Re: "name" vs "alias" in datatype table

On Wed, Nov 29, 2023 at 10:26 AM Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:

> I could see splitting this into three columns:
>
> 1. Preferred name (the standard's name, if it's a standard type)
>
> 2. Internal name (pg_type.typname), perhaps only if different from #1
>
> 3. Other aliases
>

I like the preferred name being the preferred name and focal point, as most
users aren't going to much care about internal type names. For "int",
"decimal" and "char", how about a "shorthand" column? Wouldn't be too
wide. So:

1. Name
2. Shorthand
3. Internal name
4. Description

And maybe a paragraph at the top explaining that types have multiple names
that can be used interchangeably, but users are encouraged to use the
standard names for beauty and clarity.

I could also see splitting this into two tables. First just a) Name,
Description. Second, a paragraph about internal names and such, then b)
Name, Shorthand, Internal Name, Description. That way for quick reference
people will just see a simple table that gets 90% of readers what they need.