Received: from wolff.to (wolff.to [66.92.219.49])
	by postgresql.org (8.11.3/8.11.4) with SMTP id g1BEZTE58371
	for <pgsql-sql@postgresql.org>; Mon, 11 Feb 2002 09:35:30 -0500 (EST)
	(envelope-from bruno@wolff.to)
Received: (qmail 4062 invoked by uid 500); 11 Feb 2002 14:36:51 -0000
Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 08:36:51 -0600
From: Bruno Wolff III <bruno@wolff.to>
To: "Hunter, Ray" <rhunter@enterasys.com>
Cc: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Sequences
Message-ID: <20020211143651.GA4020@wolff.to>
Mail-Followup-To: "Hunter, Ray" <rhunter@enterasys.com>,
	pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
References: <59358A738F45D51186A30008C74CE250E81373@slc-exc1.ctron.com>
Mime-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Content-Disposition: inline
In-Reply-To: <59358A738F45D51186A30008C74CE250E81373@slc-exc1.ctron.com>
User-Agent: Mutt/1.3.25i
X-Archive-Number: 200202/107
X-Sequence-Number: 6535

On Mon, Feb 11, 2002 at 08:43:23AM -0500,
  "Hunter, Ray" <rhunter@enterasys.com> wrote:
> I have various sequences in my database set up for ids.  My question is:
> How can I get the current value of the sequence without creating a session
> and using the currval function?
> 
> I would like to take the current value of the sequence and use it for a
> value in an insert statement.
> 
> 
> Example:
> 
> 	insert into users ( "user_id", "user_fname", "user_lname",
> "user_email" )
> 	values ( 'current sequence', 'Ray', 'Hunter',
> 'rhunter@enterasys.com' );

I think you want to use nextval in this context. currval is used when you
have already gotten a new sequence number and want to use it in several
inserts in the same transaction.

If you make user_id a serial type, then its default value will be nextval
and you could use:
insert into users ( "user_fname", "user_lname", "user_email" )
  values ('Ray', 'Hunter', 'rhunter@enterasys.com' );
to add a row.