Re: get rid of Pointer type, mostly

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

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

To: Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com>

Cc: Peter Eisentraut <peter@eisentraut.org>, pgsql-hackers <pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org>

Date: 2025-11-24T18:26:03Z

Lists: pgsql-hackers

Commits

Same data as JSON: GET /api/v1/messages/:b64id/commits the thread's linked commits as JSON, with link sources. API reference →

Remove no longer needed casts from Pointer
- e158fd4d68f4 19 (unreleased) landed
Remove no longer needed casts to Pointer
- c6be3daa054a 19 (unreleased) landed
Change Pointer to void *
- 1b2bb5077e9e 19 (unreleased) landed
Don't rely on pointer arithmetic with Pointer type
- 756a43689324 19 (unreleased) landed
Use more appropriate DatumGet* function
- 8c6bbd674ed8 19 (unreleased) landed
Remove useless casts to Pointer
- 623801b3bdb4 19 (unreleased) landed

Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> writes:
> But if it were up to me, I'd rip out Pointer completely, because
> reading code that uses the native C type names is easier for me than
> reading code that substitutes other notation.

I can follow the argument that using the native type "void *" is
better, since every C programmer must know that already.  But you
cannot argue for this patch on that ground unless Pointer goes away
entirely.  I don't understand leaving it in place for GIN.  It's
not like GIN indexes are some hoary backwater that nobody pays
attention to.

			regards, tom lane