vacuumdb: Help text for --analyze-only.
Hello there,
I observe that the help text of vacuumdb for --analyze,
--analyze-only, and --analyze-in-stages could do with
a little clarification in order to be self-documenting
and thus improve the user experience of vacuumdb.
The problem is that the sole addition of the word "only" to
an otherwise identical text for --analyze and --analyze-only
seems rather obscure. My suggestion follows.
Best regards,
Mats Erik Andersson
Attachments:
vacuumdb_clarify_option.difftext/x-diff; charset=us-asciiDownload
diff --git a/src/bin/scripts/vacuumdb.c b/src/bin/scripts/vacuumdb.c
index 86e6ab3..a07f081 100644
--- a/src/bin/scripts/vacuumdb.c
+++ b/src/bin/scripts/vacuumdb.c
@@ -435,9 +435,9 @@ help(const char *progname)
printf(_(" -v, --verbose write a lot of output\n"));
printf(_(" -V, --version output version information, then exit\n"));
printf(_(" -z, --analyze update optimizer statistics\n"));
- printf(_(" -Z, --analyze-only only update optimizer statistics\n"));
- printf(_(" --analyze-in-stages only update optimizer statistics, in multiple\n"
- " stages for faster results\n"));
+ printf(_(" -Z, --analyze-only only update optimizer statistics; no vacuum\n"));
+ printf(_(" --analyze-in-stages only update statistics, but in multiple\n"
+ " stages for faster results; no vacuum\n"));
printf(_(" -?, --help show this help, then exit\n"));
printf(_("\nConnection options:\n"));
printf(_(" -h, --host=HOSTNAME database server host or socket directory\n"));
Mats Erik Andersson wrote
Hello there,
I observe that the help text of vacuumdb for --analyze,
--analyze-only, and --analyze-in-stages could do with
a little clarification in order to be self-documenting
and thus improve the user experience of vacuumdb.The problem is that the sole addition of the word "only" to
an otherwise identical text for --analyze and --analyze-only
seems rather obscure. My suggestion follows.
-1 for the changes as proposed. I'm not particularly convinced this is bad
since the help text rightly presumes the knowledge that the vacuum process
also performs analyze and all the flags do is toggle between the three
possible combinations of these two actions - and the special in-stages
version. The word "only" quickly communicates that the vacuum does not
occur - only the secondary analyze.
Help is not typically meant to be self-documenting; it presumes one has read
the docs and/or man page for the relevant program and concepts and simply
needs a quick reminder as to syntax and capabilities.
All that said I would drop the word "only" and add "without vacuuming"
instead if you feel that "only" is too vague. I do not like the phrase "no
vacuum"...
David J.
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On Tue, Nov 18, 2014 at 12:40:51AM +0100, Mats Erik Andersson wrote:
Hello there,
I observe that the help text of vacuumdb for --analyze,
--analyze-only, and --analyze-in-stages could do with
a little clarification in order to be self-documenting
and thus improve the user experience of vacuumdb.The problem is that the sole addition of the word "only" to
an otherwise identical text for --analyze and --analyze-only
seems rather obscure. My suggestion follows.
Patch applied.
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Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us> http://momjian.us
EnterpriseDB http://enterprisedb.com
+ Everyone has their own god. +
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