From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: "David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com>
cc: alexey.shishkin@enterprisedb.com, pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org
Subject: Re: correction suggestion for
 https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/auth-username-maps.html
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Comments: In-reply-to "David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com>
	message dated "Wed, 09 Jul 2025 08:15:09 -0700"
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Date: Wed, 09 Jul 2025 12:22:07 -0400
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"David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> writes:
> On Wed, Jul 9, 2025 at 7:56=E2=80=AFAM PG Doc comments form <noreply@pos=
tgresql.org>
> wrote:
>> Pls. let me suggest the correction for the
>> https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/auth-username-maps.html page.
>> It has the following sentence:
>> '
>> If the database-username field starts with a slash (/), the remainder o=
f
>> the
>> field is treated as a regular expression (see Section 9.7.3.1 for detai=
ls
>> of
>> PostgreSQL's regular expression syntax). It is not possible to use \1 t=
o
>> use
>> a capture from regular expression on system-username for a regular
>> expression on database-username.
>> '
>> It looks like 'to use a capture' has to be replaced by 'to capture'.
>> best regards

> What is written is factually correct.  Your suggestion makes it
> incorrect; and wouldn't be good English even if it was.

The existing sentence is pretty mangled English, though.  I think
it would be clearer as

  When the database-username field is a regular expression, it is
  not possible to use \1 within it to refer to a capture from
  the system-username field.

Thoughts?

			regards, tom lane