Thread: BUG #4843: non standard use string literal warning in RAISE WARNING

The following bug has been logged online:

Bug reference:      4843
Logged by:          Regina
Email address:      lr@pcorp.us
PostgreSQL version: 8.4beta2
Operating system:   Windows
Description:        non standard use string literal warning in RAISE WARNING
Details:

I'm not sure if this is a bug or expected behavior.  But in a new PostGIS
function we are writing, we are getting a

WARNING: nonstandard use of \' in a string literal HINT: Use  to write
quotes in strings, or use the escape string syntax (E'...').

With sections of the code that look like
RAISE WARNING 'Not inserting \'%\' in \'%.%\' into geometry_columns: could
not determine ndims', quote_ident(gcs.attname), quote_ident(gcs.nspname),
quote_ident(gcs.relname);


The same function on 8.3.7 does not do this.  I verified I have the
escape_string_warning switch enabled on both installs.


Details of the issue can be found here

http://trac.osgeo.org/postgis/ticket/190#comment:4

"Regina" <lr@pcorp.us> writes:
> I'm not sure if this is a bug or expected behavior.  But in a new PostGIS
> function we are writing, we are getting a

> WARNING: nonstandard use of \' in a string literal HINT: Use  to write
> quotes in strings, or use the escape string syntax (E'...').

> With sections of the code that look like
> RAISE WARNING 'Not inserting \'%\' in \'%.%\' into geometry_columns: could
> not determine ndims', quote_ident(gcs.attname), quote_ident(gcs.nspname),
> quote_ident(gcs.relname);

> The same function on 8.3.7 does not do this.

This is an intended change: RAISE format strings are now processed the
same as any other string literal.  Personally I'd suggest using '' here
rather than \' --- more standard, more future-proof, etc.

(Hmm, there seems to be nothing about it in the release notes ... not
sure how we overlooked that.)

            regards, tom lane