[GRASS5] Re: [bug #3368] (grass) v.db.addcol manual - what column

[Moritz Lennert]

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Maciek Sieczka wrote:
>>> this bug's URL: http://intevation.de/rt/webrt?serial_num=3368
>>> Subject: v.db.addcol manual - what column types?
>>>
>>> Platform: GNU/Linux/i386
>>> grass obtained from: Trento Italy site
>>> grass binary for platform: Compiled from Sources
>>> GRASS Version: cvs 21.06.2005
>>>
>>> columns=string
>>> name and type of the new columns (ex: col1 type1, col2 type2)
>>>
>>> is not informative. I still can't create new columns because I don't
>>> know
>>> what
>>> are the types allowed and how to input them here. I bet not only me.
>>> So a
>>> short note what data types are recognized by Grass and how to call them
>>> would
>>> do much help. Or maybe that could go to "sql notes"?
> 
> 
> L Moritz  Lenert
> L I agree that this should be documented.
> L Radim, are all types supported by the respective backends supported by
> GRASS ?
> L If that is the case we could at least insert links to the different
> backend's
> L websites...
> L Moritz
> 
> B - Radim Blazek
> B The types depend on database which is used.
> 
> Facts
> 1 dbf is a default database driver in Grass, which means that it is most
> likely to be used
> 
> 2 it is almost sure that a Grass newbie will first use the dbf
> 
> 3 dbf-based examples are most common in Grass manuals (14 manuals,
> postgres -10)
> 
> 4 dbf is the only driver mentioned in "sqlnotes"
> 
> ... yet the user who wants to start using dbf driver is not informed what
> kind of data types are supported.
> 
> 4 Shapefile, which uses dbf, is widely used for data exchange. In
> particular
> a Grass newbie who is migrating his data from other GIS is very likely to
> use Shapefile. Thus the likelyhood of dbf-related problems and doubts
> increases.
> 
> 5 Could we assume that if somebody is using psql or other advanced database
> then he automatically knows enough about it all so that he doesn't have
> such
> basic problems? If so, we could conclude that such a basic guiding is only
> needed for dbmi amateurs (like me), who are using the default dbf driver.
> 

I agree. Radim could you list the available types in the dbf driver,
or give me a pointer where I can find them, so that I can add the
list to the man page (and maybe even to the module itself) ?

Moritz
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