Re: Proposal: OUT parameters for plpgsql

On Tue, 22 Mar 2005, Christopher Kings-Lynne wrote:

> >>ANSI SQL allows at most one OUT parameter for a function (which can be
> >>used instead of having the function return a value via the usual means).
> >
> > OK, so that answers my question above: a single OUT parameter should be
> > equated to an ordinary return value, not a RECORD, so as to emulate this
> > aspect of the spec.
>
> Shouldn't you have the spec in one hand while designing this feature? :D

We're miles away from the spec already. For example, the spec requires
that we pass the name of some variable construct, whether it be a host
variable, a transition variable (ie, NEW.foo in the case of a row level
trigger on a table with an attribute foo) or one of a few other less
useful things, for OUT parameters.

I think that not specifying OUT parameters when invoking a function is a
little of confusing but it gives us a lot: its much easier to develop
since we don't have to add a stack of infrastructure for host variables,
for one.

Gavin