ALTER SYSTEM is equal to editing postgresql.auto.conf, not postgres.conf

On Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 12:53 PM, <vodevsh@gmail.com> wrote:

The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.6/static/config-setting.html
Description:

&gt; The already-mentioned ALTER SYSTEM command provides a SQL-accessible means
of changing global defaults; it is functionally equivalent to editing
postgresql.conf

Should not it be ...to editing postgresql.auto.conf?.. I know user is not
supposed to edit postgresql.auto.conf but this is what ALTER SYSTEM does,
not touching the postgres.conf - isn&#39;t is confusing in manual?..

The documentation looks correctly shaped to me per this paragraph
above the one you mention here:
In addition to postgresql.conf, a PostgreSQL data directory contains a
file postgresql.auto.conf, which has the same format as
postgresql.conf but should never be edited manually.

So, citing postgresql.conf, which can be edited manually, looks correct to me.
--
Michael

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On Thu, Jul 13, 2017 at 3:53 AM, <vodevsh@gmail.com> wrote:

The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.6/static/config-setting.html
Description:

&gt; The already-mentioned ALTER SYSTEM command provides a SQL-accessible
means
of changing global defaults; it is functionally equivalent to editing
postgresql.conf

Should not it be ...to editing postgresql.auto.conf?.. I know user is not
supposed to edit postgresql.auto.conf but this is what ALTER SYSTEM does,
not touching the postgres.conf - isn&#39;t is confusing in manual?..

​I think it is fine; but if being picky I'd probably say:

"[...] of changing global default as an alternative to editing
postgres.conf"

It is functionally equivalent from the perspective of the runtime
environment of the system. It is not mechanically equivalent since, as you
say, the contents of postgres.conf are not actually changed.

David J.