Re: [SQL] how to retrieve...

ZioBudda wrote:
>
> On Wed, 7 Apr 1999, Margarita Barvinok wrote:
>
> >
> > Try in psql
> > \d <table name>
> > Is this right answer on your question?
>
> no, I need it via a query...
> I want to recreate the structure of a table if I know the name of the
> table.
>

This is in the FAQ - but the answer there is 'look at the source and see
how \d tablename
does it with queries' ;-)

The freshly beta'd V 6.5 has a new optin '-E' (Explain?) where it will
show you the queries psql uses to get at the system table stuff. I
learned by poking arounf the source of pgaccess.tcl, which is included
in the distribution. Here's a partial example from one of my tables:

idas_proto=> \d "Teams"

Table = Teams
+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+-------+
| Field | Type |
Length|
+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+-------+
| TeamID | int4 not null
| 4 |
| TeamName | text
| var |
| TeamShortName | text
| var |
| TeamIDASRep | int4
| 4 |
| TeamLeader | int4
| 4 |
| TeamMission | text
| var |
| TeamDescription | text
| var |
| TeamImage | text
| var |
+----------------------------------+----------------------------------+-------+
Index: Teams_pkey
idas_proto=> select attname from pg_attribute pa, pg_class pc where
pa.attrelid=pc.oid and pc.relname='Teams';
attname
---------------
cmax
xmax
cmin
xmin
oid
ctid
TeamID
TeamName
TeamShortName
TeamIDASRep
TeamLeader
TeamMission
TeamDescription
TeamImage
(14 rows)

idas_proto=>

--
Ross J. Reedstrom, Ph.D., <reedstrm(at)rice(dot)edu>
NSBRI Research Scientist/Programmer
Computer and Information Technology Institute
Rice University, 6100 S. Main St., Houston, TX 77005