While at it, refactor patternsel() a bit so that it can be used from
the LIKE/regex planner support functions as well. This makes the
planner able to deal equally well with either operator or function
syntax for these operations. I'm not excited about that as a feature
in itself, but it provides a nice model for extensions to follow if
they want such behavior for their operations.
This change localizes the use of pattern_fixed_prefix() and
make_greater_string() so that they no longer need be exported.
(We might get pushback from extensions about that, perhaps,
in which case I'd be inclined to re-export them in a new header
file like_support.h.)
This reduces the bulk of selfuncs.c a fair amount, removing ~1370
lines or about one-sixth of that file; it's still too big, but this
is progress.
Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/24537.1550093915@sss.pgh.pa.us
For a long time, indxpath.c has had the ability to extract derived (lossy)
index conditions from certain operators such as LIKE. For just as long,
it's been obvious that we really ought to make that capability available
to extensions. This commit finally accomplishes that, by adding another
API for planner support functions that lets them create derived index
conditions for their functions. As proof of concept, the hardwired
"special index operator" code formerly present in indxpath.c is pushed
out to planner support functions attached to LIKE and other relevant
operators.
A weak spot in this design is that an extension needs to know OIDs for
the operators, datatypes, and opfamilies involved in the transformation
it wants to make. The core-code prototypes use hard-wired OID references
but extensions don't have that option for their own operators etc. It's
usually possible to look up the required info, but that may be slow and
inconvenient. However, improving that situation is a separate task.
I want to do some additional refactorization around selfuncs.c, but
that also seems like a separate task.
Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/15193.1548028093@sss.pgh.pa.us
Tom Lane