metarhia / metarhia/Example

database/setup.sh fails on fresh PostgreSQL: CREATE DATABASE inside DO $$ block

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Dominant language
JavaScript
Stars
211
Forks
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Description

## Summary

`database/setup.sh` fails on a fresh PostgreSQL instance when running `database/seeds/001-install.sql`.

The `marcus` role is created, but the `application` database is not. The next steps in `setup.sh` then fail because the database does not exist.

## Steps to reproduce

```bash
git clone https://github.com/metarhia/Example.git
cd Example

docker run --rm --name pgtest -e POSTGRES_PASSWORD=test -d postgres:17-alpine
until docker exec pgtest pg_isready -U postgres; do sleep 1; done

docker cp database/seeds/001-install.sql pgtest:/tmp/001-install.sql
docker exec pgtest psql -U postgres -v ON_ERROR_STOP=1 -f /tmp/001-install.sql
```

## Actual result

```
DO
psql:/tmp/001-install.sql:15: ERROR: CREATE DATABASE cannot be executed from a function
CONTEXT: SQL statement "CREATE DATABASE application OWNER marcus"
PL/pgSQL function inline_code_block line 4 at SQL statement
```

## Cause

PostgreSQL does not allow `CREATE DATABASE` inside a PL/pgSQL `DO $$` block. Reproduced on PostgreSQL 12–17.

## Context

Related to #297: seeds were added for docker-compose, where `POSTGRES_DB=application` created the database before init scripts ran, so the failing block in `001-install.sql` was masked. After #305 (docker removed), `database/setup.sh` is the main manual path, but it fails on a clean database.

## Suggested fix

Replace the second `DO $$` block in `database/seeds/001-install.sql` with:

```sql
DO $$
BEGIN
IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM pg_roles WHERE rolname = 'marcus') THEN
CREATE ROLE marcus LOGIN PASSWORD 'marcus';
END IF;
END
$$;

SELECT 'CREATE DATABASE application OWNER marcus'
WHERE NOT EXISTS (SELECT FROM pg_database WHERE datname = 'application')\gexec
```

(`\gexec` is a psql meta-command; `setup.sh` already uses `psql -f`.)

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start with database/seeds/001-install.sql, focusing on the second DO $$ block, then review database/setup.sh and reproduce the failure with the provided PostgreSQL Docker and psql commands. Update the seed flow so role creation remains valid and database creation works on a fresh PostgreSQL instance. Done means the seed file and setup.sh complete successfully without the missing application database error.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
postgresql, shell
Domain
databases
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
2/5
Estimated time
1-3 hours
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
84/100

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