Received: from malur.postgresql.org ([217.196.149.56])
	by arkaria.postgresql.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:256)
	(Exim 4.89)
	(envelope-from <pgsql-docs-owner+archive@lists.postgresql.org>)
	id 1iiIbJ-0000De-0A
	for pgsql-docs@arkaria.postgresql.org; Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:45:53 +0000
Received: from localhost ([127.0.0.1] helo=malur.postgresql.org)
	by malur.postgresql.org with esmtp (Exim 4.89)
	(envelope-from <pgsql-docs-owner+archive@lists.postgresql.org>)
	id 1iiIbH-0001z6-65
	for pgsql-docs@arkaria.postgresql.org; Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:45:51 +0000
Received: from makus.postgresql.org ([2001:4800:3e1:1::229])
	by malur.postgresql.org with esmtps (TLS1.2:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_CBC_SHA1:256)
	(Exim 4.89)
	(envelope-from <bruce@momjian.us>)
	id 1iiIbG-0001yz-Qz
	for pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org; Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:45:50 +0000
Received: from momjian.us ([72.94.173.45])
	by makus.postgresql.org with esmtps (TLS1.3:ECDHE_RSA_AES_256_GCM_SHA384:256)
	(Exim 4.92)
	(envelope-from <bruce@momjian.us>)
	id 1iiIbA-000680-3k
	for pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org; Fri, 20 Dec 2019 13:45:49 +0000
Received: from bruce by momjian.us with local (Exim 4.92)
	(envelope-from <bruce@momjian.us>)
	id 1iiIb8-0007KO-0O; Fri, 20 Dec 2019 08:45:42 -0500
Date: Fri, 20 Dec 2019 08:45:41 -0500
From: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
To: "David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com>
Cc: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>, Pavlo Golub <pavlo.golub@gmail.com>,
	Laurenz Albe <laurenz.albe@cybertec.at>,
	"pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org" <pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: COPY manual is ambiguous about column list
Message-ID: <20191220134541.GB29807@momjian.us>
References: <157487729344.7213.14245726713444755296@wrigleys.postgresql.org>
 <4f3e2f301646d94ad33558e21fc77d5bf1ea1cdd.camel@cybertec.at>
 <CAMtUEpBmq3Mefkyh=RmkC4Fuqq+YtbUrr_nHnzxUwEbwm+CPfg@mail.gmail.com>
 <20191219165340.GP30116@momjian.us>
 <12751.1576817197@sss.pgh.pa.us>
 <CAKFQuwaxE-m5VKQkOapv+3kMnP2Q9hEb0NbGeBfqkQuX3UmVgQ@mail.gmail.com>
 <14696.1576819950@sss.pgh.pa.us>
 <CAKFQuwYHOpSfBcyX33Avt3ncrDsu6pxb-LXTm0SA+-nGWVSbhQ@mail.gmail.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="7JfCtLOvnd9MIVvH"
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
In-Reply-To: 
 <CAKFQuwYHOpSfBcyX33Avt3ncrDsu6pxb-LXTm0SA+-nGWVSbhQ@mail.gmail.com>
User-Agent: Mutt/1.10.1 (2018-07-13)
List-Id: <pgsql-docs.lists.postgresql.org>
List-Help: <https://lists.postgresql.org/manage/>
List-Subscribe: <https://lists.postgresql.org/manage/>
List-Post: <mailto:pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org>
List-Owner: <mailto:pgsql-docs-owner@lists.postgresql.org>
List-Archive: <https://www.postgresql.org/list/pgsql-docs>
Precedence: bulk


--7JfCtLOvnd9MIVvH
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1
Content-Disposition: inline
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

On Thu, Dec 19, 2019 at 10:33:48PM -0700, David G. Johnston wrote:
> On Thursday, December 19, 2019, Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> wrote:
> 
>     "David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> writes:
>     > Seems better to simply talk about each form independently:
> 
>     > If a list of columns is specified, <command>COPY TO</command> will only
>     > copy the data in the specified columns to the file.  <command>COPY
>     > FROM</command> will, by position (i.e., the number of columns listed must
>     > match the number of columns in the file), match each file column to the
>     > named column in the table.  Any additional columns present in the table
>     > will receive their default value.
> 
>     +1 for separating it like that, but your middle sentence reads awkwardly
>     to me.  How about something like
> 
>       <command>COPY FROM</command> will match each listed column in the table
>       to a file column by position (so the number of columns listed must match
>       the number of columns in the file).
> 
>                       
> 
> 
> +1

OK, how is this?

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com

+ As you are, so once was I.  As I am, so you will be. +
+                      Ancient Roman grave inscription +

--7JfCtLOvnd9MIVvH
Content-Type: text/x-diff; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="copy.diff"

diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml
new file mode 100644
index d9b7c4d..cf19706
*** a/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml
--- b/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml
*************** COPY { <replaceable class="parameter">ta
*** 61,71 ****
    </para>
  
    <para>
!    If a list of columns is specified, <command>COPY</command> will
!    only copy the data in the specified columns to or from the file.
!    If there are any columns in the table that are not in the column list,
!    <command>COPY FROM</command> will insert the default values for
!    those columns.
    </para>
  
    <para>
--- 61,72 ----
    </para>
  
    <para>
!    If a column list is specified, <command>COPY TO</command> copies only
!    the data in the specified columns to the file.  If a column list is
!    specified in <command>COPY FROM</command>, the number and position of
!    the columns must match those fields in the file.  Table columns not
!    specified in the <command>COPY FROM</command> column list will insert
!    their default values.
    </para>
  
    <para>

--7JfCtLOvnd9MIVvH--