Client-side fixes for delayed NOTIFY receipt.

PQnotifies() is defined to just process already-read data, not try to read
any more from the socket.  (This is a debatable decision, perhaps, but I'm
hesitant to change longstanding library behavior.)  The documentation has
long recommended calling PQconsumeInput() before PQnotifies() to ensure
that any already-arrived message would get absorbed and processed.
However, psql did not get that memo, which explains why it's not very
reliable about reporting notifications promptly.

Also, most (not quite all) callers called PQconsumeInput() just once before
a PQnotifies() loop.  Taking this recommendation seriously implies that we
should do PQconsumeInput() before each call.  This is more important now
that we have "payload" strings in notification messages than it was before;
that increases the probability of having more than one packet's worth
of notify messages.  Hence, adjust code as well as documentation examples
to do it like that.

Back-patch to 9.5 to match related server fixes.  In principle we could
probably go back further with these changes, but given lack of field
complaints I doubt it's worthwhile.

Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/CAOYf6ec-TmRYjKBXLLaGaB-jrd=mjG1Hzn1a1wufUAR39PQYhw@mail.gmail.com

diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
index a3b4b53a230f068cb86a6975148b04a46eee4fa1..d79467e9cd44cd6d03c5c039cd263eb943c78329 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
@@ -4938,7 +4938,7 @@ typedef struct pgNotify
   <para>
    <function>PQnotifies</function> does not actually read data from the
    server; it just returns messages previously absorbed by another
-   <application>libpq</application> function.  In prior releases of
+   <application>libpq</application> function.  In ancient releases of
    <application>libpq</application>, the only way to ensure timely receipt
    of <command>NOTIFY</> messages was to constantly submit commands, even
    empty ones, and then check <function>PQnotifies</function> after each
@@ -8206,6 +8206,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
                     notify->relname, notify->be_pid);
             PQfreemem(notify);
             nnotifies++;
+            PQconsumeInput(conn);
         }
     }
 

diff --git a/src/bin/psql/common.c b/src/bin/psql/common.c
index c7f5206fee4aa20b11efc5565af624c63ad2d49c..475587c04ad487a2c3e276f858abb544189b883c 100644 (file)
--- a/src/bin/psql/common.c
+++ b/src/bin/psql/common.c
@@ -606,7 +606,8 @@ PrintNotifications(void)
 {
        PGnotify   *notify;
 
-       while ((notify = PQnotifies(pset.db)))
+       PQconsumeInput(pset.db);
+       while ((notify = PQnotifies(pset.db)) != NULL)
        {
                /* for backward compatibility, only show payload if nonempty */
                if (notify->extra[0])
@@ -617,6 +618,7 @@ PrintNotifications(void)
                                        notify->relname, notify->be_pid);
                fflush(pset.queryFout);
                PQfreemem(notify);
+               PQconsumeInput(pset.db);
        }
 }
 

diff --git a/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/execute.c b/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/execute.c
index 5b09233810d6ebffeac01079fe7336db6baf064e..5b32e7cbcb2187e6e3874b9c1ffa1230005ef893 100644 (file)
--- a/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/execute.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/ecpg/ecpglib/execute.c
@@ -1730,12 +1730,13 @@ ecpg_process_output(struct statement * stmt, bool clear_result)
        }
 
        /* check for asynchronous returns */
-       notify = PQnotifies(stmt->connection->connection);
-       if (notify)
+       PQconsumeInput(stmt->connection->connection);
+       while ((notify = PQnotifies(stmt->connection->connection)) != NULL)
        {
                ecpg_log("ecpg_process_output on line %d: asynchronous notification of \"%s\" from backend PID %d received\n",
                                 stmt->lineno, notify->relname, notify->be_pid);
                PQfreemem(notify);
+               PQconsumeInput(stmt->connection->connection);
        }
 
        return status;

diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c
index ad108f5b0f0e30120c402d413447d16943a12ce9..a74090faaebc21cc41fa9ccd4f3771bfdebc1270 100644 (file)
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c
@@ -2234,6 +2234,9 @@ sendFailed:
  * no unhandled async notification from the backend
  *
  * the CALLER is responsible for FREE'ing the structure returned
+ *
+ * Note that this function does not read any new data from the socket;
+ * so usually, caller should call PQconsumeInput() first.
  */
 PGnotify *
 PQnotifies(PGconn *conn)

diff --git a/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c b/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c
index 62ecd68b55e39799d27789a4d980799fbcb604cb..6cdf8c8631ba89c46f7b9b271dd45c88d0762557 100644 (file)
--- a/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c
+++ b/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c
@@ -140,6 +140,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
                                        notify->relname, notify->be_pid);
                        PQfreemem(notify);
                        nnotifies++;
+                       PQconsumeInput(conn);
                }
        }