Re: Matching the MYSQL "Describe <table-name>" command

On Sun, Apr 24, 2005 at 07:02:16PM +0100, Alan Chandler wrote:
> I am rather new to Postgres (running 7.4) but I am trying to port some PHP
> code that has been built to run with mysql.
>
> I have got stuck trying to find the equivalent of the Mysql "DESCRIBE
> <tablename>;" SQL statement that lists the columns and type identifiers of a
> table.
>
> I think I am going to do a SELECT on the "pg_attribute" table, but I don't
> understand what the "attrelid" column of that table refers to. I need to get
> the table name of the column so that I can restrict the select with a WHERE
> clause so I assumed it was a key into the pg_class table, but I can't see a
> column in this table that could potentially correspond and therefore I could
> join to it.

select attrelid::regclass, format_type(atttypid, atttypmod) from
pg_attribute

I think it does more or less what you want.

The easiest way to know this sort of info is start psql with -E, and
then describe a table using \d. It will show you what queries it
issued.

attrelid is a FK to pg_class.oid, which is a system (therefore hidden)
column.

--
Alvaro Herrera (<alvherre[(at)]dcc(dot)uchile(dot)cl>)
"Lo esencial es invisible para los ojos" (A. de Saint Exúpery)