Re: [HACKERS] update_pg_pwd trigger does not work very well

Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>

From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: Jan Wieck <wieck@debis.com>
Cc: Peter Eisentraut <peter_e@gmx.net>, PostgreSQL Development <pgsql-hackers@postgreSQL.org>
Date: 2000-02-28T08:02:22Z
Lists: pgsql-hackers
wieck@debis.com (Jan Wieck) writes:
>>>> itself do nothing except set a flag variable.  The flag is examined
>>>> somewhere in xact.c after successful completion of a transaction,
>>>> and if it's set then we run a new transaction cycle in which we
>>>> read pg_shadow and write pg_pwd.
>> 
>> If you think that this is okay (and not just a hack), then go for it.

>     I consider it a hack, since this particular trigger  needs  a
>     global flag known explicitly by xact routines. I like general
>     solutions instead.

Well, really it's pg_pwd itself that is a hack --- we wouldn't need
to be worrying about all this if pg_pwd didn't exist outside the
database/transaction universe.  But I don't think it'd be wise to
try to bring the postmaster into that universe, so we're stuck with
a hack for exporting user authorization info.

If we had examples of other problems that could be solved by such
a mechanism, then I'd agree with Jan that we ought to invent a general
after-commit-do mechanism.  But I don't recall users clamoring for it,
so I question whether the extra effort is worthwhile.

			regards, tom lane