The code for conversions SQL_ASCII <-> MULE_INTERNAL and
SQL_ASCII <-> UTF8 was unreachable, because we long ago changed
the wrapper functions pg_do_encoding_conversion() et al so that
they have hard-wired behaviors for conversions involving SQL_ASCII.
(At least some of those fast paths date back to 2002, though it
looks like we may not have been totally consistent about this until
later.) Given the lack of complaints, nobody is dissatisfied with
this state of affairs. Hence, let's just remove the unreachable code.
Also, change CREATE CONVERSION so that it rejects attempts to
define such conversions. Since we consider that SQL_ASCII represents
lack of knowledge about the encoding in use, such a conversion would
be semantically dubious even if it were reachable.
Adjust a couple of regression test cases that had randomly decided
to rely on these conversion functions rather than any other ones.
Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/41163.1559156593@sss.pgh.pa.us
Instead of running a SQL script to create the standard conversion
functions and pg_conversion entries, put those entries into the
initial data in postgres.bki.
This shaves a few percent off the runtime of initdb, and also allows
accurate comments to be attached to the conversion functions; the
previous script labeled them with machine-generated comments that
were not quite right for multi-purpose conversion functions.
Also, we can get rid of the duplicative Makefile and MSVC perl
implementations of the generation code for that SQL script.
A functional change is that these pg_proc and pg_conversion entries
are now "pinned" by initdb. Leaving them unpinned was perhaps a
good thing back while the conversions feature was under development,
but there seems no valid reason for it now.
Also, the conversion functions are now marked as immutable, where
before they were volatile by virtue of lacking any explicit
specification. That seems like it was just an oversight.
To avoid using magic constants in pg_conversion.dat, extend
genbki.pl to allow encoding names to be converted, much as it
does for language, access method, etc names.
John Naylor
Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/CAJVSVGWtUqxpfAaxS88vEGvi+jKzWZb2EStu5io-UPc4p9rSJg@mail.gmail.com