53.38. pg_proc

The catalog pg_proc stores information about functions, procedures, aggregate functions, and window functions (collectively also known as routines). See CREATE FUNCTION, CREATE PROCEDURE, and Section 39.3 for more information.

If prokind indicates that the entry is for an aggregate function, there should be a matching row in pg_aggregate.

Table 53.38. pg_proc Columns

Column Type

Description

oid oid

Row identifier

proname name

Name of the function

pronamespace oid (references pg_namespace.oid)

The OID of the namespace that contains this function

proowner oid (references pg_authid.oid)

Owner of the function

prolang oid (references pg_language.oid)

Implementation language or call interface of this function

procost float4

Estimated execution cost (in units of cpu_operator_cost); if proretset, this is cost per row returned

prorows float4

Estimated number of result rows (zero if not proretset)

provariadic oid (references pg_type.oid)

Data type of the variadic array parameter's elements, or zero if the function does not have a variadic parameter

prosupport regproc (references pg_proc.oid)

Planner support function for this function (see Section 39.11), or zero if none

prokind char

f for a normal function, p for a procedure, a for an aggregate function, or w for a window function

prosecdef bool

Function is a security definer (i.e., a setuid function)

proleakproof bool

The function has no side effects. No information about the arguments is conveyed except via the return value. Any function that might throw an error depending on the values of its arguments is not leak-proof.

proisstrict bool

Function returns null if any call argument is null. In that case the function won't actually be called at all. Functions that are not strict must be prepared to handle null inputs.

proretset bool

Function returns a set (i.e., multiple values of the specified data type)

provolatile char

provolatile tells whether the function's result depends only on its input arguments, or is affected by outside factors. It is i for immutable functions, which always deliver the same result for the same inputs. It is s for stable functions, whose results (for fixed inputs) do not change within a scan. It is v for volatile functions, whose results might change at any time. (Use v also for functions with side-effects, so that calls to them cannot get optimized away.)

proparallel char

proparallel tells whether the function can be safely run in parallel mode. It is s for functions which are safe to run in parallel mode without restriction. It is r for functions which can be run in parallel mode, but their execution is restricted to the parallel group leader; parallel worker processes cannot invoke these functions. It is u for functions which are unsafe in parallel mode; the presence of such a function forces a serial execution plan.

pronargs int2

Number of input arguments

pronargdefaults int2

Number of arguments that have defaults

prorettype oid (references pg_type.oid)

Data type of the return value

proargtypes oidvector (references pg_type.oid)

An array of the data types of the function arguments. This includes only input arguments (including INOUT and VARIADIC arguments), and thus represents the call signature of the function.

proallargtypes oid[] (references pg_type.oid)

An array of the data types of the function arguments. This includes all arguments (including OUT and INOUT arguments); however, if all the arguments are IN arguments, this field will be null. Note that subscripting is 1-based, whereas for historical reasons proargtypes is subscripted from 0.

proargmodes char[]

An array of the modes of the function arguments, encoded as i for IN arguments, o for OUT arguments, b for INOUT arguments, v for VARIADIC arguments, t for TABLE arguments. If all the arguments are IN arguments, this field will be null. Note that subscripts correspond to positions of proallargtypes not proargtypes.

proargnames text[]

An array of the names of the function arguments. Arguments without a name are set to empty strings in the array. If none of the arguments have a name, this field will be null. Note that subscripts correspond to positions of proallargtypes not proargtypes.

proargdefaults pg_node_tree

Expression trees (in nodeToString() representation) for default values. This is a list with pronargdefaults elements, corresponding to the last N input arguments (i.e., the last N proargtypes positions). If none of the arguments have defaults, this field will be null.

protrftypes oid[] (references pg_type.oid)

An array of the argument/result data type(s) for which to apply transforms (from the function's TRANSFORM clause). Null if none.

prosrc text

This tells the function handler how to invoke the function. It might be the actual source code of the function for interpreted languages, a link symbol, a file name, or just about anything else, depending on the implementation language/call convention.

probin text

Additional information about how to invoke the function. Again, the interpretation is language-specific.

prosqlbody pg_node_tree

Pre-parsed SQL function body. This is used for SQL-language functions when the body is given in SQL-standard notation rather than as a string literal. It's null in other cases.

proconfig text[]

Function's local settings for run-time configuration variables

proacl aclitem[]

Access privileges; see Section 5.7 for details


For compiled functions, both built-in and dynamically loaded, prosrc contains the function's C-language name (link symbol). For SQL-language functions, prosrc contains the function's source text if that is specified as a string literal; but if the function body is specified in SQL-standard style, prosrc is unused (typically it's an empty string) and prosqlbody contains the pre-parsed definition. For all other currently-known language types, prosrc contains the function's source text. probin is null except for dynamically-loaded C functions, for which it gives the name of the shared library file containing the function.