Re: psql: customizable readline history filename

Andreas Seltenreich wrote:
> Hi,
>
> the following patch makes the filename used to store the readline
> history customizable through a variable named HISTFILE, analogous to
> psql's already implemented HISTCONTROL and HISTSIZE variables, and
> bash's HISTFILE-Variable.
>
> The motivation was to be able to get psql to maintain separate
> histories for separate databases. This is now easily achievable
> through a line like the following in ~/.psqlrc:
>
> \set HISTFILE ~/.psql_history- :DBNAME

I have applied your patch with slight modifications; new version
attached.

Win32 doesn't have tilde expansion, so your idea of using
"~/.psql_history" as a default would not work --- I had to keep the
get_home_path() code in there.

I decided to make psql_history a file static variable, so we would not
have to recompute its value when writing the history file.

I noticed your documentation example had a space before :DBNAME --- I
removed the space.

You had the idea of not saving the history on exit if HISTFILE is not
set. I don't think we have community agreement on that change, and I
bet we wouldn't get it. (I have removed your documentation mention of
this.) I think setting HISTSIZE to zero has that effect already if
people want it.

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