v8.2 ... command line interface on Windows

nac1967 wrote:

I am a PostgreSQL user, using the native windows version 8.2. I am new
to PostgreSQL and am wondering if other users have suggestions
regarding command line interfaces. I cannot for the life of me get
readline to work on the Windows version. If you use IPython, for
example, readline works fantastically with smart ctrl-P search of
previous commands and tab completion. Does anyone know of a way either
to get readline to work or another good command line interface?

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native windows,
that's why it's been turned off in the binary builds. You are left with
the very limited commandline editing in the default windows command shell.

If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild psql from
source (using the MingW build system) with readline. You only need to
rebuild psql - not libpq or the backend itself.

//Magnus

On Aug 4, 3:08 pm, mag...@hagander.net (Magnus Hagander) wrote:

nac1967 wrote:

I am a PostgreSQL user, using the native windows version 8.2. I am new
to PostgreSQL and am wondering if other users have suggestions
regarding command line interfaces. I cannot for the life of me get
readline to work on the Windows version. If you use IPython, for
example, readline works fantastically with smart ctrl-P search of
previous commands and tab completion. Does anyone know of a way either
to get readline to work or another good command line interface?

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native windows,
that's why it's been turned off in the binary builds. You are left with
the very limited commandline editing in the default windows command shell.

If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild psql from
source (using the MingW build system) with readline. You only need to
rebuild psql - not libpq or the backend itself.

//Magnus

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Thank you for your response. I will try and build it with the MingW
system. Next question: is it worth it? I.e., is the tab completion and
the command history via readline good?

On Aug 4, 3:08 pm, mag...@hagander.net (Magnus Hagander) wrote:

nac1967 wrote:

I am a PostgreSQL user, using the native windows version 8.2. I am new
to PostgreSQL and am wondering if other users have suggestions
regarding command line interfaces. I cannot for the life of me get
readline to work on the Windows version. If you use IPython, for
example, readline works fantastically with smart ctrl-P search of
previous commands and tab completion. Does anyone know of a way either
to get readline to work or another good command line interface?

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native windows,
that's why it's been turned off in the binary builds. You are left with
the very limited commandline editing in the default windows command shell.

If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild psql from
source (using the MingW build system) with readline. You only need to
rebuild psql - not libpq or the backend itself.

//Magnus

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TIP 3: Have you checked our extensive FAQ?

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Regarding the faq, I did do a google search site on various
permutations including the word readline but nothing of use turned up.
I assumed that not many people had interest. I think it is a shame as
I find in e.g., Python having the unix like shell capabilities to be a
huge productivity enhancer. Someone replied separately that you can
use just psql via cygwin to achieve the same result and this seems as
if it might be easier. Any thoughts?

Couldn't this be offered pre-built as an alternative in the Windows
installer or as a "psql2.exe" program? Seems like there might be more
than a few PostgreSQL users running with US keyboard layouts under
native Windows, and providing the prebuilt version along with the
"normal" one might eliminate many of the postings like this that keep
reappearing on these lists.

- Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org
[mailto:pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of
Magnus Hagander
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 3:09 PM
To: nac1967
Cc: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] v8.2 ... command line interface on Windows

nac1967 wrote:

I am a PostgreSQL user, using the native windows version

8.2. I am new

to PostgreSQL and am wondering if other users have suggestions
regarding command line interfaces. I cannot for the life of me get
readline to work on the Windows version. If you use IPython, for
example, readline works fantastically with smart ctrl-P search of
previous commands and tab completion. Does anyone know of a

way either

to get readline to work or another good command line interface?

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native
windows, that's why it's been turned off in the binary
builds. You are left with the very limited commandline
editing in the default windows command shell.

If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild
psql from source (using the MingW build system) with
readline. You only need to rebuild psql - not libpq or the
backend itself.

//Magnus

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broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 3: Have you checked our extensive FAQ?

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We use the Cygwin version of the psql.exe program under Windows instead
of the native psql.exe program, even though the rest of the PostgreSQL
installation uses the standard native Windows versions of all the other
PostgreSQL components (database, tools, etc.). (So before I get flamed,
I want to clarify that the ONLY component of PostgreSQL that we use from
Cygwin is psql.exe, and it's run from an alternate directory.)

