Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs-postgresql.xql
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs-postgresql.xql,v
diff -u -r1.2 -r1.3
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs-postgresql.xql	16 Jan 2003 13:38:14 -0000	1.2
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs-postgresql.xql	25 Jan 2019 23:49:04 -0000	1.3
@@ -12,13 +12,4 @@
     </querytext>
   </fullquery>
 
-  <fullquery name="plpgsql_utility::table_column_type.fetch_type">      
-    <querytext>
-      select data_type
-      from user_tab_columns
-      where table_name = upper(:table)
-      and column_name = upper(:column)
-    </querytext>
-  </fullquery>
-
 </queryset>
Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.10 -r1.11
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs.tcl	11 Dec 2018 16:21:03 -0000	1.10
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-subsite/tcl/plpgsql-utility-procs.tcl	25 Jan 2019 23:49:04 -0000	1.11
@@ -84,17 +84,19 @@
 	return [join $pieces ","]
     }
 
-    ad_proc -public table_column_type {
+    ad_proc -deprecated table_column_type {
 	table
 	column
     } {
 	Returns the datatype for column in table
 
+        @see db_column_type
+
 	@author Steve Woodcock (swoodcock@scholastic.co.uk)
 	@creation-date 07/2001
 
     } {
-	return [db_string fetch_type {}]
+        return [db_column_type -complain $table $column]
     }
 
     ad_proc -public generate_attribute_parameters { 
@@ -132,7 +134,7 @@
 	foreach triple $attr_list {
 	    set table [string toupper [string trim [lindex $triple 0]]]
 	    set attr [string toupper [string trim [lindex $triple 1]]]
-	    set datatype [table_column_type $table $attr]
+	    set datatype [db_column_type -complain $table $attr]
 	    lappend pieces $datatype
 	}
 	return [join $pieces ","]
Index: openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl
===================================================================
RCS file: /usr/local/cvsroot/openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/Attic/00-database-procs.tcl,v
diff -u -r1.117 -r1.118
--- openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl	22 Dec 2018 09:39:46 -0000	1.117
+++ openacs-4/packages/acs-tcl/tcl/00-database-procs.tcl	25 Jan 2019 23:49:04 -0000	1.118
@@ -3220,12 +3220,14 @@
 }
 
 
-ad_proc -public db_column_type {{-dbn ""} table_name column_name } {
+ad_proc -public db_column_type {{-dbn ""} {-complain:boolean} table_name column_name } {
 
     @return the Oracle Data Type for the specified column.
     @return -1 if the table or column doesn't exist.
+    @return an error if table or column doesn't exist and -complain flag was specified
 
     @param dbn The database name to use.  If empty_string, uses the default database.
+    @param complain throw an error when datatype is not found
 
     @author Yon Feldman (yon@arsdigita.com)
 
@@ -3241,12 +3243,17 @@
 
 } {
     # Works for both Oracle and PostgreSQL:
-    return [db_string -dbn $dbn column_type_select "
+    set datatype [db_string -dbn $dbn column_type_select "
     select data_type as data_type
       from user_tab_columns
      where upper(table_name) = upper(:table_name)
        and upper(column_name) = upper(:column_name)
     " -default "-1"]
+    if {$complain_p && $datatype == -1} {
+        error "Datatype for $table_name.$column_name not found."
+    } else {
+        return $datatype
+    }
 }