificates.txt`
>patricia=# update property set value = :'content' where key = 'patricia.home.security.cacerts';
>ERROR:  syntax error at or near ":"
>LINE 1: update property set value = :'content' where key = 'patricia...
>                                    ^
>
The colon (":") is not needed, just remove it. A pair of colons is used to indicate a cast of a value; off hand I am not coming up with any use of a colon in basic SQL.

Greg W.