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<function>CURRENT_TIMESTAMP</function>.

</para>

<para>

There is also the function <function>timeofday()</function>, which for historical

reasons returns a <type>text</type> string rather than a <type>timestamp</type> value:

<screen>

SELECT timeofday();

<lineannotation>Result: </lineannotation><computeroutput>Sat Feb 17 19:07:32.000126 2001 EST</computeroutput>

</screen>

</para>

<para>

It is important to know that

<function>CURRENT_TIMESTAMP</function> and related functions return

the intent is to allow a single transaction to have a consistent

notion of the <quote>current</quote> time, so that multiple

modifications within the same transaction bear the same

time stamp. <function>timeofday()</function>

returns the wall-clock time and does advance during transactions.

time stamp.

</para>

<note>

</para>

</note>

<para>

There is also the function <function>timeofday()</function> which

returns the wall-clock time and advances during transactions. For

historical reasons <function>timeofday()</function> returns a

<type>text</type> string rather than a <type>timestamp</type>

value:

<screen>

SELECT timeofday();

<lineannotation>Result: </lineannotation><computeroutput>Sat Feb 17 19:07:32.000126 2001 EST</computeroutput>

</screen>

</para>

<para>

All the date/time data types also accept the special literal value

<literal>now</literal> to specify the current date and time. Thus,