PostgreSQL 8.4.7 Documentation
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# 9.11. Geometric Functions and Operators

The geometric types `point`, `box`, `lseg`, `line`, `path`, `polygon`, and `circle` have a large set of native support functions and operators, shown in Table 9-30, Table 9-31, and Table 9-32.

Caution
Note that the "same as" operator, `~=`, represents the usual notion of equality for the `point`, `box`, `polygon`, and `circle` types. Some of these types also have an `=` operator, but `=` compares for equal areas only. The other scalar comparison operators (`<=` and so on) likewise compare areas for these types.

Table 9-30. Geometric Operators

Operator | Description | Example
--- | --- | ---
`+` | Translation | `box '((0,0),(1,1))' + point '(2.0,0)'`
`-` | Translation | `box '((0,0),(1,1))' - point '(2.0,0)'`
`*` | Scaling/rotation | `box '((0,0),(1,1))' * point '(2.0,0)'`
`/` | Scaling/rotation | `box '((0,0),(2,2))' / point '(2.0,0)'`
`#` | Point or box of intersection | `'((1,-1),(-1,1))' # '((1,1),(-1,-1))'`
`#` | Number of points in path or polygon | `# '((1,0),(0,1),(-1,0))'`
`@-@` | Length or circumference | `@-@ path '((0,0),(1,0))'`
`@@` | Center | `@@ circle '((0,0),10)'`
`##` | Closest point to first operand on second operand | `point '(0,0)' ## lseg '((2,0),(0,2))'`
`<->` | Distance between | `circle '((0,0),1)' <-> circle '((5,0),1)'`
`&&` | Overlaps? | `box '((0,0),(1,1))' && box '((0,0),(2,2))'`
`<<` | Is strictly left of? | `circle '((0,0),1)' << circle '((5,0),1)'`
`>>` | Is strictly right of? | `circle '((5,0),1)' >> circle '((0,0),1)'`
`&<` | Does not extend to the right of? | `box '((0,0),(1,1))' &< box '((0,0),(2,2))'`
`&>` | Does not extend to the left of? | `box '((0,0),(3,3))' &> box '((0,0),(2,2))'`
`<<|` | Is strictly below? | `box '((0,0),(3,3))' <<| box '((3,4),(5,5))'`
`|>>` | Is strictly above? | `box '((3,4),(5,5))' |>> box '((0,0),(3,3))'`
`&<|` | Does not extend above? | `box '((0,0),(1,1))' &<| box '((0,0),(2,2))'`
`|&>` | Does not extend below? | `box '((0,0),(3,3))' |&> box '((0,0),(2,2))'`
`<^` | Is below (allows touching)? | `circle '((0,0),1)' <^ circle '((0,5),1)'`
`>^` | Is above (allows touching)? | `circle '((0,5),1)' >^ circle '((0,0),1)'`
`?#` | Intersects? | `lseg '((-1,0),(1,0))' ?# box '((-2,-2),(2,2))'`
`?-` | Is horizontal? | `?- lseg '((-1,0),(1,0))'`
`?-` | Are horizontally aligned? | `point '(1,0)' ?- point '(0,0)'`
`?|` | Is vertical? | `?| lseg '((-1,0),(1,0))'`
`?|` | Are vertically aligned? | `point '(0,1)' ?| point '(0,0)'`
`?-|` | Is perpendicular? | `lseg '((0,0),(0,1))' ?-| lseg '((0,0),(1,0))'`
`?||` | Are parallel? | `lseg '((-1,0),(1,0))' ?|| lseg '((-1,2),(1,2))'`
`@>` | Contains? | `circle '((0,0),2)' @> point '(1,1)'`
`<@` | Contained in or on? | `point '(1,1)' <@ circle '((0,0),2)'`
`~=` | Same as? | `polygon '((0,0),(1,1))' ~= polygon '((1,1),(0,0))'`

> Note: Before PostgreSQL 8.2, the containment operators `@>` and `<@` were respectively called `~` and `@`. These names are still available, but are deprecated and will eventually be removed.

