diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml
index c9205485f2..d4dda3c412 100644
--- a/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml
+++ b/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-<!-- $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml,v 1.63 2001/07/03 02:42:18 momjian Exp $ -->
+<!-- $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/doc/src/sgml/func.sgml,v 1.64 2001/07/11 22:14:01 momjian Exp $ -->
 
 <chapter id="functions">
  <title>Functions and Operators</title>
@@ -1051,6 +1051,34 @@
       <entry>translate('12345', '14', 'ax')</entry>
       <entry>a23x5</entry>
      </row>       
+     
+     <row>
+      <entry>
+       encode(<parameter>data</parameter> <type>bytea</type>,
+              <parameter>type</parameter> <type>text</type>)
+      </entry>
+      <entry><type>text</type></entry>
+      <entry>
+       Encodes binary data to ascii-only representation.  Supported
+       types are: 'base64', 'hex'.
+      </entry>
+      <entry>encode('123\\000\\001', 'base64')</entry>
+      <entry>MTIzAAE=</entry>
+     </row>       
+
+     <row>
+      <entry>
+       decode(<parameter>string</parameter> <type>text</type>,
+              <parameter>type</parameter> <type>text</type>)
+      </entry>
+      <entry><type>bytea</type></entry>
+      <entry>
+       Decodes binary data from <parameter>string</parameter> previously 
+       encoded with encode().  Parameter type is same as in encode().
+      </entry>
+      <entry>decode('MTIzAAE=', 'base64')</entry>
+      <entry>123\000\001</entry>
+     </row>       
 
     </tbody>
    </tgroup>
diff --git a/src/backend/utils/adt/Makefile b/src/backend/utils/adt/Makefile
index 0f8bdfe0b2..d6b0bf75ce 100644
--- a/src/backend/utils/adt/Makefile
+++ b/src/backend/utils/adt/Makefile
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 #
 # Makefile for utils/adt
 #
-# $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/utils/adt/Makefile,v 1.49 2001/06/22 19:16:23 wieck Exp $
+# $Header: /cvsroot/pgsql/src/backend/utils/adt/Makefile,v 1.50 2001/07/11 22:14:02 momjian Exp $
 #
 
 subdir = src/backend/utils/adt
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ OBJS = acl.o arrayfuncs.o arrayutils.o bool.o cash.o char.o \
 	tid.o timestamp.o varbit.o varchar.o varlena.o version.o \
 	network.o mac.o inet_net_ntop.o inet_net_pton.o \
 	ri_triggers.o pg_lzcompress.o pg_locale.o formatting.o \
-	ascii.o quote.o pgstatfuncs.o
+	ascii.o quote.o pgstatfuncs.o encode.o
 
 all: SUBSYS.o
 
diff --git a/src/include/catalog/pg_proc.h b/src/include/catalog/pg_proc.h
index fdff7f7f17..506e2b2800 100644
--- a/src/include/catalog/pg_proc.h
+++ b/src/include/catalog/pg_proc.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2001, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $Id: pg_proc.h,v 1.195 2001/06/22 19:16:24 wieck Exp $
+ * $Id: pg_proc.h,v 1.196 2001/07/11 22:14:02 momjian Exp $
  *
  * NOTES
  *	  The script catalog/genbki.sh reads this file and generates .bki
@@ -2684,6 +2684,11 @@ DESCR("Statistics: Blocks fetched for database");
 DATA(insert OID = 1945 (  pg_stat_get_db_blocks_hit		PGUID 12 f t t t 1 f 20 "26" 100 0 0 100	pg_stat_get_db_blocks_hit - ));
 DESCR("Statistics: Block found in cache for database");
 
+DATA(insert OID = 1946 (  encode						PGUID 12 f t t t 2 f 25 "17 25" 100 0 0 100	binary_encode - ));
+DESCR("Convert bytea value into some ascii-only text string");
+DATA(insert OID = 1947 (  decode						PGUID 12 f t t t 2 f 17 "25 25" 100 0 0 100	binary_decode - ));
+DESCR("Convert ascii-encoded text string into bytea value");
+ 
 /*
  * prototypes for functions pg_proc.c
  */
diff --git a/src/include/utils/builtins.h b/src/include/utils/builtins.h
index d267946255..efb5c3dcb2 100644
--- a/src/include/utils/builtins.h
+++ b/src/include/utils/builtins.h
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1996-2001, PostgreSQL Global Development Group
  * Portions Copyright (c) 1994, Regents of the University of California
  *
- * $Id: builtins.h,v 1.156 2001/06/25 21:11:45 tgl Exp $
+ * $Id: builtins.h,v 1.157 2001/07/11 22:14:03 momjian Exp $
  *
  *-------------------------------------------------------------------------
  */
@@ -409,6 +409,8 @@ extern Datum byteaGetByte(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);
 extern Datum byteaGetBit(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);
 extern Datum byteaSetByte(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);
 extern Datum byteaSetBit(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);
+extern Datum binary_encode(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);
+extern Datum binary_decode(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);
 
 /* version.c */
 extern Datum pgsql_version(PG_FUNCTION_ARGS);