postgresql - Defining multi-line strings in psql -

i paste

  123   456   789 

into psql , store multi-line string in variable (ie. :str) later use.

is possible? i'm getting unterminated quoted string error.

a little clunky, in version 9.3 , up, can \gset in conjunction dollar-quoted literal:

select $$123 456 789$$ str \gset