Edit report at https://bugs.php.net/bug.php?id=46408&edit=1
ID: 46408
Comment by: claude dot pache at gmail dot com
Reported by:alec at smecher dot bc dot ca
Summary:Locale number format settings can cause
pg_query_params to break with numerics
Status: Wont fix
Type: Bug
Package:PostgreSQL related
Operating System: *
PHP Version:5.*, 6
Assigned To:yohgaki
Block user comment: N
Private report: N
New Comment:
@yohgaki (and others)
I think that, the root of the problem is the way PHP uses
the locale information, which I consider deeply broken.
Here are the details:
In my understanding, the locale information is useful only
for *output*, i.e. for messages destined to the user.
They should not be used for any internal conversion
from one type to the other, unless the result is
destined to output.
The problem is, that PHP uses the locale for any
automatic conversion from number to string.
This behaviour is ok in the following case:
echo "Three and a half is: " . $number;
However, in the following cases, this is NOT correct,
because the resulting string must not be localised:
* constructing a JSON object (I hope that json_encode()
does NOT use internal number-to-string conversion);
* using bcmath package (I have personnaly be bitten by
this misfeature);
* construct a SQL request (the present case);
* etc.
In all these cases, you have to do one of the following options:
(1) never use any locale other than en_US
(and re-implement manually the locale feature);
(2) carefully check the type of each and every parameter
and explicitely perform a correct conversion when needed,
e.g. using number_format(..., '.', '');
(3) fix PHP to NOT use locale for number-to-string conversion
unless it is explicitely asked for
(side note: historically, there has been a similar
problem with the "magic quote" misfeature);
(4) modify the modules bcmath, postgresql, etc,
so that they circumvent the mentionned PHP misfeature,
i.e., they do the option (2) above at your place.
In my dreams, the option (3) would be implemented,
but pragmatically, I think that option (4)
has more chance to be implemented rapidly, if ever.
I think that alec asked precisely the option (4) to be implemented.
(Personnally, I have opted for option (1).)
Claude
P.S. The option (4) might seem a non-optimal hack.
However, do not forget that programming languages
and API should be adapted to the needs of the programmers,
and not the other way round.
Previous Comments:
[2012-04-18 03:13:12] yohg...@php.net
You misunderstand how libpq/PostgreSQL works.
If you think you can make proper patch for this, clone git source and send pull
request.
No one will stop you from that.
[2012-04-18 02:58:26] alec at smecher dot bc dot ca
I believe pg_query_params is broken until this is resolved, but it looks like
we're not going to agree on it. I hope someone else can speak up if they do
think this is a bug.
Since we disagree on the approach any patch I write to correct it will be
rejected.
I'll add a comment to the manual page for pg_query_params to document this.
[2012-04-18 02:26:48] yohg...@php.net
BTW, you are reading PostgreSQL manual wrong.
libpq's functions never care about data types, but the server is.
If you are curious still, try to make patch that meets the requirement I've
wrote.
[2012-04-18 02:19:38] yohg...@php.net
IIRC, MDB2 cares data types. (which I think it's a design problem for loosely
type langs.) Therefore, it may change behavior according to locale.
Anyway, It's not a matter of argument. It's the way it works. As I explained
repeatedly, ALL params are passed as string and types are NEVER cared in C API.
To know the data type, module should issue an additional query to get meta
data.
Additional query for each query is severe performance hit.
Therefore, it is a PHP programmer's responsibility (or Perhaps, PostgreSQL. If
they would like to change behavior via client environment vars. I guess they
would not.)
If you could submit patch that works for all data types and does not require
additional query, I'll review it.
[2012-04-18 01:30:38] alec at smecher dot bc dot ca
Your example of storing a string-formatted double in a varchar column strikes
me as an unusual case involving a type mismatch, and can be worked around
clearly an
