11<!--
2- $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml,v 1.21 2001/05/27 09:59:27 petere Exp $
2+ $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/ref/copy.sgml,v 1.22 2001/08/10 23: 09:30 tgl Exp $
33Postgres documentation
44-->
55
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ COPY [ BINARY ] <replaceable class="parameter">table</replaceable> [ WITH OIDS ]
6565 <term>WITH OIDS</term>
6666 <listitem>
6767 <para>
68- Specifies copying the internalunique object id (OID) for each row.
68+ Specifies copying the internal object id (OID) for each row.
6969 </para>
7070 </listitem>
7171 </varlistentry>
@@ -181,12 +181,12 @@ ERROR: <replaceable>reason</replaceable>
181181 </para>
182182
183183 <para>
184- <command>COPY</command> instructs
184+ <command>COPY</command>with a filename instructs
185185 the <productname>Postgres</productname> backend
186- to directly read from or write to a file. If a file name is specified,
187- the file must be accessible to the backend and the name must be specified
186+ to directly read from or write to a file.
187+ The file must be accessible to the backend and the name must be specified
188188 from the viewpoint of the backend.
189- If <filename>stdin</filename> or <filename>stdout</filename> is
189+ When <filename>stdin</filename> or <filename>stdout</filename> is
190190 specified, data flows through the client frontend to the backend.
191191
192192 <tip>
@@ -209,6 +209,11 @@ ERROR: <replaceable>reason</replaceable>
209209 <title>
210210 Notes
211211 </title>
212+ <para>
213+ <command>COPY</command> can only be used with plain tables, not with
214+ views.
215+ </para>
216+
212217 <para>
213218 The BINARY keyword will force all data to be
214219 stored/read as binary format rather than as text. It is
@@ -318,6 +323,8 @@ ERROR: <replaceable>reason</replaceable>
318323 </para>
319324 <para>
320325 The OID is emitted as the first column if WITH OIDS is specified.
326+ (An error is raised if WITH OIDS is specified for a table that does not
327+ have OIDs.)
321328 </para>
322329 <para>
323330 If <command>COPY TO</command> is sending its output to standard
@@ -525,7 +532,7 @@ If OIDs are included in the dump, the OID field immediately follows the
525532field-count word. It is a normal field except that it's not included
526533in the field-count. In particular it has a typlen --- this will allow
527534handling of 4-byte vs 8-byte OIDs without too much pain, and will allow
528- OIDs to be shown as NULL ifwe someday allow OIDs to be optional .
535+ OIDs to be shown as NULL ifthat ever proves desirable .
529536 </para>
530537 </refsect3>
531538