request for feature - mixed case name handling

From: Ben Kim <bkim(at)coe(dot)tamu(dot)edu>
To: pgsql-admin(at)postgresql(dot)org
Subject: request for feature - mixed case name handling
Date: 2004-11-11 05:21:28
Message-ID: Pine.GSO.4.10.10411102121580.838-100000@edsun.coe.tamu.edu
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I guess this may or may not belong here, but may I ask people's opinion on
requesting an improvement.

I have a database with mixed case table names (like "MixedCaseTable") and
column names (like "MixedCaseColumn"). I have many tables so would like to
use descriptive names, so chose to use mixed case names instead of using _
to separate words. It is good for readability and complex naming, but I
have these problems.

1. Some automated development tools, including Dreamweaver, Netbeans,
dbVisualizer and other tools cannot work with the mixed case names. I
cannot insert a recordset, e.g. I think between those tools-postgresql
(like in phakt) or tools-jdbc-postgresql (unlike jdbc, odbc seems to
handle it OK), there are different expectations. For example, in
Dreamweaver with jsp/jdbc, it gets the mixed case table/column names
correctly but "cannot find table" if I try to "view data". Recordsets and
server behaviors do not work correctly.

2. On psql, the tab (auto)completion is a convenient feature for long
names.

However, it doesn't work with mixed case names. With a table name like
"aTableName", if I do [select * from aTableN<tab>] it gives me [select *
from aTableName]. It gets completed OK. But when I run it, I get an error
"table atablename not found" since the autocompletion doesn't add ""
around the table names and the name subsequently gets treated as a
lowercase name, so I have to add quotes around manually.

If I do [select * from "aTableN<tab>], I get no autocompletion.

3. I know the official answer to this problem is that postgresql is SQL92
compliant in that "unquoted names are case insensitive". But I also saw
some people in this list having problems with this handling of mixed case.

I would like to submit a request, or whatever is appropriate, asking the
development team to solve this problem. I wonder what it takes for it to
be a valid request?

This problem is not so much of developer's lazyness or ignorance, but more
of the general assumptions hidden in the automated development tools.

We can go after the tool vendors one by one and shout and scream for
accommodation of postgresql's handling of the mixed case names, but we
have one postgresql and so many development tool vendors so it doesn't
seem to be the right way.

For your reference, mysql recognizes mixed case identifiers and keeps it
across the board without quotes. Dreamweaver works fine with mysql on
mixed case names. As someone on this list suggested a while back, if this
"compliance with SQL92 case insensitivity" can be turned on or off based
on users' preference, it would be really great.

If anyone in this list is facing a similar problem, I would like to ask
for opinions on this list.

Although I spoke of inconveniences, let me say I deeply appreciate the
efforts of the developers.

Thanks.

Ben Kim
Database Developer/Systems Administrator
College of Education
Texas A&M University

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