postgresql_autodoc is a nice tool for generating documentation for a postgresql database schema. It sends database metadata to an HTML::Template-template and can generate html, dot, dia, and docbook xml. I wanted to use it to generate Pod -- one page per table or view.

Here's the technique I came up with :

• 1. Save the template below as "pod.tmpl".
• 2. Run: postgresql_autodoc -d mydb -l . -t pod
• 3. post-process the pod file like this :

mkdir pod
perl -MIO::File -lpe '
    s/^_CUT: (.*)$// and do { *STDOUT = IO::File->new(">pod/$1"); };
    s/^_DB: (.*)$//  and do { $_ = qx[psql -c "$1"]; s/^/ /gm;    };
    ' mydb.pod
[download]

(A prerequisite is to have comments on tables and columns stored inside the database using the comment features of postgres).

Here's the template :

<tmpl_loop schemas><tmpl_loop tables>
_CUT: <tmpl_if view_definition>view<tmpl_else>table</tmpl_if>_<tmpl_va
+r table>.pod
=head1 NAME

<tmpl_var table>

=head1 DESCRIPTION

<tmpl_var table_comment>

=head1 COLUMNS

<tmpl_loop columns> <tmpl_var column> (<tmpl_var column_type>) - <tmpl
+_var column_comment>
</tmpl_loop>

=head1 SCHEMA

_DB: \d+ <tmpl_var table>

=cut

</tmpl_loop>
</tmpl_loop>
[download]