gem-hunter

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A Mac OS X System Preferences pane for controlling the PostgreSQL Database Server.

Features include:

• Compatible with all PostgreSQL installations - including Homebrew and One click installer
• Start and stop PostgreSQL Servers at the click of a button - no need for obscure commands
• Set PostgreSQL to start automatically on computer bootup or user login
• Easily change PostgreSQL settings in the GUI
• Control multiple PostgreSQL servers in the same window

1. Download the latest release version here
2. Once downloaded, open the .dmg file by double-clicking it, and then either double-click the contained PostgreSQL.prefPane file, or drag it to System Preferences to install it.
3. When installing, you will be asked if you want to install it for this user only, or for all users. Choose this user only (either option is fine however).

1. Stop any running PostgreSQL servers:

   • Open System Preferences, click , select each running server in turn and click the Stop PostgreSQL button

2. Remove PostgresPrefs from System Preferences:

   • Right-click in System Preferences, and click Remove

3. Delete the PostgresPrefs configuration file, if it exists:

     rm ~/Library/Preferences/org.postgresql.preferences.servers.plist
sudo rm  /Library/Preferences/org.postgresql.preferences.servers.plist

4. Delete any configuration files for starting/stopping individual PostgreSQL servers, if they exist:

     rm ~/Library/LaunchAgents/org.postgresql.preferences.*.plist
sudo rm  /Library/LaunchAgents/org.postgresql.preferences.*.plist
sudo rm  /Library/LaunchDaemons/org.postgresql.preferences.*.plist

5. Delete the log directories containing log files for your PostgreSQL servers, if they exist:

     rm -rf ~/Library/Logs/PostgreSQL
sudo rm -rf  /Library/Logs/PostgreSQL

• In a nutshell, what does this tool do and what does it not do?

  It can start and stop PostgreSQL servers, show their running status, and schedule auto-startup at boot/login. It cannot install PostgreSQL, create database clusters, create databases or run SQL.

• Can I run multiple instances of PostgreSQL on the same machine?

  Yes - this is new with Version 2! Note that each separate instance of PostgreSQL must have its own data directory and port. It is easy to specify a different port using the settings popup. But to create a separate data directory you must run the initdb command to create a new database cluster, as described in the PostgreSQL documentation.

• PostgreSQL does not start up.

  If you clicked Start PostgreSQL, and the server is stuck with status Retrying..., the first step is to click the View Log button. This will open the default log for the server in Mac OS X's Console log-viewing application. From the log messages, it should be clear what the problem is. For example, the PostgreSQL data directory or port may already be in use by another server.

• I have selected startup at Login/Boot, but PostgreSQL still does not startup automatically.

  First, make sure you can start the server manually using the Start PostgreSQL button. If this works ok, then please file an issue on github and we will investigate.

• Does this tool affect my existing installations?

  The short answer is: no, Postgre Preferences creates its own configuration files for starting/stopping servers, separate from any existing installations. However, from version 2.1 onwards, Postgre Preferences automatically detects and displays already-running servers that were started/configured elsewhere. Any such 'external' servers can be started and stopped like normal servers (if a configuration file is found). If you click the - button to delete one of the external servers, you will be prompted whether you also want to delete the server's configuration file, or leave it untouched.

• Who is Macca Tech, and why did you make this tool?

  At the moment, Macca Tech consists of just me, a developer who enjoys creating tools and apps on macOS and iOS. I created this tool partly for fun, and partly because I was using PostgreSQL and found it far too complicated to do something as simple as starting and stopping a database server!

Please email any feedback to info@macca.tech

This project is covered by the MIT Licence

• www.postgresql.org
• macca.tech