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From: Andrew Gierth <[email protected]>
To: Tom Lane <[email protected]>
Cc: [email protected]
Cc: [email protected]
Cc: Oliver Ford <[email protected]>
Cc: Krasiyan Andreev <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Add RESPECT/IGNORE NULLS and FROM FIRST/LAST options
Date: Tue, 25 Sep 2018 05:16:27 +0100
Message-ID: <[email protected]> (raw)
In-Reply-To: <[email protected]>
References: <CAGMVOdsbtRwE_4+v8zjH1d9xfovDeQAGLkP_B6k69_VoFEgX-A@mail.gmail.com>
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	<[email protected]>

So I've tried to rough out a decision tree for the various options on
how this might be implemented (discarding the "use precedence hacks"
option). Opinions? Additions?

(formatted for emacs outline-mode)

* 1. use lexical lookahead

  +: relatively straightforward parser changes
  +: no new reserved words
  +: has the option of working extensibly with all functions

  -: base_yylex needs extending to 3 lookahead tokens

** 1.1. Allow from/ignore clause on all (or all non-agg) window function calls

  If the clauses are legal on all window functions, what to do about existing
  window functions for which the clauses do not make sense?

*** 1.1.1. Ignore the clause when the function isn't aware of it

  +: simple
  -: somewhat surprising for users perhaps?

*** 1.1.2. Change the behavior of the windowapi in some consistent way

  Not sure if this can work.
  +: fairly simple(maybe?) and predictable
  -: changes the behavior of existing window functions

** 1.2. Allow from/ignore clause on only certain functions

  +: avoids any unexpected behavior
  -: needs some way to control what functions allow it

*** 1.2.1. Check the function name in parse analysis against a fixed list.

  +: simple
  -: not extensible

*** 1.2.2. Provide some option in CREATE FUNCTION

  +: extensible
  -: fairly intrusive, adding stuff to create function and pg_proc

*** 1.2.3. Do something magical with function argument types

  +: doesn't need changes in create function / pg_proc
  -: it's an ugly hack

* 2. reserve nth_value etc. as functions

  +: follows the spec reasonably well
  +: less of a hack than extending base_yylex

  -: new reserved words
  -: more parser rules
  -: not extensible

  (now goto 1.2.1)

* 3. "just say no" to the spec

  e.g. add new functions like lead_ignore_nulls(), or add extra boolean
  args to lead() etc. telling them to skip nulls

  +: simple
  -: doesn't conform to spec
  -: using extra args isn't quite the right semantics

-- 
Andrew (irc:RhodiumToad)

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