Re: check_function_bodies not doing much

Marcelo Lacerda <marceloslacerda(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
> I was trying to get postgres to warn me that I'm referencing a table that
> it doesn't exists inside a function so I was told on the IRC to check the
> setting "check_function_bodies", however when I use it in a plpgsql
> function it doesn't actually check if the tables in the body exist. Is this
> the correct behavior?

Yes. It's supposed to be a syntax check, not a check that the function
would work when executed. (Depending on the particular PL you're using,
which you didn't mention, it might be a pretty weak syntax check too.)

An example of why a thorough check would be inadvisable is that a trigger
function might contain references to OLD and NEW that are in code paths
protected by checks on the trigger event type. That could be perfectly
OK, but a static check couldn't tell.

I believe there are some external tools floating around that check things
more aggressively, and hence with a higher rate of false positives.

regards, tom lane