pg_enum
The pg_enum catalog contains entries
showing the values and labels for each enum type. The
internal representation of a given enum value is actually the OID
of its associated row in pg_enum.
Table 51.20. pg_enum Columns
| Name | Type | References | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
oid | oid | Row identifier | |
enumtypid | oid | | The OID of the pg_type entry owning this enum value |
enumsortorder | float4 | The sort position of this enum value within its enum type | |
enumlabel | name | The textual label for this enum value |
The OIDs for pg_enum rows follow a special
rule: even-numbered OIDs are guaranteed to be ordered in the same way
as the sort ordering of their enum type. That is, if two even OIDs
belong to the same enum type, the smaller OID must have the smaller
enumsortorder value. Odd-numbered OID values
need bear no relationship to the sort order. This rule allows the
enum comparison routines to avoid catalog lookups in many common cases.
The routines that create and alter enum types attempt to assign even
OIDs to enum values whenever possible.
When an enum type is created, its members are assigned sort-order
positions 1..n. But members added later might be given
negative or fractional values of enumsortorder.
The only requirement on these values is that they be correctly
ordered and unique within each enum type.