Get definition of function, sequence, type etc. in Postgresql with SQL query

by

To get the definition of a function use pg_get_functiondef():

select pg_get_functiondef(oid)
from pg_proc
where proname="foo";

There are similar functions to retrieve the definition of an index, a view, a rule and so on. For details see the manual: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/functions-info.html

Getting the definition of a user type is a bit more tricky. You will need to query information_schema.attributes for that:

select attribute_name, data_type
from information_schema.attributes
where udt_schema="public"
  and udt_name="footype"
order by ordinal_position;

From that you need to re-assemble the create type statement.

For more details you will need to read through the documentation of the system catalog: http://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/static/catalogs.html

But you should prefer information_schema views if they return the same information.

Leave a Comment