Create a separate file listing backend types

Use our established coding pattern to reduce maintenance pain when
adding other per-process-type characteristics.

Like PG_KEYWORD, PG_CMDTAG, PG_RMGR.

Author: Álvaro Herrera

src/backend/postmaster/launch_backend.c

@@ -177,34 +177,10 @@ typedef struct
 } child_process_kind;
 
 static child_process_kind child_process_kinds[] = {
-	[B_INVALID] = {"invalid", NULL, false},
-
-	[B_BACKEND] = {"backend", BackendMain, true},
-	[B_DEAD_END_BACKEND] = {"dead-end backend", BackendMain, true},
-	[B_AUTOVAC_LAUNCHER] = {"autovacuum launcher", AutoVacLauncherMain, true},
-	[B_AUTOVAC_WORKER] = {"autovacuum worker", AutoVacWorkerMain, true},
-	[B_BG_WORKER] = {"bgworker", BackgroundWorkerMain, true},
-
-	/*
-	 * WAL senders start their life as regular backend processes, and change
-	 * their type after authenticating the client for replication.  We list it
-	 * here for PostmasterChildName() but cannot launch them directly.
-	 */
-	[B_WAL_SENDER] = {"wal sender", NULL, true},
-	[B_SLOTSYNC_WORKER] = {"slot sync worker", ReplSlotSyncWorkerMain, true},
-
-	[B_STANDALONE_BACKEND] = {"standalone backend", NULL, false},
-
-	[B_ARCHIVER] = {"archiver", PgArchiverMain, true},
-	[B_BG_WRITER] = {"bgwriter", BackgroundWriterMain, true},
-	[B_CHECKPOINTER] = {"checkpointer", CheckpointerMain, true},
-	[B_IO_WORKER] = {"io_worker", IoWorkerMain, true},
-	[B_STARTUP] = {"startup", StartupProcessMain, true},
-	[B_WAL_RECEIVER] = {"wal_receiver", WalReceiverMain, true},
-	[B_WAL_SUMMARIZER] = {"wal_summarizer", WalSummarizerMain, true},
-	[B_WAL_WRITER] = {"wal_writer", WalWriterMain, true},
-
-	[B_LOGGER] = {"syslogger", SysLoggerMain, false},
+#define PG_PROCTYPE(bktype, description, main_func, shmem_attach) \
+	[bktype] = {description, main_func, shmem_attach},
+#include "postmaster/proctypelist.h"
+#undef PG_PROCTYPE
 };
 
 const char *

src/backend/utils/init/miscinit.c

@@ -266,62 +266,11 @@ GetBackendTypeDesc(BackendType backendType)
 
 	switch (backendType)
 	{
-		case B_INVALID:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("not initialized");
-			break;
-		case B_ARCHIVER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("archiver");
-			break;
-		case B_AUTOVAC_LAUNCHER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("autovacuum launcher");
-			break;
-		case B_AUTOVAC_WORKER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("autovacuum worker");
-			break;
-		case B_BACKEND:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("client backend");
-			break;
-		case B_DEAD_END_BACKEND:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("dead-end client backend");
-			break;
-		case B_BG_WORKER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("background worker");
-			break;
-		case B_BG_WRITER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("background writer");
-			break;
-		case B_CHECKPOINTER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("checkpointer");
-			break;
-		case B_IO_WORKER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("io worker");
-			break;
-		case B_LOGGER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("logger");
-			break;
-		case B_SLOTSYNC_WORKER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("slotsync worker");
-			break;
-		case B_STANDALONE_BACKEND:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("standalone backend");
-			break;
-		case B_STARTUP:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("startup");
-			break;
-		case B_WAL_RECEIVER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("walreceiver");
-			break;
-		case B_WAL_SENDER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("walsender");
-			break;
-		case B_WAL_SUMMARIZER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("walsummarizer");
-			break;
-		case B_WAL_WRITER:
-			backendDesc = gettext_noop("walwriter");
-			break;
+#define PG_PROCTYPE(bktype, description, main_func, shmem_attach) \
+		case bktype: backendDesc = gettext_noop(description); break;
+#include "postmaster/proctypelist.h"
+#undef PG_PROCTYPE
 	}
-
 	return backendDesc;
 }
 

src/include/postmaster/proctypelist.h

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ *
+ * proctypelist.h
+ *
+ * The list of process types is kept on its own source file for use by
+ * automatic tools.  The exact representation of a process type is
+ * determined by the PG_PROCTYPE macro, which is not defined in this
+ * file; it can be defined by the caller for special purposes.
+ *
+ * Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2025, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
+ * Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
+ *
+ * IDENTIFICATION
+ *	  src/include/postmaster/proctypelist.h
+ *
+ *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
+ */
+
+/* there is deliberately not an #ifndef PROCTYPELIST_H here */
+
+/*
+ * WAL senders start their life as regular backend processes, and change their
+ * type after authenticating the client for replication.  We list it here for
+ * PostmasterChildName() but cannot launch them directly.
+ */
+
+/*
+ * List of process types (symbol, description, Main function, shmem_attach)
+ * entries.
+ */
+
+/* bktype, description, main_func, shmem_attach */
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_ARCHIVER, "archiver", PgArchiverMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_AUTOVAC_LAUNCHER, "autovacuum launcher", AutoVacLauncherMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_AUTOVAC_WORKER, "autovacuum worker", AutoVacWorkerMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_BACKEND, "client backend", BackendMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_BG_WORKER, "background worker", BackgroundWorkerMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_BG_WRITER, "background writer", BackgroundWriterMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_CHECKPOINTER, "checkpointer", CheckpointerMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_DEAD_END_BACKEND, "dead-end client backend", BackendMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_INVALID, "unrecognized", NULL, false)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_IO_WORKER, "io worker", IoWorkerMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_LOGGER, "syslogger", SysLoggerMain, false)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_SLOTSYNC_WORKER, "slotsync worker", ReplSlotSyncWorkerMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_STANDALONE_BACKEND, "standalone backend", NULL, false)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_STARTUP, "startup", StartupProcessMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_WAL_RECEIVER, "walreceiver", WalReceiverMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_WAL_SENDER, "walsender", NULL, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_WAL_SUMMARIZER, "walsummarizer", WalSummarizerMain, true)
+PG_PROCTYPE(B_WAL_WRITER, "walwriter", WalWriterMain, true)