PL/pgSQL: possible parsing or documentation bug?

Saluton,

plpgsql seems to get confused when using variable names that coincide
with, e.g., column names:

create Function IdOfPossiblyNewAuthor(text) returns int4 as '
declare
id int4;
begin
select id into id from author where name = $1;
raise notice ''ID found: %'', id;
if id is null then
insert into author (name) values ($1);
select currval(''author_id_seq'') into id;
raise debug ''Author inserted. ID: %'', id;
end if;
return id;
end;
' language 'plpgsql' with (IsCachable);

Logically it is clear which "id" should be parsed as the variable,
which as author.id, but I have to use a different name to make this
work. I do not see any mention on this restriction of variable names
(the full extent of which I do not know) in the documentation (7.0.2).

Albert.

--

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Albert Reiner <areiner(at)tph(dot)tuwien(dot)ac(dot)at>
Deutsch * English * Esperanto * Latine
--------------------------------------------------------------------------