-<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml,v 1.239 2009/06/17 21:58:49 tgl Exp $ -->
+<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/datatype.sgml,v 1.240 2009/07/08 17:21:55 tgl Exp $ -->
<chapter id="datatype">
<title id="datatype-title">Data Types</title>
DAY TO MINUTE
DAY TO SECOND
HOUR TO MINUTE
+ HOUR TO SECOND
MINUTE TO SECOND
</programlisting>
- Input falling outside the specified set of fields is silently discarded.
Note that if both <replaceable>fields</replaceable> and
- <replaceable>precision</replaceable> are specified, the
+ <replaceable>p</replaceable> are specified, the
<replaceable>fields</replaceable> must include <literal>SECOND</>,
since the precision applies only to the seconds.
</para>
<para>
When writing an interval constant with a <replaceable>fields</>
- specification, or when assigning to an interval column that was defined
- with a <replaceable>fields</> specification, the interpretation of
+ specification, or when assigning a string to an interval column that was
+ defined with a <replaceable>fields</> specification, the interpretation of
unmarked quantities depends on the <replaceable>fields</>. For
example <literal>INTERVAL '1' YEAR</> is read as 1 year, whereas
- <literal>INTERVAL '1'</> means 1 second.
+ <literal>INTERVAL '1'</> means 1 second. Also, field values
+ <quote>to the right</> of the least significant field allowed by the
+ <replaceable>fields</> specification are silently discarded. For
+ example, writing <literal>INTERVAL '1 day 2:03:04' HOUR TO MINUTE</>
+ results in dropping the seconds field, but not the day field.
</para>
<para>