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From: Peter Smith <[email protected]>
To: PostgreSQL Hackers <[email protected]>
Subject: DOCS - System Applications 'datadir' parameter
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:27:50 +1100
Message-ID: <CAHut+PvCOQqMi0zRk3GecbYzm5xX1wQixxm9Qs3oXXr5fFCUgw@mail.gmail.com> (raw)

Hi.

In most places, each of the Server Application documentation pages [1]
refers to the directory where the database cluster lives as 'datadir'.
However, a few places called it 'directory' instead.

This patch changes the outliers also to 'datadir', making everything
more consistent.

e.g.
initdb: change in Synopsis and Options
pg_checksums: change in Options
pg_controldata: OK
pg_createsubscriber: change in Options
pg_ctl: OK
pg_resetwal: OK
pg_rewind: change in Synopsis and Options
pg_upgrade: Leave as-is (e.g. configdir may not be the same as datadir)
postgres: OK

PSA patch for details.

======
[1] https://www.postgresql.org/docs/devel/reference-server.html

Kind Regards,
Peter Smith.
Fujitsu Australia


Attachments:

  [application/octet-stream] v1-0001-DOCS-use-datadir-parameter-consistently.patch (4.8K, 2-v1-0001-DOCS-use-datadir-parameter-consistently.patch)
  download | inline diff:
From f133448cc95b6ee44db1dfbf5e11a97abf423fdd Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Peter Smith <[email protected]>
Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2026 18:20:28 +1100
Subject: [PATCH v1] DOCS - use 'datadir' parameter consistently

---
 doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml              |  6 +++---
 doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_checksums.sgml        |  4 ++--
 doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_createsubscriber.sgml |  4 ++--
 doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_rewind.sgml           | 10 +++++-----
 4 files changed, 12 insertions(+), 12 deletions(-)

diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml
index 7613174c18b..bd0dbff8caa 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/initdb.sgml
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
      <arg choice="plain"><option>--pgdata</option></arg>
      <arg choice="plain"><option>-D</option></arg>
     </group>
-    <replaceable> directory</replaceable>
+    <replaceable> datadir</replaceable>
    </group>
   </cmdsynopsis>
  </refsynopsisdiv>
@@ -190,8 +190,8 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
      </varlistentry>
 
      <varlistentry id="app-initdb-option-pgdata">
-      <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
-      <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         This option specifies the directory where the database cluster
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_checksums.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_checksums.sgml
index e9e393495df..b64393c813f 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_checksums.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_checksums.sgml
@@ -61,8 +61,8 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
 
     <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
-      <term><option>-D <replaceable>directory</replaceable></option></term>
-      <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable>directory</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>-D <replaceable>datadir</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable>datadir</replaceable></option></term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         Specifies the directory where the database cluster is stored.
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_createsubscriber.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_createsubscriber.sgml
index cf45ff3573d..6e17cee18eb 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_createsubscriber.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_createsubscriber.sgml
@@ -126,8 +126,8 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
     </varlistentry>
 
     <varlistentry>
-     <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
-     <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
+     <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
+     <term><option>--pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
      <listitem>
       <para>
        The target directory that contains a cluster directory from a physical
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_rewind.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_rewind.sgml
index 24cf57d68ff..f704dc108e6 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_rewind.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/ref/pg_rewind.sgml
@@ -28,9 +28,9 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
      <arg choice="plain"><option>-D</option></arg>
      <arg choice="plain"><option>--target-pgdata</option></arg>
     </group>
-    <replaceable> directory</replaceable>
+    <replaceable> datadir</replaceable>
     <group choice="req">
-     <arg choice="plain"><option>--source-pgdata=<replaceable>directory</replaceable></option></arg>
+     <arg choice="plain"><option>--source-pgdata=<replaceable>datadir</replaceable></option></arg>
      <arg choice="plain"><option>--source-server=<replaceable>connstr</replaceable></option></arg>
     </group>
    </group>
@@ -162,8 +162,8 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
 
     <variablelist>
      <varlistentry>
-      <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
-      <term><option>--target-pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>-D <replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>--target-pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         This option specifies the target data directory that is synchronized
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ PostgreSQL documentation
      </varlistentry>
 
      <varlistentry>
-      <term><option>--source-pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">directory</replaceable></option></term>
+      <term><option>--source-pgdata=<replaceable class="parameter">datadir</replaceable></option></term>
       <listitem>
        <para>
         Specifies the file system path to the data directory of the source
-- 
2.47.3



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