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From: Andreas Seltenreich <andreas+pg@gate450.dyndns.org>
To: Jeff Boes <jeff@endpoint.com>
Cc: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: psql client: technique for applying default values to :variables?
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Date: Mon, 16 Jan 2006 18:02:25 +0100
In-Reply-To: <43CBBCD3.80506@endpoint.com> (Jeff Boes's message of "Mon, 16
	Jan 2006 10:33:39 -0500")
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Jeff Boes writes:

> Michael Glaesemann wrote:
>> You could write a wrapper script that would accept a command line
>> argument and load the file with the appropriate SET statement prepended.
>
> Which really gains me nothing over just:
>
> $ psql -f myscript.sql -v "MYVAR=${myvar:-default}"
>
> The original question was: how can I store the default value in the
> "myscript.sql" script where it's used, rather than have it in a calling
> script? The aim here was to put the default in the code, so they would
> be bound together...

How about using the traditional Unix macro processor "m4" instead of
psql's variables?

E.g., you could write a myscript.sql.m4 file with m4 variables instead
of psql ones. You could then use ifdef() to test for previous
definitions, or even define a default()-wrapper macro.

regards,
Andreas
--