unable to add columns to a existing table using C - sql

Question

The following program tries to insert a new row and a new column to an already existing database with a table "people" containing four cols (id, lastname, firstname, phonenumber). While the row gets inserted successfully, the column is not getting added.
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <libpq-fe.h>
#include <string.h>
int main()
{
PGconn *conn;
PGresult *res;
int rec_count;
int row;
int col;
conn = PQconnectdb("dbname=test host=localhost user=abc1 password=xyz1");
if(PQstatus(conn) == CONNECTION_BAD) {
puts("We were unable to connect to the database");
exit(0);
}
res = PQexec(conn,"INSERT INTO people VALUES (5, 'XXX', 'YYY', '7633839276');");
if(PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK) {
fprintf(stderr, "Insertion Failed1: %s", PQerrorMessage(conn));
PQclear(res);
}
else
printf("Successfully inserted value in Table..... \n");
res = PQexec(conn,"update people set phonenumber=\'5055559999\' where id=3");
if(PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK) {
fprintf(stderr, "Insertion Failed2: %s", PQerrorMessage(conn));
PQclear(res);
}
res = PQexec(conn, "ALTER TABLE people ADD comment VARCHAR(100) DEFAULT 'TRUE'");
if(PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK) {
fprintf(stderr, "Insertion Failed3: %s", PQerrorMessage(conn));
PQclear(res);
}
rec_count = PQntuples(res);
printf("We received %d records.\n", rec_count);
puts("==========================");
for(row=0; row<rec_count; row++) {
for(col=0; col<3; col++) {
printf("%s\t", PQgetvalue(res, row, col));
}
puts("");
}
puts("==========================");
PQclear(res);
PQfinish(conn);
return 0;
}
The program after being compiled and linked gives the following output:
$ ./test
Successfully inserted value in Table.....
We received 0 records.
==========================
==========================
In the postgresql environment, the table "people" is updated with an extra row and a column containing "TRUE".
This is my first program with C embedded with postgresql. Please help!!

Answer 1

This line:
res = PQexec(conn, "EXEC('UPDATE people SET comment = ''TRUE'';');");
should be:
res = PQexec(conn, "UPDATE people SET comment = 'TRUE'");
The EXEC syntax is part of embedded SQL in C with ECPG. It's not to be combined with PQexec from the C libpq library, which is clearly what you're using given the rest of the source code.
Also the result of an UPDATE with no RETURNING clause has PQresultStatus(res)==PGRES_COMMAND_OK, not PGRES_TUPLES_OK
PGRES_COMMAND_OK
Successful completion of a command returning no data.
See Command Execution Functions
You also want to test any PGresult returned by PQexec, not only the result of your last query, because any query may fail.

Answer 2

How can you retrieve data without doing a SELECT statement ?
Never used PQexec, but i guess the code to add might be like this:
res = PQexec(conn, "ALTER TABLE people ADD comment VARCHAR(100) DEFAULT 'TRUE'");
if(PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_COMMAND_OK) {
fprintf(stderr, "Insertion Failed3: %s", PQerrorMessage(conn));
PQclear(res);
}
//Add PQexec and select statement here.
//Something "like" this.
res = PQexec(conn, "SELECT * FROM people;");
if(PQresultStatus(res) != PGRES_TUPLES_OK) {
fprintf(stderr, "Select Failed: %s", PQerrorMessage(conn));
PQclear(res);
}
rec_count = PQntuples(res);
printf("We received %d records.\n", rec_count);