pgadmin-org / pgadmin-org/pgadmin4

Editing a row with expression/alias columns in Query Tool fails to save with "column does not exist" error

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Bug
Dominant language
Python
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Avg merge
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Merged PRs (30d)
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Description

Describe the bug

If your query includes a calculated or aliased column — for example first_name || ' ' || last_name AS the_name — and you edit any cell on an existing row and hit Save, pgAdmin throws an error. It tries to update the alias column (the_name) on the table, which doesn't actually exist as a real column. The column header shows a lock icon, so pgAdmin already knows it's not editable — but it still includes it when building the UPDATE.

To Reproduce

Open the Query Tool on any database where you can create tables.
Run this to set up a test table with some data:

DROP TABLE IF EXISTS some_table;
CREATE TABLE some_table (id INT PRIMARY KEY, first_name TEXT, last_name TEXT);
INSERT INTO some_table VALUES (1, 'John', 'Doe');

SELECT id, first_name, last_name,
first_name || ' ' || last_name AS the_name
FROM some_table;
In the result grid, click on an editable cell — for example, change first_name from John to Jane.
Press F5 to save.
You'll see an error in the result panel.

Expected behavior

The save should succeed. Only real table columns (id, first_name, last_name) should be updated. The alias column the_name should be ignored completely.

Error message

ERROR: column "the_name" of relation "some_table" does not exist
LINE 2: the_name = $1::text WHERE

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

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 in the Query Tool result grid's save/update path and trace how editable and locked columns are selected for the UPDATE. Reproduce the issue with the SQL and table from the report, then verify that saving a change to first_name succeeds without including the_name and that the reported column-does-not-exist error is gone.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
postgresql, python
Domain
database
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
68/100

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