When working with database queries in command-line interfaces, the default tabular output format can become unwieldy with wide tables or many columns. MySQL's \\G delimiter provides a vertical display format that's often more readable:

mysql> SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 1\G
*************************** 1. row ***************************
        id: 1
    username: johndoe
     email: john@example.com
created_at: 2023-01-15 09:30:22

PostgreSQL offers several ways to achieve similar vertical formatting:

1. Using the \\x Command

The most direct equivalent is PostgreSQL's \\x (expanded display) command:

psql=# \\x
Expanded display is on.
psql=# SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 1;
-[ RECORD 1 ]-----------
id         | 1
username   | johndoe
email      | john@example.com
created_at | 2023-01-15 09:30:22

You can toggle expanded display with \\x auto which automatically switches to vertical format for wide results.

2. Using the \\pset Command

For more control over output formatting:

psql=# \\pset format aligned
psql=# \\pset expanded on

For even more control, consider these approaches:

Custom Formatting with \\H

Generate HTML output:

psql=# \\H
psql=# SELECT * FROM users LIMIT 1;

Using \\o to Redirect Output

Combine with formatting commands to save nicely formatted output:

psql=# \\o output.txt
psql=# \\x auto
psql=# SELECT * FROM users;
psql=# \\o

For application-level formatting, consider these SQL-level approaches:

Using jsonb_pretty()

SELECT jsonb_pretty(to_jsonb(users.*)) 
FROM users 
LIMIT 1;

Custom Function for Vertical Output

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION vertical_output(query text) RETURNS SETOF text AS $$
DECLARE
    rec record;
    col text;
BEGIN
    FOR rec IN EXECUTE query LOOP
        RETURN NEXT '***************************';
        FOR col IN SELECT column_name FROM information_schema.columns 
                  WHERE table_name = split_part(query, ' ', 3) LOOP
            RETURN NEXT format('%20s | %s', col, rec.col);
        END LOOP;
    END LOOP;
    RETURN;
END;
$$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;

While PostgreSQL doesn't have an exact \\G equivalent, its \\x provides similar functionality with additional benefits:

• Persistent between queries (unlike MySQL's per-query \\G)
• Configurable auto-switching behavior
• More formatting options through \\pset

---

When working with wide tables in MySQL, the \G terminator displays results in vertical format (one column per line) rather than tabular format. This is particularly useful for:

• Tables with many columns
• Columns containing long text values
• Debugging complex queries
• Comparing record structures

PostgreSQL offers the \x command in psql to toggle expanded display mode, which provides similar functionality to MySQL's \G:

-- Enable expanded display
\x auto
-- Run your query
SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = 1;

-- Alternatively, enable for single query
\x
SELECT * FROM products LIMIT 1;
\x

While both serve similar purposes, there are important distinctions:

• MySQL's \G affects only the current query
• PostgreSQL's \x is a toggle that persists until changed
• \x auto automatically switches to expanded mode only when needed

For more control over display formatting, consider these psql commands:

-- Set border style
\pset border 2

-- Adjust column display width
\pset format wrapped
\pset columns 80

-- Change null display representation
\pset null '(null)'

For programmatic access or when not using psql, you can:

-- Use JSON output
SELECT jsonb_pretty(to_jsonb(users)) FROM users LIMIT 1;

-- Format as aligned text table
SELECT * FROM table_name \gx

-- Use the expanded flag with \watch
\x auto
SELECT now() \watch 1