Thread

1. Feature request - Add microsecond as a time unit for interval

   David Tulloh <david.tulloh@anu.edu.au> — 2006-02-09T04:16:22Z

   The interval datatype can go to microsecond precision though currently 
   the smallest unit is seconds.  Microseconds are represented as decimal 
   places, eg 5 microseconds is 0.000005 seconds.
   
   To insert microseconds I have to use the following line, ($1*0.000001 || 
   ' seconds')::interval
   Being able to specify microseconds as a unit would avoid hacks like this 
   and improve support for sub-second intervals.
   
   
   David
   
   

2. Re: Feature request - Add microsecond as a time unit for interval

   Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us> — 2006-02-09T15:30:30Z

   David Tulloh <david.tulloh@anu.edu.au> writes:
   > To insert microseconds I have to use the following line, ($1*0.000001 || 
   > ' seconds')::interval
   
   Actually, the preferred way to do that is to use the numeric-times-interval
   operator, eg
   
   regression=# select 7 * '0.000001 second'::interval;
       ?column?
   -----------------
    00:00:00.000007
   (1 row)
   
   This generalizes to any scale factor you care to use, eg fortnights...
   so I don't see a pressing need to add microseconds.
   
   			regards, tom lane
   
   

3. Re: Feature request - Add microsecond as a time unit for interval

   Jim Nasby <jnasby@pervasive.com> — 2006-02-09T18:52:23Z

   On Thu, Feb 09, 2006 at 10:30:30AM -0500, Tom Lane wrote:
   > David Tulloh <david.tulloh@anu.edu.au> writes:
   > > To insert microseconds I have to use the following line, ($1*0.000001 || 
   > > ' seconds')::interval
   > 
   > Actually, the preferred way to do that is to use the numeric-times-interval
   > operator, eg
   > 
   > regression=# select 7 * '0.000001 second'::interval;
   >     ?column?
   > -----------------
   >  00:00:00.000007
   > (1 row)
   > 
   > This generalizes to any scale factor you care to use, eg fortnights...
   > so I don't see a pressing need to add microseconds.
   
   Something that's always struck me about intervals in PostgreSQL is the
   how obtuse it is to generate one. Is there some reasonable way we could
   add support for something like interval('7 microseconds')? Or perhaps
   seconds(0.000007)?
   -- 
   Jim C. Nasby, Sr. Engineering Consultant      jnasby@pervasive.com
   Pervasive Software      http://pervasive.com    work: 512-231-6117
   vcard: http://jim.nasby.net/pervasive.vcf       cell: 512-569-9461
   
   

4. Re: Feature request - Add microsecond as a time unit for

   Christopher Kings-Lynne <chriskl@familyhealth.com.au> — 2006-02-10T02:42:02Z

   > This generalizes to any scale factor you care to use, eg fortnights...
   > so I don't see a pressing need to add microseconds.
   
   Perhaps an argument for adding microseconds to interval declarations is 
   that you can extract them using extract()...  Those two lists of allowed 
     scales should be the same, no?
   
   Chris