Re: CREATE FUNCTION reference page's Notes section is getting out of hand - Mailing list pgsql-docs

Tom Lane wrote:
> I observe that the Notes section here
> http://developer.postgresql.org/pgdocs/postgres/sql-createfunction.html
> has turned into a disorganized laundry list of unrelated items,
> ranging from quite-subtle issues to barely-useful-even-to-novices
> advice (do we really need "Use DROP FUNCTION to remove user-defined
> functions" here?  Especially given the See Also link later on?).
>
> I don't have an immediate proposal what to do about it, but it seems
> like it could use some effort.  Any thoughts?

Yea, it is hard to read.  What I did was to move some items up into
their proper sections, and add an "Overloading" heading.  You can see
the results here:

    http://momjian.us/tmp/pgsql/sql-createfunction.html

and a patch is attached.

--
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com
  PG East:  http://www.enterprisedb.com/community/nav-pg-east-2010.do
  + If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +
Index: doc/src/sgml/ref/create_function.sgml
===================================================================
RCS file: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/create_function.sgml,v
retrieving revision 1.91
diff -c -c -r1.91 create_function.sgml
*** doc/src/sgml/ref/create_function.sgml    25 Feb 2010 22:24:00 -0000    1.91
--- doc/src/sgml/ref/create_function.sgml    26 Feb 2010 23:58:55 -0000
***************
*** 46,51 ****
--- 46,55 ----
     <command>CREATE FUNCTION</command> defines a new function.
     <command>CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION</command> will either create a
     new function, or replace an existing definition.
+    To be able to define a function, the user must have the
+    <literal>USAGE</literal> privilege on the language.
+   </para>
+
    </para>

    <para>
***************
*** 70,75 ****
--- 74,87 ----
    </para>

    <para>
+    When <command>CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION</> is used to replace an
+    existing function, the ownership and permissions of the function
+    do not change.  All other function properties are assigned the
+    values specified or implied in the command.  You must own the function
+    to replace it (this includes being a member of the owning role).
+   </para>
+
+   <para>
     If you drop and then recreate a function, the new function is not
     the same entity as the old; you will have to drop existing rules, views,
     triggers, etc. that refer to the old function.  Use
***************
*** 401,406 ****
--- 413,430 ----
        </para>

        <para>
+        If a <literal>SET</> clause is attached to a function, then
+        the effects of a <command>SET LOCAL</> command executed inside the
+        function for the same variable are restricted to the function: the
+        configuration parameter's prior value is still restored at function exit.
+        However, an ordinary
+        <command>SET</> command (without <literal>LOCAL</>) overrides the
+        <literal>SET</> clause, much as it would do for a previous <command>SET
+        LOCAL</> command: the effects of such a command will persist after
+        function exit, unless the current transaction is rolled back.
+       </para>
+
+       <para>
         See <xref linkend="sql-set" endterm="sql-set-title"> and
         <xref linkend="runtime-config">
         for more information about allowed parameter names and values.
***************
*** 417,422 ****
--- 441,455 ----
         language.  It can be an internal function name, the path to an
         object file, an SQL command, or text in a procedural language.
        </para>
+
+       <para>
+        It is often helpful to use dollar quoting (see <xref
+        linkend="sql-syntax-dollar-quoting">) to write the function definition
+        string, rather than the normal single quote syntax.  Without dollar
+        quoting, any single quotes or backslashes in the function definition must
+        be escaped by doubling them.
+       </para>
+
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

***************
*** 436,441 ****
--- 469,482 ----
         language source code.  If the link symbol is omitted, it is assumed
         to be the same as the name of the SQL function being defined.
        </para>
+
+       <para>
+        When repeated <command>CREATE FUNCTION</command> calls refer to
+        the same object file, the file is only loaded once per session.
+        To unload and
+        reload the file (perhaps during development), start a new session.
+       </para>
+
       </listitem>
      </varlistentry>

***************
*** 479,501 ****

   </refsect1>

!  <refsect1 id="sql-createfunction-notes">
!   <title>Notes</title>
!
!    <para>
!     Refer to <xref linkend="xfunc"> for further information on writing
!     functions.
!    </para>

!    <para>
!     The full <acronym>SQL</acronym> type syntax is allowed for
!     input arguments and return value. However, some details of the
!     type specification (e.g., the precision field for
!     type <type>numeric</type>) are the responsibility of the
!     underlying function implementation and are silently swallowed
!     (i.e., not recognized or
!     enforced) by the <command>CREATE FUNCTION</command> command.
!    </para>

     <para>
      <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> allows function
--- 520,532 ----

   </refsect1>

!  <para>
!   Refer to <xref linkend="xfunc"> for further information on writing
!   functions.
!  </para>

!  <refsect1 id="sql-createfunction-overloading">
!   <title>Overloading</title>

     <para>
      <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> allows function
***************
*** 529,578 ****
      function should be called.
     </para>

!    <para>
!     When repeated <command>CREATE FUNCTION</command> calls refer to
!     the same object file, the file is only loaded once per session.
!     To unload and
!     reload the file (perhaps during development), start a new session.
!    </para>
!
!    <para>
!     Use <xref linkend="sql-dropfunction"
!     endterm="sql-dropfunction-title"> to remove user-defined
!     functions.
!    </para>
!
!    <para>
!     It is often helpful to use dollar quoting (see <xref
!     linkend="sql-syntax-dollar-quoting">) to write the function definition
!     string, rather than the normal single quote syntax.  Without dollar
!     quoting, any single quotes or backslashes in the function definition must
!     be escaped by doubling them.
!    </para>
!
!    <para>
!     If a <literal>SET</> clause is attached to a function, then
!     the effects of a <command>SET LOCAL</> command executed inside the
!     function for the same variable are restricted to the function: the
!     configuration parameter's prior value is still restored at function exit.
!     However, an ordinary
!     <command>SET</> command (without <literal>LOCAL</>) overrides the
!     <literal>SET</> clause, much as it would do for a previous <command>SET
!     LOCAL</> command: the effects of such a command will persist after
!     function exit, unless the current transaction is rolled back.
!    </para>

!    <para>
!     To be able to define a function, the user must have the
!     <literal>USAGE</literal> privilege on the language.
!    </para>

     <para>
!     When <command>CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION</> is used to replace an
!     existing function, the ownership and permissions of the function
!     do not change.  All other function properties are assigned the
!     values specified or implied in the command.  You must own the function
!     to replace it (this includes being a member of the owning role).
     </para>

     <para>
--- 560,578 ----
      function should be called.
     </para>

!  </refsect1>

!  <refsect1 id="sql-createfunction-notes">
!   <title>Notes</title>

     <para>
!     The full <acronym>SQL</acronym> type syntax is allowed for
!     input arguments and return value. However, some details of the
!     type specification (e.g., the precision field for
!     type <type>numeric</type>) are the responsibility of the
!     underlying function implementation and are silently swallowed
!     (i.e., not recognized or
!     enforced) by the <command>CREATE FUNCTION</command> command.
     </para>

     <para>