Re: COPY manual is ambiguous about column list

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On Thu, Nov 28, 2019 at 02:53:03PM +0100, Pavlo Golub wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Nov 2019 at 10:47, Laurenz Albe <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > On Wed, 2019-11-27 at 17:54 +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:
> > > "If a list of columns is specified, COPY will only copy the data in the
> > > specified columns to or from the file. If there are any columns in the table
> > > that are not in the column list, COPY FROM will insert the default values
> > > for those columns."
> > >
> > > I clearly see "to or from" file here. But if one tries to COPY FROM filename
> > > with more columns than list specified, the process fails:
> >
> > I think you misunderstood the documentation.
> 
> Yeap, I did. Even two of us. Laetitia was helping me :)
> 
> >
> > Nowhere in that sentence is the documentation talking about columns in
> > the file, only columns in the table.
> >
> > But if you got it wrong, maybe a clarification would be a good idea.
> 
> I think it better to have more details to avoid confusion.

How is the attached patch?

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <[email protected]>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com

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+                      Ancient Roman grave inscription +

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diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml
new file mode 100644
index d9b7c4d..475d40c
*** a/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml
--- b/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml
*************** COPY { <replaceable class="parameter">ta
*** 63,71 ****
    <para>
     If a list of columns is specified, <command>COPY</command> will
     only copy the data in the specified columns to or from the file.
!    If there are any columns in the table that are not in the column list,
!    <command>COPY FROM</command> will insert the default values for
!    those columns.
    </para>
  
    <para>
--- 63,72 ----
    <para>
     If a list of columns is specified, <command>COPY</command> will
     only copy the data in the specified columns to or from the file.
!    In <command>COPY FROM</command>, the number of columns specified
!    must match the number of fields in the file;  any table columns not
!    specified in the <command>COPY FROM</command> column list will insert
!    their default values.
    </para>
  
    <para>

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