BUG #18065: An error occurred when attempting to add a column of type "vector" to a table named "vector".

On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org>
wrote:

The following bug has been logged on the website:

Bug reference: 18065
Logged by: kaijian xu
Email address: a17764530215@gmail.com
PostgreSQL version: 15.3
Operating system: Debian GNU/Linux 11
Description:

When I run:
create table if not exists "vector" ();
alter table "vector" add column if not exists "fz_vector1_embedding"
vector(1536);

I got an error:
ERROR: type modifier is not allowed for type "vector"
LINE 1: ..." add column if not exists "fz_vector1_embedding" vector(153...

You are in the wrong place, core doesn’t have this type.

David J.

"David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> writes:

On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, PG Bug reporting form <noreply@postgresql.org>
wrote:

When I run:
create table if not exists "vector" ();
alter table "vector" add column if not exists "fz_vector1_embedding"
vector(1536);
I got an error:
ERROR: type modifier is not allowed for type "vector"
LINE 1: ..." add column if not exists "fz_vector1_embedding" vector(153...

You are in the wrong place, core doesn’t have this type.

I think it's basically a search path problem: the table's composite type
"vector" is masking the extension's type. Try schema-qualifying "vector"
with the appropriate schema name.

regards, tom lane

On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> wrote:

"David G. Johnston" <david.g.johnston@gmail.com> writes:

On Tuesday, August 22, 2023, PG Bug reporting form <

noreply@postgresql.org>

wrote:

When I run:
create table if not exists "vector" ();
alter table "vector" add column if not exists "fz_vector1_embedding"
vector(1536);
I got an error:
ERROR: type modifier is not allowed for type "vector"
LINE 1: ..." add column if not exists "fz_vector1_embedding"

vector(153...

You are in the wrong place, core doesn’t have this type.

I think it's basically a search path problem: the table's composite type
"vector" is masking the extension's type. Try schema-qualifying "vector"
with the appropriate schema name.

Right. Though my conclusion is this is why you don’t name a table
something as generic as “vector”. But still one should schema-qualify
their use of extension types anyway.

David J.

Thank you for your help!
I didn't know that the table name was actually a type. I specified a schema
in front of the vector type, and the issue is resolved.