Re: patch: to_string, to_array functions

Brendan Jurd <direvus@gmail.com>

From: Brendan Jurd <direvus@gmail.com>
To: Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com>
Cc: Pavel Stehule <pavel.stehule@gmail.com>, Itagaki Takahiro <itagaki.takahiro@gmail.com>, PostgreSQL Hackers <pgsql-hackers@postgresql.org>, Merlin Moncure <mmoncure@gmail.com>
Date: 2010-07-21T16:08:34Z
Lists: pgsql-hackers
On 22 July 2010 01:55, Robert Haas <robertmhaas@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Wed, Jul 21, 2010 at 9:39 AM, Pavel Stehule <pavel.stehule@gmail.com> wrote:
>> I am thinking so we have to do decision about string_to_array and
>> array_to_string deprecation first.
>
> Well, -1 from me for deprecating string_to_array and array_to_string.
>

For what it's worth, I agree with Pavel about the current behaviour in
core.  It's broken whenever NULLs come into play.  We need to improve
on this one way or another, and I think it would be a shame to deal
with a problem in core by adding something to contrib.

> I am not in favor of the names to_string and to_array even if we put
> them in contrib, though.  The problem with string_to_array and
> array_to_string is that they aren't descriptive enough, and
> to_string/to_array is even less so.

What about implode() and explode()?  It's got symmetry and it's
possibly more descriptive.

Cheers,
BJ