The main advantage that we get by using the Cygwin version of psql is
that is runs in "interactive" mode regardless of how it is run, whereas
the native psql program runs in non-interactive mode (showing almost no
output, no prompts, no readline support, etc.) when run from most
"shell" programs. We frequently run psql via a remote SSH connection or
from the RXVT terminal program or from inside Emacs, and in all of these
cases the native psql program runs in non-interactive mode whereas the
Cygwin version of psql is fully-functional.

- Bill

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Bill Bartlett wrote:

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native
windows, that's why it's been turned off in the binary
builds. You are left with the very limited commandline
editing in the default windows command shell.

If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild
psql from source (using the MingW build system) with
readline. You only need to rebuild psql - not libpq or the
backend itself.

This seems odd, perhaps two psql.exe builds? psql.exe which would
default with readline and psql_noreadline.exe which wouldn't?

Joshua D. Drake

//Magnus

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On Aug 4, 5:23 pm, bbartl...@softwareanalytics.com ("Bill Bartlett")
wrote:

Couldn't this be offered pre-built as an alternative in the Windows
installer or as a "psql2.exe" program? Seems like there might be more
than a few PostgreSQL users running with US keyboard layouts under
native Windows, and providing the prebuilt version along with the
"normal" one might eliminate many of the postings like this that keep
reappearing on these lists.

- Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-general-ow...@postgresql.org
[mailto:pgsql-general-ow...@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of
Magnus Hagander
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 3:09 PM
To: nac1967
Cc: pgsql-gene...@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] v8.2 ... command line interface on Windows

nac1967 wrote:

I am a PostgreSQL user, using the native windows version

8.2. I am new

to PostgreSQL and am wondering if other users have suggestions
regarding command line interfaces. I cannot for the life of me get
readline to work on the Windows version. If you use IPython, for
example, readline works fantastically with smart ctrl-P search of
previous commands and tab completion. Does anyone know of a

way either

to get readline to work or another good command line interface?

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native
windows, that's why it's been turned off in the binary
builds. You are left with the very limited commandline
editing in the default windows command shell.

If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild
psql from source (using the MingW build system) with
readline. You only need to rebuild psql - not libpq or the
backend itself.

//Magnus

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broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 3: Have you checked our extensive FAQ?

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Your suggestion makes a lot of sense to me. In fact, given the number
of compiler options that exist for the Unix/Linux build, the Windows
build is surprisingly devoid of options.

nac1967 wrote:

On Aug 4, 5:23 pm, bbartl...@softwareanalytics.com ("Bill Bartlett")
wrote:

Couldn't this be offered pre-built as an alternative in the Windows
installer or as a "psql2.exe" program? Seems like there might be more
than a few PostgreSQL users running with US keyboard layouts under
native Windows, and providing the prebuilt version along with the
"normal" one might eliminate many of the postings like this that keep
reappearing on these lists.

- Bill

-----Original Message-----
From: pgsql-general-ow...@postgresql.org
[mailto:pgsql-general-ow...@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of
Magnus Hagander
Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2007 3:09 PM
To: nac1967
Cc: pgsql-gene...@postgresql.org
Subject: Re: [GENERAL] v8.2 ... command line interface on Windows
nac1967 wrote:

I am a PostgreSQL user, using the native windows version

8.2. I am new

to PostgreSQL and am wondering if other users have suggestions
regarding command line interfaces. I cannot for the life of me get
readline to work on the Windows version. If you use IPython, for
example, readline works fantastically with smart ctrl-P search of
previous commands and tab completion. Does anyone know of a

way either

to get readline to work or another good command line interface?

Readline only works with US keyboard layouts under native
windows, that's why it's been turned off in the binary
builds. You are left with the very limited commandline
editing in the default windows command shell.
If you are using only US keyboard layout, you can rebuild
psql from source (using the MingW build system) with
readline. You only need to rebuild psql - not libpq or the
backend itself.
//Magnus
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broadcast)---------------------------
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Your suggestion makes a lot of sense to me. In fact, given the number
of compiler options that exist for the Unix/Linux build, the Windows
build is surprisingly devoid of options.

Not at all. All the options are there if you build from source, just
like on Unix. The binary build has picked one set of options - just like
the .deb build or the .rpm build has picked their sets of options. They
pick the options that makes the *most* sense on their platform in *most*
cases. If you need other options, you have to rebuild from source - just
like on Windows.

//Magnus