Thread: Numeric documentation paragraph reverse argument order.

The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:

Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/datatype-numeric.html
Description:

This is not a correction, but a clarification. In the paragraph describing
the Numeric type,
https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/datatype-numeric.html#DATATYPE-NUMERIC-DECIMAL
the description of the arguments is reversed from the order of the
arguments, i.e. scale before numeric, while the argument is numeric before
scale. My suggestion is to change the following paragraph:

> We use the following terms below: The scale of a numeric is the count of
decimal digits in the fractional part, to the right of the decimal point.
The precision of a numeric is the total count of significant digits in the
whole number, that is, the number of digits to both sides of the decimal
point. So the number 23.5141 has a precision of 6 and a scale of 4. Integers
can be considered to have a scale of zero.

to:

> We use the following terms below: The precision of a numeric is the total
count of significant digits in the whole number, that is, the number of
digits to both sides of the decimal point. The scale of a numeric is the
count of decimal digits in the fractional part, to the right of the decimal
point. So the number 23.5141 has a precision of 6 and a scale of 4. Integers
can be considered to have a scale of zero.

That way the order in the paragraph (precision, scale), matches the argument
order `NUMERIC(precision, scale)`

On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 01:54:26PM +0000, PG Doc comments form wrote:
> The following documentation comment has been logged on the website:
> 
> Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/datatype-numeric.html
> Description:
> 
> This is not a correction, but a clarification. In the paragraph describing
> the Numeric type,
> https://www.postgresql.org/docs/10/static/datatype-numeric.html#DATATYPE-NUMERIC-DECIMAL
> the description of the arguments is reversed from the order of the
> arguments, i.e. scale before numeric, while the argument is numeric before
> scale. My suggestion is to change the following paragraph:
> 
> > We use the following terms below: The scale of a numeric is the count of
> decimal digits in the fractional part, to the right of the decimal point.
> The precision of a numeric is the total count of significant digits in the
> whole number, that is, the number of digits to both sides of the decimal
> point. So the number 23.5141 has a precision of 6 and a scale of 4. Integers
> can be considered to have a scale of zero.
> 
> to:
> 
> > We use the following terms below: The precision of a numeric is the total
> count of significant digits in the whole number, that is, the number of
> digits to both sides of the decimal point. The scale of a numeric is the
> count of decimal digits in the fractional part, to the right of the decimal
> point. So the number 23.5141 has a precision of 6 and a scale of 4. Integers
> can be considered to have a scale of zero.
> 
> That way the order in the paragraph (precision, scale), matches the argument
> order `NUMERIC(precision, scale)`

Now that is an excellent suggestion.  Change applied back through 9.3.
Thanks.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://enterprisedb.com

+ As you are, so once was I.  As I am, so you will be. +
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