On 2017-08-18 06:37:15 -0500, Justin Pryzby wrote: > On Fri, Aug 18, 2017 at 01:01:45PM +0200, Rob Audenaerde wrote: > > I don't understand why this query: > > > > select count(base.*) from mytable base; > > > > does return multiple rows. > > > > select count(1) from mytable base; > > > > returns the proper count. > > > > There is a column with the name 'count'. > > > > Can anyone please explain this behaviour? > > https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.6/static/sql-expressions.html#SQL-EXPRESSIONS-FUNCTION-CALLS > https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.6/static/rowtypes.html#ROWTYPES-USAGE Maybe I overlooked it, but I don't see anything in those pages which explains why «count» is parsed as a column name in the first example and as a function name in the second. Nor do I see what «count(base.*)» is supposed to mean. It seems to be completely equivalent to just writing «count», but the part in parentheses is not ignored: It has to be either the table name or the table name followed by «.*». Everything else I tried either led to a syntax error or to «count» being recognized as a function. So apparently columnname open-parenthesis tablename closed-parenthesis is a specific syntactic construct, but I can't find it documented anywhere. hp -- _ | Peter J. Holzer | we build much bigger, better disasters now |_|_) | | because we have much more sophisticated | | | hjp@xxxxxx | management tools. __/ | http://www.hjp.at/ | -- Ross Anderson <https://www.edge.org/>
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