From: "Sabin Coanda" <sabin.coanda@deuromedia.ro>
Subject: show value of backslashes in string array argument
Date: Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:15:48 +0200
Organization: Hub.Org Networking Services
Lines: 35
Message-ID: <fh95jt$1ff7$1@news.hub.org>
To: pgsql-sql@postgresql.org

Hi there,

I have a problem using backslash character as part of a string array item.

I use "PostgreSQL 8.2.4 on i686-pc-mingw32, compiled by GCC gcc.exe (GCC) 
3.4.2 (mingw-special)" version, with standard_conforming_strings = 'on'.

I found that, is that in spite of using standard_conforming_strings = 'on', 
the string array items are shown in C escape sequences conventions.

Use the following scenario:
    - create a table with
        CREATE TABLE test
        (
          "colVarchar" character varying,
          "colVarcharArray" character varying[]
        )
    - insert a row with a string composed by just one character backslash, 
and an array with just one item, with the same value of one backslash, with:
        INSERT INTO test VALUES ( '\', ARRAY[ '\' ] );
    - show the values with:
        SELECT * FROM test

And the result is:

 colVarchar | colVarcharArray
------------+-----------------
 \          | {"\\"}

The question is why the two strings are shown different in spite they are 
the same, and standard_conforming_strings = 'on' ?

Sabin