Re: Postgres 7.3.5 and count('x')

ramirez(at)idconcepts(dot)org (Edwin S. Ramirez) writes:
> It appears that the count('x') will no longer work without a type
> cast. Is this on purpose?

> warehouse=# select count('x') ;
> ERROR: cannot accept a value of type any

Hm, that query seems like it should be legal. (You get the same
from "select count('x') from some_table", so it's not the lack of
a table to iterate over that's the issue.)

The most direct fix is probably to make any_in() return some random
value (may as well be ((Datum) 0)) instead of producing an error.
I can't offhand see any real downside to doing so, but I'm a little
worried that it might introduce a gap in the type system. Can anyone
see a reason not to do that? Or a better fix for Edwin's complaint?

regards, tom lane