Message-ID: <dd69c01c44c475f0f651f09e1b1a3d742d49714e.camel@cybertec.at>
Subject: Re: Unclear wording
From: Laurenz Albe <laurenz.albe@cybertec.at>
To: postgresql@mackler.email, pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org
Date: Sat, 12 Jul 2025 12:19:29 +0200
In-Reply-To: <175225033172.858621.3992434425623506886@wrigleys.postgresql.org>
References: 
	<175225033172.858621.3992434425623506886@wrigleys.postgresql.org>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
User-Agent: Evolution 3.56.2 (3.56.2-1.fc42) 
MIME-Version: 1.0
Archived-At: 
 <https://www.postgresql.org/message-id/dd69c01c44c475f0f651f09e1b1a3d742d49714e.camel%40cybertec.at>
Precedence: bulk

On Fri, 2025-07-11 at 16:12 +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:
> Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/17/ddl-schemas.html
> Description:
>=20
> In =C2=A75.10.3 these two sentences seem inconsistent:
>=20
> > When objects are referenced in any other context without schema
> qualification...the search path is traversed until a matching object is
> found. Therefore, in the default configuration, any unqualified access ag=
ain
> can only refer to the public schema.
>=20
> Either unqualified access can refer to any schema in the search path,
> because the search path is traversed until a matching object is found, or
> else unqualified access can only refer to the public schema because the
> search path will not be traversed looking in other schemas for a matching
> object, but both of those possibilities conflict with one or the other of
> the sentences quoted from the manual.
>=20
> Obviously I'm missing something; I don't know which of the two sentences
> quoted from the manual to believe, or if I am to understand both are true=
,
> what I am misunderstanding about their meaning.

I don't see an inconsistency.  The key phrase is "in the default configurat=
ion".
The default value for 'search_path' is '"$user", public'.
Now by default there is no schema with the same name as the database user, =
so
the effective default search path is just the 'public' schema.

Yours,
Laurenz Albe