Input table for PL/pgSQL function

Question

I would like to use a plpgsql function with a table and several columns as input parameter. The idea is to split the table in chunks and do something with each part.

I tried the following function:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION my_func(Integer)
  RETURNS SETOF my_part
AS $$
DECLARE
out my_part;
BEGIN
  FOR i IN 0..$1 LOOP
    FOR out IN
    SELECT * FROM my_func2(SELECT * FROM table1 WHERE id = i)
    LOOP
       RETURN NEXT out;
   END LOOP;
  END LOOP;
  RETURN;
END;
$$
LANGUAGE plpgsql;

my_func2() is the function that does some work on each smaller part.

CREATE or REPLACE FUNCTION my_func2(table1) 
  RETURNS SETOF my_part2 AS
$$ 
BEGIN
RETURN QUERY
SELECT * FROM table1;
END
$$
LANGUAGE plpgsql;

If I run:

SELECT * FROM my_func(99);

I guess I should receive the first 99 IDs processed for each id. But it says there is an error for the following line:

SELECT * FROM my_func2(select * from table1 where id = i)

The error is:

The subquery is only allowed to return one column

Why does this happen? Is there an easy way to fix this?

Answer 1

There are multiple misconceptions here. Study the basics before you try advanced magic.

• Postgres does not have "table variables". You can only pass 1 column or row at a time to a function. Use a temporary table or a refcursor (like commented by @Daniel) to pass a whole table. The syntax is invalid in multiple places, so it's unclear whether that's what you are actually trying.
  Even if it is: it would probably be better to process one row at a time or rethink your approach and use a set-based operation (plain SQL) instead of passing cursors.

• The data types my_part and my_part2 are undefined in your question. May be a shortcoming of the question or a problem in the test case.

• You seem to expect that the table name table1 in the function body of my_func2() refers to the function parameter of the same (type!) name, but this is fundamentally wrong in at least two ways:

  1. You can only pass values. A table name is an identifier, not a value. You would need to build a query string dynamically and execute it with EXECUTE in a plpgsql function. Try a search, many related answers her on SO. Then again, that may also not be what you wanted.

  2. table1 in CREATE or REPLACE FUNCTION my_func2(table1) is a type name, not a parameter name. It means your function expects a value of the type table1. Obviously, you have a table of the same name, so it's supposed to be the associated row type.

• The RETURN type of my_func2() must match what you actually return. Since you are returning SELECT * FROM table1, make that RETURNS SETOF table1.

• It can just be a simple SQL function.

All of that put together:

CREATE or REPLACE FUNCTION my_func2(_row table1) 
  RETURNS SETOF table1 AS
'SELECT ($1).*' LANGUAGE sql;

Note the parentheses, which are essential for decomposing a row type. Per documentation:

The parentheses are required here to show that compositecol is a column name not a table name

But there is more ...

• Don't use out as variable name, it's a keyword of the CREATE FUNCTION statement.

• The syntax of your main query my_func() is more like psudo-code. Too much doesn't add up.

Proof of concept

Demo table:

CREATE TABLE table1(table1_id serial PRIMARY KEY, txt text);
INSERT INTO table1(txt) VALUES ('a'),('b'),('c'),('d'),('e'),('f'),('g');

Helper function:

CREATE or REPLACE FUNCTION my_func2(_row table1) 
  RETURNS SETOF table1 AS
'SELECT ($1).*' LANGUAGE sql;

Main function:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION my_func(int)
  RETURNS SETOF table1 AS
$func$
DECLARE
   rec table1;
BEGIN
  FOR i IN 0..$1 LOOP
     FOR rec IN
        SELECT * FROM table1 WHERE table1_id = i
     LOOP
        RETURN QUERY
        SELECT * FROM my_func2(rec);
     END LOOP;
  END LOOP;
END
$func$  LANGUAGE plpgsql;

Call:

SELECT * FROM my_func(99);

SQL Fiddle.

But it's really just a a proof of concept. Nothing useful, yet.

Answer 2

As the error log is telling you.. you can return only one column in a subquery, so you have to change it to

SELECT my_func2(SELECT Specific_column_you_need FROM hasval WHERE wid = i)

a possible solution can be that you pass to funct2 the primary key of the table your funct2 needs and then you can obtain the whole table by making the SELECT * inside the function