Table 9-31. Geometric Functions

Function | Return Type | Description | Example
--- | --- | --- | ---
``area`(`object`)` | `double precision` | area | `area(box '((0,0),(1,1))')`
``center`(`object`)` | `point` | center | `center(box '((0,0),(1,2))')`
``diameter`(`circle`)` | `double precision` | diameter of circle | `diameter(circle '((0,0),2.0)')`
``height`(`box`)` | `double precision` | vertical size of box | `height(box '((0,0),(1,1))')`
``isclosed`(`path`)` | `boolean` | a closed path? | `isclosed(path '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`
``isopen`(`path`)` | `boolean` | an open path? | `isopen(path '[(0,0),(1,1),(2,0)]')`
``length`(`object`)` | `double precision` | length | `length(path '((-1,0),(1,0))')`
``npoints`(`path`)` | `int` | number of points | `npoints(path '[(0,0),(1,1),(2,0)]')`
``npoints`(`polygon`)` | `int` | number of points | `npoints(polygon '((1,1),(0,0))')`
``pclose`(`path`)` | `path` | convert path to closed | `pclose(path '[(0,0),(1,1),(2,0)]')`
``popen`(`path`)` | `path` | convert path to open | `popen(path '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`
``radius`(`circle`)` | `double precision` | radius of circle | `radius(circle '((0,0),2.0)')`
``width`(`box`)` | `double precision` | horizontal size of box | `width(box '((0,0),(1,1))')`

Table 9-32. Geometric Type Conversion Functions

Function | Return Type | Description | Example
--- | --- | --- | ---
``box`(`circle`)` | `box` | circle to box | `box(circle '((0,0),2.0)')`
``box`(`point`, `point`)` | `box` | points to box | `box(point '(0,0)', point '(1,1)')`
``box`(`polygon`)` | `box` | polygon to box | `box(polygon '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`
``circle`(`box`)` | `circle` | box to circle | `circle(box '((0,0),(1,1))')`
``circle`(`point`, `double precision`)` | `circle` | center and radius to circle | `circle(point '(0,0)', 2.0)`
``circle`(`polygon`)` | `circle` | polygon to circle | `circle(polygon '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`
``lseg`(`box`)` | `lseg` | box diagonal to line segment | `lseg(box '((-1,0),(1,0))')`
``lseg`(`point`, `point`)` | `lseg` | points to line segment | `lseg(point '(-1,0)', point '(1,0)')`
``path`(`polygon`)` | `point` | polygon to path | `path(polygon '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`
``point`(`double precision`, `double precision`)` | `point` | construct point | `point(23.4, -44.5)`
``point`(`box`)` | `point` | center of box | `point(box '((-1,0),(1,0))')`
``point`(`circle`)` | `point` | center of circle | `point(circle '((0,0),2.0)')`
``point`(`lseg`)` | `point` | center of line segment | `point(lseg '((-1,0),(1,0))')`
``point`(`polygon`)` | `point` | center of polygon | `point(polygon '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`
``polygon`(`box`)` | `polygon` | box to 4-point polygon | `polygon(box '((0,0),(1,1))')`
``polygon`(`circle`)` | `polygon` | circle to 12-point polygon | `polygon(circle '((0,0),2.0)')`
``polygon`(`npts`, `circle`)` | `polygon` | circle to `npts`-point polygon | `polygon(12, circle '((0,0),2.0)')`
``polygon`(`path`)` | `polygon` | path to polygon | `polygon(path '((0,0),(1,1),(2,0))')`

It is possible to access the two component numbers of a `point` as though the point were an array with indexes 0 and 1. For example, if `t.p` is a `point` column then `SELECT p[0] FROM t` retrieves the X coordinate and `UPDATE t SET p[1] = ...` changes the Y coordinate. In the same way, a value of type `box` or `lseg` can be treated as an array of two `point` values.

The `area` function works for the types `box`, `circle`, and `path`. The `area` function only works on the `path` data type if the points in the `path` are non-intersecting. For example, the `path` `'((0,0),(0,1),(2,1),(2,2),(1,2),(1,0),(0,0))'::PATH` will not work; however, the following visually identical `path` `'((0,0),(0,1),(1,1),(1,2),(2,2),(2,1),(1,1),(1,0),(0,0))'::PATH` will work. If the concept of an intersecting versus non-intersecting `path` is confusing, draw both of the above `path`s side by side on a piece of graph paper.

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