Thread: Modifying Arrays

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Page: https://www.postgresql.org/docs/15/arrays.html
Description:

According to the official document of PostgreSQL 15, in the section 8.15.4.
Modifying Arrays there is a statement like:

The slice syntaxes with omitted lower-bound and/or upper-bound can be used
too, but only when updating an array value that is not NULL or
zero-dimensional (otherwise, there is no existing subscript limit to
substitute).

This statement is not true for the following statements or I am missing
something?

CREATE TABLE sal_emp (
    name            text,
    pay_by_quarter  integer[],
    schedule        text[][]
);

INSERT INTO sal_emp
    VALUES ('Bill',
    '{10000, 10000, 10000, 10000}',
    '{{"meeting", "lunch"}, {"training", "presentation"}}');

INSERT INTO sal_emp
    VALUES ('Carol',
    '{20000, 25000, 25000, 25000}',
    '{{"breakfast", "consulting"}, {"meeting", "lunch"}}');

INSERT INTO sal_emp
    VALUES ('Carolx',
    '{20000, 25001, 25002, 25003}',
    '{{"breakfastx", "consultingx"}, {"meetingx", "lunchx"}, {"meetingy",
"lunchy"}}');

INSERT INTO sal_emp
    VALUES ('Sam',
    '{20000, 25001, 25002, 25003}',
    '{}');

INSERT INTO sal_emp
    VALUES ('Pam',
    '{20000, 25001, 25002, 25003}');

SELECT * FROM sal_emp;

UPDATE sal_emp SET schedule[1:2] = '{"asd", "asa"}'
    WHERE name = 'Sam';

UPDATE sal_emp SET schedule[1:2] = '{"x", "y"}'
    WHERE name = 'Pam';

SELECT * FROM sal_emp;

In order to test it: https://dbfiddle.uk/pHKY32u0

Thanks!

PG Doc comments form <noreply@postgresql.org> writes:
> According to the official document of PostgreSQL 15, in the section 8.15.4.
> Modifying Arrays there is a statement like:

> The slice syntaxes with omitted lower-bound and/or upper-bound can be used
> too, but only when updating an array value that is not NULL or
> zero-dimensional (otherwise, there is no existing subscript limit to
> substitute).

> This statement is not true for the following statements or I am missing
> something?

Your example doesn't use a slice with omitted bound, so I'm not quite sure
what you are trying to show?  Using your test data, a slice with omitted
bound does fail with Pam's null schedule:

=> UPDATE sal_emp SET schedule[:2] = '{"w", "x", "y", "z"}' WHERE name = 'Pam';
ERROR:  array slice subscript must provide both boundaries
DETAIL:  When assigning to a slice of an empty array value, slice boundaries must be fully specified.

but it works for the other entries:

=> UPDATE sal_emp SET schedule[:2] = '{"w", "x", "y", "z"}' WHERE name != 'Pam';
UPDATE 3
=> table sal_emp;
  name  |      pay_by_quarter       |            schedule
--------+---------------------------+---------------------------------
 Pam    | {20000,25001,25002,25003} |
 Bill   | {10000,10000,10000,10000} | {{w,x},{y,z}}
 Carol  | {20000,25000,25000,25000} | {{w,x},{y,z}}
 Carolx | {20000,25001,25002,25003} | {{w,x},{y,z},{meetingy,lunchy}}
(4 rows)

            regards, tom lane