Re: Ad hoc SETOF type definition?

On 9/26/23 11:03 AM, Ron wrote:
> On 9/26/23 12:46, Tom Lane wrote:
>> Ron<ronljohnsonjr(at)gmail(dot)com> writes:
>>> Is there a way to define the SETOF record on the fly, like you do with
>>> RETURNS TABLE (f1 type1, f2 type2)?
>> Doesn't RETURNS TABLE meet the need already?
>
> That rationale means that RETURN SETOF is not needed, and can be
> removed from Pg, since "RETURNS TABLE meet the need already".
>
> But of course there /are/ times when RETURN SETOF /is/ useful.
>
> So... can ad hoc SETOF definitions be created in the function
> definition, or is CREATE TYPE the only way to do it?

That is what RETURNS TABLE does:

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/sql-createfunction.html

"/|column_name|/

The name of an output column in the |RETURNS TABLE| syntax. This is
effectively another way of declaring a named |OUT| parameter, except
that |RETURNS TABLE| also implies |RETURNS SETOF|.

"

>
> --
> Born in Arizona, moved to Babylonia.