Update FAQ's for release.
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Bruce Momjian
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@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL >= V6.1
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Linux Specific
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TO BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE NORMAL FAQ
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=======================================================
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last updated: Thu Dec 15 12:05:00 GMT 1997
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last updated: Wed Feb 18 13:00:00 GMT 1997
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current maintainer: Andrew C.R. Martin (martin@biochem.ucl.ac.uk)
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original author: Andrew C.R. Martin (martin@biochem.ucl.ac.uk)
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@ -12,10 +12,8 @@ original author: Andrew C.R. Martin (martin@biochem.ucl.ac.uk)
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Changes in this version (* = modified, + = new, - = removed):
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*1.3) [REDHAT] Why do I get problems with missing libdl and dlfcn.h?
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*1.4) [SLACKWARE 3.1] Why do I get problems with missing libdl and dlfcn.h?
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+1.19) Why does make exit or crash?
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+1.20) How can I optimise for 486 or pentium processors
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+3.10) Why do I get funny rounding results in some date/time arithmetic...
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This file is divided approximately as follows:
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1.*) Installing PostgreSQL
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@ -55,6 +53,7 @@ Questions answered:
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1.17) When compiling postgres, gcc reports signal 11 and aborts.
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1.18) Can I install 6.1.1 under MkLinux?
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1.19) Why does make exit or crash?
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1.20) How can I optimise for 486 or pentium processors
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2.1) The linker fails to find libX11 when compiling pgtclsh
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3.1) I get an error reporting _fUnKy_POSTPORT_sTuFf_ undefined when
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running scripts like createuser
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@ -77,6 +76,10 @@ Questions answered:
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3.8) When PostgreSQL is running when the system is shutdown, Linux
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always fsck's the disk when rebooted.
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3.9) Why does Query 32 in the regression tests take so long?
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3.10) Why do I get funny rounding results in some date/time arithmetic,
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such as
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select '4 hours'::timespan;
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returning '3 hours 59 minutes 60 seconds'?
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Section 1: Compiling PostgreSQL
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@ -298,7 +301,7 @@ Section 1: Compiling PostgreSQL
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Some versions of SuSE provide only ncurses, so you may need
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to force use of ncurses rather than curses by changing
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-lcurses to -lncurses.
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-lcurses to -lncurses. (Reported true for SuSE 5.1)
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1.9) Why do I get problems with ld.so?
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@ -430,6 +433,19 @@ Section 1: Compiling PostgreSQL
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In short, try upgrading gmake to the latest version you can
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find before reporting this as a problem
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1.20) How can I optimise for 486 or pentium processors
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The default compiler flags perform no optimisation for 486
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or Pentium processors. To add such optimisation, edit
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Makefile.custom and add:
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CFLAGS+= -m486
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or (for the new compilers that most people are not yet running)
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CFLAGS+= -mpentium
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or
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CFLAGS+= -mpentiumpro
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----------------------------------------------------------------------
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Section 2: Compiling accessory programs
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@ -617,6 +633,15 @@ exit 0
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then type:
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sh ./perquery < bench.out > & bench.out.perquery
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3.10) Why do I get funny rounding results in some date/time arithmetic,
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such as
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select '4 hours'::timespan;
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returning '3 hours 59 minutes 60 seconds'?
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You are running the new glibc2 libraries and have a version earlier than
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2.0.7. It is a math rounding problem in the library. Upgrade your library.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Dr. Andrew C.R. Martin University College London
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EMAIL: (Work) martin@biochem.ucl.ac.uk (Home) andrew@stagleys.demon.co.uk
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140
src/tools/FAQ_DEV
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140
src/tools/FAQ_DEV
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@ -0,0 +1,140 @@
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Developer's Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for PostgreSQL
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Last updated: Wed Feb 11 20:23:01 EST 1998
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Current maintainer: Bruce Momjian (maillist@candle.pha.pa.us)
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The most recent version of this document can be viewed at the postgreSQL Web
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site, http://postgreSQL.org.
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Questions answered:
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1) What tools are available for developers?
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2) What books are good for developers?
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3) Why do we use palloc() and pfree() to allocate memory?
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4) Why do we use Node and List to make data structures?
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5) How do I add a feature or fix a bug?
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6) How do I download/update the current source tree?
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7) How do I test my changes?
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------------------------------------------------------------------------
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1) What tools are available for developers?
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Aside from the User documentation mentioned in the regular FAQ, there are
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several development tools available. First, all the files in the /tools
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directory are designed for developers.
