diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpgtcl/pgtclCmds.c b/src/interfaces/libpgtcl/pgtclCmds.c
index 57f0ab0dd0723447f914c6376b6a9c9ac8cfaeac..248f16559cc598e9e09be55fb47c3853866679ab 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpgtcl/pgtclCmds.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpgtcl/pgtclCmds.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/interfaces/libpgtcl/Attic/pgtclCmds.c,v 1.39 1999/01/17 21:12:55 tgl Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/interfaces/libpgtcl/Attic/pgtclCmds.c,v 1.40 1999/02/07 22:08:51 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -545,7 +545,7 @@ Pg_result(ClientData cData, Tcl_Interp * interp, int argc, char *argv[])
 
 	if (strcmp(opt, "-status") == 0)
 	{
-		Tcl_AppendResult(interp, pgresStatus[PQresultStatus(result)], 0);
+		Tcl_AppendResult(interp, PQresStatus(PQresultStatus(result)), 0);
 		return TCL_OK;
 	}
 	else if (strcmp(opt, "-error") == 0)
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c
index e1d71bac4881a39fd207137d6162ca37fd0f1c5d..f2f22a04e6571fe4a6919741a1834f4820e437eb 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  *
  *
  * IDENTIFICATION
- *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c,v 1.72 1999/02/03 20:19:10 momjian Exp $
+ *	  $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/interfaces/libpq/fe-exec.c,v 1.73 1999/02/07 22:08:52 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -1518,6 +1518,15 @@ PQresultStatus(PGresult *res)
 	return res->resultStatus;
 }
 
+const char *
+PQresStatus(ExecStatusType status)
+{
+	if (((int) status) < 0 ||
+		((int) status) >= (sizeof(pgresStatus) / sizeof(pgresStatus[0])))
+		return "Invalid ExecStatusType code";
+	return pgresStatus[status];
+}
+
 const char *
 PQresultErrorMessage(PGresult *res)
 {
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h b/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h
index cedecd95c27b845f11715cf0b0997bc739bac646..b45907ab69ebcc0ab2b10b46962c7d6082d47479 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/libpq-fe.h
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  *
  * Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $Id: libpq-fe.h,v 1.47 1999/02/05 04:25:55 momjian Exp $
+ * $Id: libpq-fe.h,v 1.48 1999/02/07 22:08:53 tgl Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -49,7 +49,9 @@ extern		"C"
 		PGRES_FATAL_ERROR
 	} ExecStatusType;
 
-/* String descriptions of the ExecStatusTypes */
+/* String descriptions of the ExecStatusTypes.
+ * NB: direct use of this array is now deprecated; call PQresStatus() instead.
+ */
 	extern const char * const pgresStatus[];
 
 /* PGconn encapsulates a connection to the backend.
@@ -79,7 +81,6 @@ extern		"C"
 
 /* PQnoticeProcessor is the function type for the notice-message callback.
  */
-
 	typedef void (*PQnoticeProcessor) (void * arg, const char * message);
 
 /* Print options for PQprint() */
@@ -153,8 +154,8 @@ extern		"C"
 	extern PGconn *PQconnectdb(const char *conninfo);
 	extern PGconn *PQsetdbLogin(const char *pghost, const char *pgport,
 								const char *pgoptions, const char *pgtty,
-											const char *dbName,
-									 const char *login, const char *pwd);
+								const char *dbName,
+								const char *login, const char *pwd);
 #define PQsetdb(M_PGHOST,M_PGPORT,M_PGOPT,M_PGTTY,M_DBNAME)  \
 	PQsetdbLogin(M_PGHOST, M_PGPORT, M_PGOPT, M_PGTTY, M_DBNAME, NULL, NULL)
 
@@ -192,8 +193,8 @@ extern		"C"
 
 	/* Override default notice processor */
 	extern void PQsetNoticeProcessor(PGconn *conn,
-												 PQnoticeProcessor proc,
-												 void *arg);
+									 PQnoticeProcessor proc,
+									 void *arg);
 
 /* === in fe-exec.c === */
 
@@ -230,6 +231,7 @@ extern		"C"
 
 	/* Accessor functions for PGresult objects */
 	extern ExecStatusType PQresultStatus(PGresult *res);
+	extern const char *PQresStatus(ExecStatusType status);
 	extern const char *PQresultErrorMessage(PGresult *res);
 	extern int	PQntuples(PGresult *res);
 	extern int	PQnfields(PGresult *res);
diff --git a/src/interfaces/libpq/libpqdll.def b/src/interfaces/libpq/libpqdll.def
index e42b25d43b0182582dcf02c01dcdcc1505a4a12b..d83bdfafd4809b42bf179fa875092f6b48db710e 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/libpq/libpqdll.def
+++ b/src/interfaces/libpq/libpqdll.def
@@ -66,3 +66,4 @@ EXPORTS
 	pgresStatus		@ 63
 	PQmblen			@ 64
 	PQresultErrorMessage	@ 65
+	PQresStatus		@ 66
diff --git a/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c b/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c
index 540ed91cbfe8e72958ca1eb5e594b87485570e52..059e39102e2ec7b2ffc9d0a1069f686a8850f081 100644
--- a/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c
+++ b/src/test/examples/testlibpq2.c
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ main()
 		/* async notification only come back as a result of a query */
 		/* we can send empty queries */
 		res = PQexec(conn, " ");
-/*		printf("res->status = %s\n", pgresStatus[PQresultStatus(res)]); */
+/*		printf("res->status = %s\n", PQresStatus(PQresultStatus(res))); */
 		/* check for asynchronous returns */
 		notify = PQnotifies(conn);
 		if (notify)