Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2005 14:53:25 -0400
From: Stephen Frost <sfrost@snowman.net>
To: Alan Chandler <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>
Cc: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: Matching the MYSQL "Describe <table-name>" command
Message-ID: <20050424185324.GD27470@ns.snowman.net>
Mail-Followup-To: Alan Chandler <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>,
	pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
References: <200504241902.16770.alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>
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* Alan Chandler (alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk) wrote:
> I am rather new to Postgres (running 7.4) but I am trying to port some PH=
P=20
> code that has been built to run with mysql.
>=20
> I have got stuck trying to find the equivalent of the Mysql "DESCRIBE=20
> <tablename>;" SQL statement that lists the columns and type identifiers o=
f a=20
> table.

You might want to take a look at the schema called 'information_schema'
and see if you can find what you want there.  The only problem I have
with that, currently anyway, is that it seems to only show things the
current user owns as opposted to what the current user has access to,
which seems a bit silly to me.

> I think I am going to do a SELECT on the "pg_attribute" table, but I don'=
t=20
> understand what the "attrelid" column of that table refers to.  I need to=
 get=20
> the table name of the column so that I can restrict the select with a WHE=
RE=20
> clause so I assumed it was a key into the pg_class table, but I can't see=
 a=20
> column in this table that could potentially correspond and therefore I co=
uld=20
> join to it.

In psql you can do: \set ECHO_HIDDEN 'yes'
Then just run whatever psql \d or other command you want and it'll give
you the queiries it used.  Using information_schema should technically
be more portable though, I believe.

	Stephen

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