Date: Sun, 9 Jan 2005 00:41:56 -0700
From: Michael Fuhr <mike@fuhr.org>
To: pgsql-docs@postgresql.org
Subject: Adding a Column: default values now allowed
Message-ID: <20050109074156.GA35473@winnie.fuhr.org>
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PostgreSQL 8.0.0rc4

5.6.1 "Adding a Column" says:

  Also, you cannot define a default value on a new column.  According
  to the SQL standard, this would have to fill the new columns in the
  existing rows with the default value, which is not implemented yet.

Adding a column with a default appears to be implemented now:

CREATE TABLE foo (label text);
INSERT INTO foo VALUES ('item 1');
INSERT INTO foo VALUES ('item 2');
INSERT INTO foo VALUES ('item 3');
ALTER TABLE foo ADD COLUMN value integer DEFAULT 123;
SELECT * FROM foo;
 label  | value 
--------+-------
 item 1 |   123
 item 2 |   123
 item 3 |   123
(3 rows)

-- 
Michael Fuhr
http://www.fuhr.org/~mfuhr/