I think I first touched PostgreSQL in 1998 or 1999. It has been a long time, but PostgreSQL keeps inspiring me. I still keep finding cool features which have most likely been around for 15 years or more. Recently, I noticed by coincidence that psql can produce perfect LaTeX code. How cool is that? It’s so cool that I decided to share my happiness with people reading my blog.
Here’s some test data:
test=# CREATE TABLE cool_feature (a int, b int); CREATE TABLE test=# INSERT INTO cool_feature VALUES (1, 2), (3, 4); INSERT 0 2 test=# TABLE cool_feature; a | b ---+--- 1 | 2 3 | 4 (2 rows)
Making psql produce LaTeX is really simple:
test=# \pset format latex Output format is latex.
From now on the output will be returned in LaTeX format:
test=# TABLE cool_feature;
\begin{tabular}{r | r}
\textit{a} & \textit{b} \\
\hline
1 & 2 \\
3 & 4 \\
\end{tabular}
\noindent (2 rows) \\This is even true for backslash commands:
test=# \d
\begin{center}
List of relations
\end{center}
\begin{tabular}{l | l | l | l}
\textit{Schema} & \textit{Name} & \textit{Type} & \textit{Owner} \\
\hline
public & cool\_feature & table & hs \\
public & pg\_stat\_statements & view & hs \\
public & pgbench\_accounts & table & hs \\
public & pgbench\_branches & table & hs \\
public & pgbench\_history & table & hs \\
public & pgbench\_tellers & table & hs \\
\end{tabular}
\noindent (6 rows) \\PostgreSQL can also produce a variety of other formats, which might be useful to some people: aligned, asciidoc, html, latex, latex-longtable, troff-ms, unaligned, and wrapped.
Find out more about cool psql tricks – read Julian Markwort’s blog about using psql to automate repeated tasks: gexec in psql for poweruser practice.
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