<refsect1>

<title>Files</title>

<itemizedlist>

<variablelist>

<varlistentry>

<term><filename>psqlrc</filename> and <filename>~/.psqlrc</filename></term>

<listitem>

<para>

Unless it is passed an <option>-X</option>

or <option>-c</option> option,

<application>psql</application> attempts to

read and execute commands from the system-wide

<filename>psqlrc</filename> file and the user's

<filename>~/.psqlrc</filename> file before starting up.

(On Windows, the user's startup file is named

<filename>%APPDATA%\postgresql\psqlrc.conf</filename>.)

See <filename><replaceable>PREFIX</>/share/psqlrc.sample</>

for information on setting up the system-wide file. It could be used

to set up the client or the server to taste (using the <command>\set

</command> and <command>SET</command> commands).

Unless it is passed an <option>-X</option> or <option>-c</option> option,

<application>psql</application> attempts to read and execute commands

from the system-wide startup file (<filename>psqlrc</filename>) and then

the user's personal startup file (<filename>~/.psqlrc</filename>), after

connecting to the database but before accepting normal commands.

These files can be used to set up the client and/or the server to taste,

typically with <command>\set</command> and <command>SET</command>

commands.

</para>

<para>

The location of the user's <filename>~/.psqlrc</filename> file can

also be set explicitly via the <envar>PSQLRC</envar> environment

setting.

The system-wide startup file is named <filename>psqlrc</filename> and is

sought in the installation's <quote>system configuration</> directory,

which is most reliably identified by running <literal>pg_config

--sysconfdir</>. By default this directory will be <filename>../etc/</>

relative to the directory containing

the <productname>PostgreSQL</productname> executables. The name of this

directory can be set explicitly via the <envar>PGSYSCONFDIR</envar>

environment variable.

</para>

<para>

The user's personal startup file is named <filename>.psqlrc</filename>

and is sought in the invoking user's home directory. On Windows, which

lacks such a concept, the personal startup file is named

<filename>%APPDATA%\postgresql\psqlrc.conf</filename>.

The location of the user's startup file can be set explicitly via

the <envar>PSQLRC</envar> environment variable.

</para>

</listitem>

<listitem>

<para>

Both the system-wide<filename>psqlrc</filename> file and the user's

<filename>~/.psqlrc</filename> filecan be made <application>psql</application>-version-specific

Both the system-widestartup file and the user's personal startup file

can be made <application>psql</application>-version-specific

by appending a dash and the <productname>PostgreSQL</productname>

major or minor<application>psql</application>release number,

major or minor release number to the file name,

for example <filename>~/.psqlrc-9.2</filename> or

<filename>~/.psqlrc-9.2.5</filename>. The most specific

version-matching file will be read in preference to a

non-version-specific file.

</para>

</listitem>

</varlistentry>

<varlistentry>

<term><filename>.psql_history</filename></term>

<listitem>

<para>

The command-line history is stored in the file

<filename>~/.psql_history</filename>, or

<filename>%APPDATA%\postgresql\psql_history</filename> on Windows.

</para>

<para>

The location of the history file can

also be set explicitly via the <envar>PSQL_HISTORY</envar> environment

setting.

The location of the history file can be set explicitly via

the <envar>PSQL_HISTORY</envar> environment variable.

</para>

</listitem>

</itemizedlist>

</varlistentry>

</variablelist>

</refsect1>

--

--psql configuration file

--system-widepsql configuration file

--

-- This file is read before the .psqlrc file in the user's home directory.

--

-- Copy this to your sysconf directory (typically /usr/local/pgsql/etc) and

-- rename it psqlrc.

-- Copy this to your installation's sysconf directory and rename it psqlrc.

-- The sysconf directory can be identified via "pg_config --sysconfdir".

--