Bug #12204 "connection" keyword is reserved and cannot be used as a field name
Submitted: 27 Jul 2005 13:59 Modified: 6 Mar 2007 20:38
Reporter: Wongy Ygnow
Status: Closed
Category:Server: Parser Severity:S3 (Non-critical)
Version:5.0 OS:Linux (Linux, Windows XP)
Assigned to: Bugs System Target Version:

[27 Jul 2005 13:59] Wongy Ygnow 
Description:
In MySQL Server 5.0, the keyword "connection" seems reserved, and cannot be used as a
field name. But a workaround is possible (see below).

This is not an issue in the previous version of MySQL Server (4.1).

How to repeat:
Create a database (dbtest). Create a table in this database (tbltest). Name a field in
this table as "connection".

Connect to the database and execute the following SQL query:
SELECT connection FROM tbltest;

This will generate the following error:
ERROR 1064 (42000): You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that
corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near 'connection
from tbltest' at line 1

Suggested fix:
Either never use the keyword "connection" to name fields, or put the word between ` ` in
a query.

i.e.: SELECT `connection` FROM tbltest;

this will work...

The ` ` are not needed with other field names.

In general, since we do not know which word is reserved or not (at least I do not know),
it is advised to put everytime the ` `. We never know...
[27 Jul 2005 14:04] Aleksey Kishkin 
Hi! 

Absolutely correct. Connection is reserverd word. it's described in
http://dev.mysql.com/doc/mysql/en/reserved-words.html
[27 Jul 2005 15:35] Wongy Ygnow 
I was exactly looking for such information! Thanx for that.

Nevertheless, it is not explicitely mentioned that those words are reserved as from 5.0,
since for 4.1 the word "connection" is not reserved, f.i.
[8 Aug 2005 10:41] Sergei Golubchik 
Antony, could you check why CONNECTION should be reserved (and "un-reserve" it if it
should not) ?

As far as I can see it need not to be reserved.
[8 Aug 2005 12:33] Antony Curtis 
From the documents that I have readily at hand, CONNECTION is actually defined as a
reserved word in the SQL99 specification. Fortunately, it is defined as a non-reserved
word in the SQL03 specification.
[8 Aug 2005 14:38] Antony Curtis 
There are several tokens we define as reserved keywords which SQL03 defines as
non-reserved and vice versa.
[1 Feb 2007 2:00] Bugs System 
A patch for this bug has been committed. After review, it may
be pushed to the relevant source trees for release in the next
version. You can access the patch from:

  http://lists.mysql.com/commits/19147

ChangeSet@1.2390, 2007-01-31 17:00:43-08:00, antony@ppcg5.local +3 -0
  Bug#12204
    "CONNECTION is treated as a reserved keyword"
    Allow CONNECTION to be an unreserved keyword.
    Includes test.
[7 Feb 2007 23:22] Bugs System 
A patch for this bug has been committed. After review, it may
be pushed to the relevant source trees for release in the next
version. You can access the patch from:

  http://lists.mysql.com/commits/19522

ChangeSet@1.2405, 2007-02-07 14:22:19-08:00, antony@ppcg5.local +3 -0
  Bug#12204
    "CONNECTION is a reserved keyword"
    Allow connection to be used as an ordinary identifier
    Tests included.
[20 Feb 2007 19:03] Ingo Strüwing 
Pushed to 5.1.16 and 5.0.36.
[20 Feb 2007 21:15] Paul DuBois 
Noted in 5.0.36, 5.1.16 changelogs.

CONNECTION is no longer treated as a reserved word.
[2 Mar 2007 11:55] Sveta Smirnova 
It is still in 5.0.36 package.

Also 5.2 branch is affected.

See also Bug #26787
[6 Mar 2007 8:21] Calvin Sun 
The fix did not get into 5.0.36, but in 5.0.38. The changelog needs to be updated.
[6 Mar 2007 20:38] Paul DuBois 
Moved 5.0.36 changelog entry to 5.0.38.