Re: format() function with string_agg

SQL with VARIADIC also gives the same error in 9.1:

select format('%s %s', VARIADIC array_agg(val))
from (values ('1'),('2')) src (val)
==
ERROR: too few arguments for format

********** Error **********

ERROR: too few arguments for format
SQL state: 22023

On Wed, Sep 24, 2014 at 9:34 AM, David Johnston <david(dot)g(dot)johnston(at)gmail(dot)com>
wrote:

> Note that the second query you noted has an error - i left out the
> VARIADIC modifier before the array_agg()
>
> The 9.1 and 9.3 documentation match with respect to the above so it should
> work in theory...
>
> You should supply the exact queries you attempted; and at the moment I
> cannot test anything except 9.0 and 9.3 so maybe someone else can confirm.
>
> David J.
>
> On Wed, Sep 24, 2014 at 9:26 AM, Raj Gandhi <raj01gandhi(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:
>
>> I tried both SQLs in Postgres 9.1 but they failed with same error -
>> "ERROR: too few arguments for format"
>>
>> select format('%s %s', VARIADIC array_agg(val)) from (values ('1'),('2'))
>> src (val)
>>
>> select format(string_agg(fmt_prt, ';'), array_agg(val))
>> from (values ('%s','1'),('%s','2')) src (fmt_prt, val)
>>
>> ==
>> ERROR: too few arguments for format
>>
>> ********** Error **********
>>
>> ERROR: too few arguments for format
>> SQL state: 22023
>>
>>
>> It looks like the error is specific to 9.1 since it worked for you in
>> 9.3.
>> I can't upgrade to 9.3 soon. Is there any workaround or another way to
>> achieve the formatting of message?
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Sep 23, 2014 at 11:09 PM, David G Johnston <
>> david(dot)g(dot)johnston(at)gmail(dot)com> wrote:
>>
>>> Raj Gandhi wrote
>>> > I'm trying to use format() function with string_agg with Postgres 9.1.9
>>> > but
>>> > getting error - "too few arguments for format"
>>> >
>>> > I have two tables t_message and t_message_args. Table t_message has
>>> > 'message' column with text in the format 'Test message first arg is
>>> %1$s
>>> > and second arg %2$s end-of-message'
>>> >
>>> > id | integer |
>>> > message | character varying |
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > And the second table t_message_args contains message argument and
>>> values
>>> > id | integer |
>>> > arg | integer |
>>> > argvalue | character varying |
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > Here is the SQL that uses format() function to retrieve formatted
>>> message
>>> > by replacing arg value in the message:
>>> > =
>>> > select m.id, format(m.message, string_agg(a.argvalue, ',' order by
>>> a.arg)
>>> > from t_message m, t_message_args a
>>> > where m.id = a.id
>>> > group by m.id, m.message
>>> >
>>> >
>>> > ERROR: too few arguments for format
>>> >
>>> > ********** Error **********
>>> >
>>> > ERROR: too few arguments for format
>>> > SQL state: 22023
>>>
>>> format('%s %s', '1', '2'); --works
>>> format('%s %s, array['1','2']) -- doesn't work
>>>
>>> http://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.3/interactive/xfunc-sql.html
>>>
>>> (arguably this is not SQL language specific and should be relocated to a
>>> more generic part of the documentation...)
>>>
>>>
>>> > You can't actually write that, though — or at least, it will not match
>>> > this function definition. A parameter marked VARIADIC matches one or
>>> more
>>> > occurrences of its element type, not of its own type.
>>> >
>>> > Sometimes it is useful to be able to pass an already-constructed array
>>> to
>>> > a variadic function; this is particularly handy when one variadic
>>> function
>>> > wants to pass on its array parameter to another one. You can do that by
>>> > specifying VARIADIC in the call:
>>>
>>> select format('%s %s', VARIADIC array_agg(val)) from (values ('1'),('2'))
>>> src (val) -- works
>>>
>>> Note the use of array_agg(); string_agg() returns text, not an array, so
>>> its
>>> not going to be of use here - unless you want to build up the specifier
>>> portion on the fly too:
>>>
>>> select format(string_agg(fmt_prt, ';'), array_agg(val))
>>> from (values ('%s','1'),('%s','2')) src (fmt_prt, val) --works
>>>
>>> David J.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
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>>>
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>>
>>
>