return setof record from function with dynamic query

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Hi all,

I've been beating my head against the desk for days on this, and
I've been completely unable to find docs on it. I have a function
(code below) that creates and executes a dynamic query. I want to
pass the results of that query as a recordset to the caller - I can
do it as a refcursor (but via odbc a refcursor just appears as an
empty recordset, no use at all.), but when I use the function code
below I get the error:

ERROR: A column definition list is required for functions returning RECORD

I'd really appreciate it if someone could show me how to pass back
a set of records please???

Toby

CREATE FUNCTION poptions (INTEGER)
RETURNS setof record AS '
DECLARE
-- parameters
p_author_id ALIAS FOR $1;

-- local variables
row_data poem_option_def%ROWTYPE;
newrows record;
i integer;
qString varchar(4000);

BEGIN
qString := ''SELECT p.poem_id,p.poem_title'';

FOR row_data IN SELECT option_id,option_name FROM poem_option_def LOOP
qString := qString || '', (SELECT po.setting FROM poem_option po WHERE po.poem_id = p.poem_id and po.option_id = '' || row_data.option_id || '') AS '' || row_data.option_name;
END LOOP;

qString := qString || '' FROM poem p WHERE p.author_id = '' || p_author_id;

FOR newrows IN EXECUTE qString loop
RETURN NEXT newrows
END LOOP;

RETURN;
end;
' LANGUAGE 'plpgsql';

---------------------------------------

Life is poetry -
write it in your own words.

---------------------------------------

Toby Tremayne
Technical Team Lead
Code Poet and Zen Master of the Heavy Sleep
Toll Solutions
154 Moray St
Sth Melbourne
VIC 3205
+61 3 9697 2317
0416 048 090
ICQ: 13107913

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