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Thread: error creating sql function

error creating sql function

From
"Matthew T. O'Connor"
Date:
I was trying to create a sql function today (see below) using
postgresql  7.3.3.  I don't see how to get around this error, anyone
have any suggestions?

Thanks much,

Matthew

tocr=# CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.update_dncl(bpchar, bpchar)
tocr-#   RETURNS void AS
tocr-# '
tocr'# begin;
tocr'# update area_codes
tocr'#   set last_updated = now()
tocr'#     where code = $1;
tocr'# DELETE from do_not_call_list
tocr'#   where area_code = $1;
tocr'# copy do_not_call_list (area_code, number) from $2 with delimiter
as \',\';
tocr'# commit;
tocr'# '
tocr-#   LANGUAGE 'sql' VOLATILE;
ERROR:  parser: parse error at or near "$2" at character 178
tocr=# COMMENT ON FUNCTION public.update_dncl(bpchar, bpchar) IS 'Will
be used to update an area code in the  DNCL tables.';
COMMENT



tocr=# SELECT version();

version
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 PostgreSQL 7.3.3 on i686-pc-linux-gnu, compiled by GCC gcc (GCC) 3.2
20020903 (Red Hat Linux 8.0 3.2-7)
(1 row)

Re: error creating sql function

From
Bill Moran
Date:
Matthew T. O'Connor wrote:
> I was trying to create a sql function today (see below) using
> postgresql  7.3.3.  I don't see how to get around this error, anyone
> have any suggestions?
>
> Thanks much,
>
> Matthew
>
> tocr=# CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.update_dncl(bpchar, bpchar)
> tocr-#   RETURNS void AS
> tocr-# '
> tocr'# begin;
> tocr'# update area_codes
> tocr'#   set last_updated = now()
> tocr'#     where code = $1;
> tocr'# DELETE from do_not_call_list
> tocr'#   where area_code = $1;
> tocr'# copy do_not_call_list (area_code, number) from $2 with delimiter
> as \',\';
> tocr'# commit;
> tocr'# '
> tocr-#   LANGUAGE 'sql' VOLATILE;
> ERROR:  parser: parse error at or near "$2" at character 178
> tocr=# COMMENT ON FUNCTION public.update_dncl(bpchar, bpchar) IS 'Will
> be used to update an area code in the  DNCL tables.';
> COMMENT

Quick reply ... I haven't tested this, and it's only a theory, so treat
it as such.

The copy command should have '' around the filename, so possibly:
copy do_not_call_list (area_code, number) from ''$2'' with delimiter as \',\';

... would work?

> tocr=# SELECT version();
>
> version
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> PostgreSQL 7.3.3 on i686-pc-linux-gnu, compiled by GCC gcc (GCC) 3.2
> 20020903 (Red Hat Linux 8.0 3.2-7)
> (1 row)
>
>
> ---------------------------(end of broadcast)---------------------------
> TIP 4: Don't 'kill -9' the postmaster
>


--
Bill Moran
Potential Technologies
http://www.potentialtech.com

Re: error creating sql function

From
Tom Lane
Date:
"Matthew T. O'Connor" <matthew@zeut.net> writes:
> I was trying to create a sql function today (see below) using
> postgresql  7.3.3.  I don't see how to get around this error, anyone
> have any suggestions?

> tocr=# CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.update_dncl(bpchar, bpchar)
> ...
> tocr'# copy do_not_call_list (area_code, number) from $2 with delimiter
> ...
> tocr-#   LANGUAGE 'sql' VOLATILE;
> ERROR:  parser: parse error at or near "$2" at character 178

COPY, like all the other utility commands in Postgres, doesn't support
$n parameters.  (Basically, you can only use these where an expression
would be allowed, which is only in SELECT/INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE.)

You can work around this by constructing the desired command as a string
in plpgsql or one of the other PL languages, say

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION public.update_dncl(bpchar, bpchar)
...
execute ''copy do_not_call_list (area_code, number) from '' || quote_literal($2) || '' with delimiter ''
...
LANGUAGE 'plpgsql' VOLATILE;

            regards, tom lane