To: keke abe <keke@mac.com>
cc: pgsql-interfaces@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: COPY BINARY to stdout 
In-reply-to: <19340906010007.3839@mail.gol.com> 
References: <19340906010007.3839@mail.gol.com>
Comments: In-reply-to keke abe <keke@mac.com>
	message dated "Thu, 12 Oct 2000 16:28:23 +0900"
Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 11:04:04 -0400
Message-ID: <26208.971363044@sss.pgh.pa.us>
From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>

keke abe <keke@mac.com> writes:
> After receiving the 'H' (COPY_OUT) message from the backend,
> how should I tell if the incoming data is in binary format or
> not?

You don't; you just have to know whether you asked for binary or text
copy.  At the moment binary copy to/from the frontend is disabled
anyway:
    /*
     * This restriction is unfortunate, but necessary until the frontend
     * COPY protocol is redesigned to be binary-safe...
     */
    if (pipe && binary)
        elog(ERROR, "COPY BINARY is not supported to stdout or from stdin");

There's a TODO list item to invent a less brain-dead format for binary
COPY data.  (The binary cursor representation is not too bad, maybe just
use that.)

In the meantime I suggest forget about COPY BINARY and use DECLARE
BINARY CURSOR instead.

			regards, tom lane