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From: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
Message-Id: <200711282147.lASLlxR10356@momjian.us>
Subject: Re: Two fixes for plpgsql.sgml
In-Reply-To: <20071128214036.GW5118@alvh.no-ip.org>
To: Alvaro Herrera <alvherre@alvh.no-ip.org>
Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2007 16:47:59 -0500 (EST)
CC: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>, Guillaume Lelarge <guillaume@lelarge.info>,
	Neil Conway <neilc@samurai.com>, pgsql-docs@postgresql.org
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Alvaro Herrera wrote:
> Bruce Momjian wrote:
> 
> > --- 132,142 ----
> >       </para>
> >   
> >       <para>
> > !      <application>PL/pgSQL</> functions can also be declared to return a
> > !      group of values, either as a single row, or a group of rows, like a
> > !      table.  Such a function generates its output by executing
> > !      <command>RETURN NEXT</> for each desired element of the result set,
> > !      or by using <command>RETURN QUERY</> to output the result of
> >        evaluating a query.
> >       </para>
> 
> Hmm, ISTM the correct terminology is "set of rows".  I have never heard
> of "a group of rows".  It seems to me the easiest way out of the problem
> would have been substituting the commas in the original with parens:
> 
>      <application>PL/pgSQL</> functions can also be declared to return
>      a <quote>set</> (or <quote>table</>) of any data type they can return a single
>      instance of.
> 
> The point of "any datatype they can return a single instance of" is that
> this can be a set of scalar values (e.g. "RETURNS SETOF int") or of a
> complex type ("RETURNS SETOF table"), or anything else they can return a
> single instance of :-P (SETOF anyelement?  SETOF table%TYPE?)

Good idea, updated:

     <application>PL/pgSQL</> functions can also be declared to return
     a <quote>set</> (or table) of any data type that can be returned as
     a single instance.  Such a function generates its output by executing
     <command>RETURN NEXT</> for each desired element of the result
     set, or by using <command>RETURN QUERY</> to output the result of
     evaluating a query.

-- 
  Bruce Momjian  <bruce@momjian.us>        http://momjian.us
  EnterpriseDB                             http://postgres.enterprisedb.com

  + If your life is a hard drive, Christ can be your backup. +