title: How can I test if a column exists in a table using an SQL statement
body: <p>Is there a simple alternative in PostgreSQL to this statement produced in Oracle?</p>
  
  <pre><code>select table_name from user_tab_columns
  where table_name = myTable and column_name = myColumn;
  </code></pre>
  
  <p>I am then testing whether the query returns anything so as to prove the column exists.</p>
  
  <p>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.</p>