Re: Bug?? -- Alter table drop constraint doesn't seem to work on a primary key constraint in 7.2beta2

Tom,

I was looking at the 7.2 docs online at developer.postgresql.org. The
only example of 'drop constraint' in the text for the 'alter table'
command shows its usage without the RESTRICT/CASCADE option. I also
noticed that RESTRICT/CASCADE is not defined in the description of alter
table so I am not really sure what each does.

But I still can't get it to work for me. Consider the following test case:

create table test (col_a integer not null, col_b text);
alter table test add constraint test_pk primary key (col_a);
alter table test drop constraint test_pk restrict;
alter table test drop constraint test_pk cascade;

produces the following output:

files31=# \i test.sql
CREATE
psql:test.sql:6: NOTICE: ALTER TABLE / ADD PRIMARY KEY will create
implicit index 'test_pk' for table 'test'
CREATE
psql:test.sql:8: ERROR: ALTER TABLE / DROP CONSTRAINT: test_pk does not
exist
psql:test.sql:10: ERROR: ALTER TABLE / DROP CONSTRAINT does not support
the CASCADE keyword

Notice that it doesn't seem to be able to drop the primary key
constraint that was just created when I use the RESTRICT keyword and it
claims not to support the CASCADE keyword at all.

thanks,
--Barry

Tom Lane wrote:

> Barry Lind <barry(at)xythos(dot)com> writes:
>
>>files31=# alter table XYF_FILES DROP CONSTRAINT XYF_FILES_PK;
>>ERROR: parser: parse error at or near ";"
>>
>
> You forgot the RESTRICT/CASCADE option.
>
>
>>I am assuming that this syntax should work because it is documented in
>>the 7.2 docs.
>>
>
> If it's documented without the option then the docs are in error;
> where are you looking?
>
> regards, tom lane
>
>