Fix Error “cannot subscript type text because it does not support subscripting” in PostgreSQL

If you’re getting a PostgreSQL error that reads something like “cannot subscript type text because it does not support subscripting” when selecting data from a database, it’s probably because you’re trying to perform some sort of array operation against a non array value.

The above error specifically mentions text data but we could get the same error when using a different data type, like an integer, character varying, etc.

To fix this issue, be sure to run the array operations against actual arrays. If working with non array data, then don’t use array operations against that data.

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How to Create an Empty Array When Using the ARRAY Constructor

In PostgreSQL we can use the ARRAY constructor to create an array. When we do this, we provide the array elements as a comma separated list, enclosed in square brackets. Postgres then works out the data type based on the array elements.

But what if we want to create an empty array?

Creating an empty array can cause issues if we don’t explicitly specify the type. We need to specify the type. Below is an example of creating an empty array in PostgreSQL using the ARRAY constructor.

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Fix “function generate_subscripts(text[], integer, integer) does not exist” in PostgreSQL

If you’re getting a PostgreSQL error that reads something like “function generate_subscripts(text[], integer, integer) does not exist“, it’s probably because your third argument is of the wrong type when using the generate_subscripts() function.

The above error specifically implies that an integer was passed as the third argument, but it must be a boolean value.

The third argument of the generate_subscripts() function is optional, but if passed, it must be a boolean expression.

To fix this error, either pass a boolean value as the third argument, or eliminate the third argument altogether.

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Fix Error “could not determine polymorphic type because input has type unknown” when using generate_subscripts() in PostgreSQL

If you’re getting an error that reads “could not determine polymorphic type because input has type unknown” when using the generate_subscripts() function in PostgreSQL, it’s probably because your first argument is of the wrong type.

The generate_subscripts() function requires an array as its first argument. Passing a non-array value will result in an error. The actual error can vary, depending on the argument you pass, but regardless, the error is usually due to a non-array argument being passed.

To fix this error, be sure to pass an array as the argument when calling generate_subscripts().

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Fix “sample size must be between…” Error when using array_sample() in PostgreSQL

If you’re getting an error that starts with “sample size must be between…” when using the array_sample() function in PostgreSQL, it’s probably because your second argument is either a negative value, or it’s larger than the number of elements in the array.

The second argument must be no less than zero, and it can’t be any larger than the number of elements in the array.

To fix this error, be sure that your second argument is greater than zero and less than or equal to the number of elements in the array at the first argument.

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Fix Error “function generate_subscripts(integer, integer) does not exist” in PostgreSQL

If you’re getting a PostgreSQL error that reads “function generate_subscripts(integer, integer) does not exist“, it’s probably because your first argument is not an array. This specific error message implies that the first argument is an integer, but we’d get a similar error when passing a numeric argument.

The first argument for this function must be an array.

To fix this error, be sure that your first argument to generate_subscripts() is an array.

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