Joel Jacobson-2 wrote > On Mon, Sep 1, 2014 at 4:26 PM, Craig Ringer <
> craig@ > > wrote: >> Well, the idiom: >> >> EXECUTE format("SELECT %I FROM %I WHERE $1", col, tbl) USING val; >> >> is not lovely. It works, but it's clumsy. > > This is exactly why we need a new language. > All the clumsy stuff we cannot fix in plpgsql, can easily be fixed in > plpgsql2, with the most beautiful syntax we can come up with. > > I guess it's a question if we want to support things like this. If we > want to, then we also want a new language. Regardless of how they are ultimately implemented - a new language, PRAGMA infrastructure, or adding syntax to plpgsql - improving upon the current 6-item ToDo on the Wiki would be a lot more valuable at this point in time. I do think better organization than the current ToDo format can be had but even just moving many of these ideas there would be a start. The goal isn't to introduce a new language version - that would simply be a means to achieving an end that is not reasonably achievable in any other way. Ideally, for each feature and behavior, we'd be able to provide suggestions on how it could be implemented in the various cases and the pros/cons of doing so in each. If there are enough items with beautiful syntax in version 2 of the language then that concrete evidence and action plan would have a much better chance of gaining commiter support than generalities and theories. Adding a whole new language to avoid 2 pet-peeves and an introduce a behavior (syntax to allow multi-row DDL) that is controversial is not likely to seem worth it to those you are asking to write and maintain this new language. I get the goal of the post was to generate ideas but at the same time the idea generation can occur without you putting forth the conclusion that a new language is required - conclusions like that are not useful at the start of a research project (even if that conclusion motivated the project in the first place). David J. -- View this message in context: http://postgresql.1045698.n5.nabble.com/PL-pgSQL-2-tp5817121p5817199.html Sent from the PostgreSQL - hackers mailing list archive at Nabble.com. -- Sent via pgsql-hackers mailing list (pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org) To make changes to your subscription: http://www.postgresql.org/mailpref/pgsql-hackers