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RELEASE_CHANGES changes we have to make for each release
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SQL_keywords standard SQL'92 keywords
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backend web flowchart of the backend directories
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ccsym find standard defines made by your compiler
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entab converts tabs to spaces, used by pgindent
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find_static finds functions that could be made static
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find_typedef get a list of typedefs in the source code
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make_ctags make vi 'tags' file in each directory
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make_diff make *.orig and diffs of source
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make_etags make emacs 'etags' files
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make_keywords.README make comparison of our keywords and SQL'92
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make_mkid make mkid ID files
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mkldexport create AIX exports file
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pgindent indents C source files
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Let me note some of these. If you point your browser at the tools/backend
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directory, you will see all the backend components in a flow chart. You can
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click on any one to see a description. If you then click on the directory
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name, you will be taken to the source directory, to browse the actual source
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code behind it. We also have several README files in some source directories
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to describe the function of the module. The browser will display these when
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you enter the directory also. The tools/backend directory is also contained
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on our web page under the title Backend Flowchart.
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Second, you really should have an editor that can handle tags, so you can
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tag a function call to see the function definition, and then tag inside that
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function to see an even lower-level function, and then back out twice to
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return to the original function. Most editors support this via tags or etags
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files.
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Third, you need to get mkid from ftp.postgresql.org. By running
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tools/make_mkid, an archive of source symbols can be created that can be
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rapidly queried like grep or edited.
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make_diff has tools to create patch diff files that can be applied to the
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distribution.
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pgindent will format source files to match our standard format, which has
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four-space tabs, and an indenting format specified by flags to the your
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operating system's utility indent.
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2) What books are good for developers?
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I have two good books, An Introduction to Database Systems, by C.J. Date,
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Addison, Wesley and A Guide to the SQL Standard, by C.J. Date, et. al,
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Addison, Wesley.
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3) Why do we use palloc() and pfree() to allocate memory?
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palloc() and pfree() are used in place of malloc() and free() because we
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automatically free all memory allocated when a transaction completes. This
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makes it easier to make sure we free memory that gets allocated in one
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place, but only freed much later. There are several contexts that memory can
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be allocated in, and this controls when the allocated memory is
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automatically freed by the backend.
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4) Why do we use Node and List to make data structures?
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We do this because this allows a consistent way to pass data inside the
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backend in a flexible way. Every node has a NodeTag which specifies what
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type of data is inside the Node. Lists are lists of Nodes. lfirst(),
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lnext(), and foreach() are used to get, skip, and traverse through Lists.
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5) How do I add a feature or fix a bug?
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The source code is over 250,000 lines. Many problems/features are isolated
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to one specific area of the code. Others require knowledge of much of the
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source. If you are confused about where to start, ask the hackers list, and
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they will be glad to assess the complexity and give pointers on where to
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start.
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Another thing to keep in mind is that many fixes and features can be added
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with surprisingly little code. I often start by adding code, then looking at
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other areas in the code where similar things are done, and by the time I am
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finished, the patch is quite small and compact.
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When adding code, keep in mind that it should use the existing facilities in
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the source, for performance reasons and for simplicity. Often a review of
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existing code doing similar things is helpful.
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6) How do I download/update the current source tree?
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There are several ways to obtain the source tree. Occasional developers can
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just get the most recent source tree snapshot from ftp.postgresql.org. For
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regular developers, you can get CVSup, which is available from
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ftp.postgresql.org too. CVSup allows you to download the source tree, then
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occasionally update your copy of the source tree with any new changes. Using
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CVSup, you don't have to download the entire source each time, only the
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changed files. CVSup does not allow developers to update the source tree.
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To update the source tree, there are two ways. You can generate a patch
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against your current source tree, perhaps using the make_diff tools
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mentioned above, and send them to the patches list. They will be reviewed,
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and applied in a timely manner. If the patch is major, and we are in beta
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testing, the developers may wait for the final release before applying your
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patches.
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For hard-core developers, Marc(scrappy@postgresql.org) will give you a Unix
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shell account on postgresql.org, and you can ftp your files into your
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account, patch, and cvs install the changes directly into the source tree.
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6) How do I test my changes?
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First, use psql to make sure it is working as you expect. Then run
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src/test/regress and get the output of src/test/regress/checkresults with
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and without your changes, to see that your patch does not change the
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regression test in unexpected ways. This practice has saved me many times.
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The regression tests test the code in ways I would never do, and has caught
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many bugs in my patches. By finding the problems now, you save yourself a
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lot of debugging later when things are broken, and you can't figure out when
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it happened.
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