How can I test if a column exists in a table using an SQL statement

Question

Is there a simple alternative in PostgreSQL to this statement produced in Oracle?

select table_name from user_tab_columns where table_name = myTable and column_name = myColumn; 

I am then testing whether the query returns anything so as to prove the column exists.

I am aware that using psql I can find these out individually but this is required to produce a result in a program I am writing to validate that a requested attribute field exists in my database table.

Answer 1

Try this :

SELECT column_name  FROM information_schema.columns  WHERE table_name='your_table' and column_name='your_column';