Adding a Column: default values now allowed

From: Michael Fuhr <mike(at)fuhr(dot)org>
To: pgsql-docs(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: Adding a Column: default values now allowed
Date: 2005-01-09 07:41:56
Message-ID: 20050109074156.GA35473@winnie.fuhr.org
Views: Raw Message | Whole Thread | Download mbox | Resend email
Thread:
Lists: pgsql-docs

PostgreSQL 8.0.0rc4

5.6.1 "Adding a Column" says:

Also, you cannot define a default value on a new column. According
to the SQL standard, this would have to fill the new columns in the
existing rows with the default value, which is not implemented yet.

Adding a column with a default appears to be implemented now:

CREATE TABLE foo (label text);
INSERT INTO foo VALUES ('item 1');
INSERT INTO foo VALUES ('item 2');
INSERT INTO foo VALUES ('item 3');
ALTER TABLE foo ADD COLUMN value integer DEFAULT 123;
SELECT * FROM foo;
label | value
--------+-------
item 1 | 123
item 2 | 123
item 3 | 123
(3 rows)

--
Michael Fuhr
http://www.fuhr.org/~mfuhr/

Responses

Browse pgsql-docs by date

  From Date Subject
Next Message Tom Lane 2005-01-09 16:57:42 Re: Adding a Column: default values now allowed
Previous Message Tom Lane 2005-01-06 20:54:01 Re: syntax error with example sql of createtable