plpgsql return setof integer?

[Christopher Murtagh]

Greetings,

I've got a fairly simple function that I'm trying to return a set, but
seem to have come across a stumbling block. When I execute the function
below (the input params are not used at the moment) I get this:

chris=# select htdig('foo', 'foo');
ERROR: set-valued function called in context that cannot accept a set
CONTEXT: PL/pgSQL function "htdig" line 14 at return next
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION htdig(text, text) RETURNS SETOF integer AS '
DECLARE
result text[];
low integer;
high integer;
item integer;
BEGIN
result := htsearch(''sample_return.txt'',''dbname'');
low := 2;
high := array_upper(result, 1);

FOR i IN low..high LOOP
item := result[i];
RETURN NEXT item;
END LOOP;
RETURN;
END;
' LANGUAGE 'plpgsql' STABLE STRICT;
The function htsearch is working as expected (other than a strange HASH
as the first element, but I've compensated for that by starting at array
index 2). This is what it outputs:

chris=# select htsearch('sample_return2.txt','dbname');
htsearch
----------------------------------
{HASH(0x835c298),2100,2113,2114}
(1 row)

Any obvious thing that I'm doing wrong? I'm using 7.4RC2. As always, any
help or info would be much appreciated. Bonus points if someone knows
what the HASH is. :-)

Cheers,

Chris

--
Christopher Murtagh
Enterprise Systems Administrator
ISR / Web Communications Group
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec
Canada

Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 3: if posting/reading through Usenet, please send an appropriate
subscribe-nomail command to ma*******@postgresql.org so that your
message can get through to the mailing list cleanly

[Alvaro Herrera]

On Wed, Nov 12, 2003 at 05:35:40PM -0500, Christopher Murtagh wrote:

chris=# select htsearch('sample_return2.txt','dbname');
htsearch
----------------------------------
{HASH(0x835c298),2100,2113,2114}
(1 row)

Any obvious thing that I'm doing wrong? I'm using 7.4RC2. As always, any
help or info would be much appreciated. Bonus points if someone knows
what the HASH is. :-)

You are initializing the array incorrectly in your htdig(text, text)
function. {} is the hash reference you are seeing; HASH(0xwhatever) is
its text representation. Do

my @Result = ();

instead, or leave it uninitialized.

--
Alvaro Herrera (<alvherre[a]dcc.uchile.cl>)
"Un poeta es un mundo encerrado en un hombre" (Victor Hugo)

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 5: Have you checked our extensive FAQ?

http://www.postgresql.org/docs/faqs/FAQ.html

[Christopher Murtagh]

On Wed, 2003-11-12 at 22:57, Alvaro Herrera wrote:

You are initializing the array incorrectly in your htdig(text, text)
function. {} is the hash reference you are seeing; HASH(0xwhatever) is
its text representation. Do

my @Result = ();

instead, or leave it uninitialized.

Thanks once again. You've really helped a lot on this. I especially
liked your 'return qq/{"/ . (join qq/","/, @_) . qq/"}/;' code. If you
were in Montreal, I would owe you a dinner or at least a coffee and a
big thanks. If you ever come this way, please be sure to give me a call.
Thanks again!

Cheers,

Chris

--
Christopher Murtagh
Enterprise Systems Administrator
ISR / Web Communications Group
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec
Canada

Tel.: [phone]
Fax: [phone]

---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
TIP 9: the planner will ignore your desire to choose an index scan if your
joining column's datatypes do not match