Re: SQL select return into PSQL variables.

[Vick Khera <vivek@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Thu, Feb 18, 2010 at 10:33 AM, Little, Douglas <DOUGLAS.LITTLE@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

psql

orbitz=# \!testvar=1234

orbitz=# \!export testvar

orbitz=# \!echo $testvar

1234

orbitz=# \q

-bash-3.00$ echo $testvar                                                                                                                                    

1234

What shell are you using that allows a child process to alter the parent process' environment?  ohhhhh. you must be on windows....  this is not normal unix behavior: the child process (psql) cannot alter the parent (shell) environment, and every \! command you run fires a new subshell.  On unix you see this:

[yertle]% psql

Timing is on.

Welcome to psql 8.3.9 (server 8.3.7), the PostgreSQL interactive terminal.

Type:  \copyright for distribution terms

       \h for help with SQL commands

       \? for help with psql commands

       \g or terminate with semicolon to execute query

       \q to quit

khera=> \!testvar=1234

khera=> \!export testvar

khera=> \!echo $testvar

khera=> \q

[yertle]% echo $testvar

testvar: Undefined variable.

[yertle]%