<!-- $PostgreSQL: pgsql/doc/src/sgml/pgfreespacemap.sgml,v 2.6.2.2 2010/08/17 04:37:17 petere Exp $ -->

<sect1 id="pgfreespacemap">
 <title>pg_freespacemap</title>

 <indexterm zone="pgfreespacemap">
  <primary>pg_freespacemap</primary>
 </indexterm>

 <para>
  The <filename>pg_freespacemap</> module provides a means for examining the
  free space map (FSM). It provides a function called
  <function>pg_freespace</function>, or two overloaded functions, to be
  precise. The functions show the value recorded in the free space map for
  a given page, or for all pages in the relation.
 </para>

 <para>
  By default public access is revoked from the functions, just in case
  there are security issues lurking.
 </para>

 <sect2>
  <title>Functions</title>

  <variablelist>
   <varlistentry>
    <term>
     <function>pg_freespace(rel regclass IN, blkno bigint IN) returns int2</function>
    </term>

    <listitem>
     <para>
      Returns the amount of free space on the page of the relation, specified
      by <literal>blkno</>, according to the FSM.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>


   <varlistentry>
    <term>
     <function>pg_freespace(rel regclass IN, blkno OUT bigint, avail OUT int2)</function>
    </term>

    <listitem>
     <para>
      Displays the amount of free space on each page of the relation,
      according to the FSM. A set of <literal>(blkno bigint, avail int2)</>
      tuples is returned, one tuple for each page in the relation.
     </para>
    </listitem>
   </varlistentry>
  </variablelist>

  <para>
   The values stored in the free space map are not exact. They're rounded
   to precision of 1/256th of <symbol>BLCKSZ</> (32 bytes with default <symbol>BLCKSZ</>), and
   they're not kept fully up-to-date as tuples are inserted and updated.
  </para>

  <para>
   For indexes, what is tracked is entirely-unused pages, rather than free
   space within pages.  Therefore, the values are not meaningful, just
   whether a page is full or empty.
  </para>

  <para>
   NOTE: The interface was changed in version 8.4, to reflect the new FSM
   implementation introduced in the same version.
  </para>
 </sect2>

 <sect2>
  <title>Sample output</title>

<screen>
postgres=# SELECT * FROM pg_freespace('foo');
 blkno | avail 
-------+-------
     0 |     0
     1 |     0
     2 |     0
     3 |    32
     4 |   704
     5 |   704
     6 |   704
     7 |  1216
     8 |   704
     9 |   704
    10 |   704
    11 |   704
    12 |   704
    13 |   704
    14 |   704
    15 |   704
    16 |   704
    17 |   704
    18 |   704
    19 |  3648
(20 rows)

postgres=# SELECT * FROM pg_freespace('foo', 7);
 pg_freespace 
--------------
         1216
(1 row)
</screen>
 </sect2>

 <sect2>
  <title>Author</title>

  <para>
   Original version by Mark Kirkwood <email>markir@paradise.net.nz</email>.
   Rewritten in version 8.4 to suit new FSM implementation by Heikki
   Linnakangas <email>heikki@enterprisedb.com</email>
  </para>
 </sect2>

</sect1>
