Fwd: Question about the enum type

I answered my own question. Should have waited another 5 minutes before
composing the e-mail.

This page:

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/8.3/interactive/sql-keywords-
appendix.html

States that 'POSITION' is non-reserved, but cannot be a function or
type. Slightly confusing as stated - I appreciate that postgres tried
to accommodate me. Very mildly annoyed that there wasn't some kind of
notice regarding how it helpfully 're-named' my type.

I'm not an experienced administrator though - if this is
well-understood behavior, than consider me educated. ;)

Tim

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Tim Hart <tjhart(at)mac(dot)com>
> Date: February 17, 2008 8:24:44 PM CST
> To: pgsql-general(at)postgresql(dot)org
> Subject: Question about the enum type
>
> I was playing around with the enum type today. I was toying around
> with a schema to model information about baseball, and decided to
> create an enum named position:
>
> tjhart=# create type position as enum('pitcher', 'catcher', 'first
> base', 'second base', 'third base', 'short stop', 'left field',
> 'center field', 'right field', 'designated hitter', 'pinch hitter');
> CREATE TYPE
>
> At first, I thought I had done something wrong:
>
> tjhart=# select 'pitcher'::position;
> ERROR: syntax error at or near "position"
> LINE 1: select 'pitcher'::position;
>
> It took a bit of fumbling and reading - and closer inspection of the
> following before I determined what happened:
>
> tjhart=# \dT+ public.*;
> List of data types
> Schema | Name | Internal name | Size | Description
> --------+------------+---------------+------+-------------
> public | "position" | position | 4 |
> (1 row)
>
> tjhart=# select 'right field'::"position";
> position
> -------------
> right field
> (1 row)
>
> tjhart=#
>
> The example 'mood' enum in the documentation isn't quoted when it's
> created.
>
> I noticed that 'position' is a function, but I can create types with
> the same name as other functions (abs), and the name isn't quoted. I
> also tried creating an enum type with a reserved word:
>
> tjhart=# create type select as enum('foo');
> ERROR: syntax error at or near "select"
> LINE 1: create type select as enum('foo');
> ^
>
> I'm just toying around, so this isn't high priority. I'll probably
> change the name of the enum to fielding_position for clarity's sake
> anyway. But for my own education - what's so unique about the name
> 'position'?
>
> Tim Hart
>