[SQL] RETURNS SETOF primitive returns results in parentheses

[Mario Splivalo]

Consider this function:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION php_get_subfield_data_repeating(int4,
"varchar")
  RETURNS SETOF "varchar" AS
$BODY$
DECLARE
        aRecordID ALIAS FOR $1;
        aSubFieldId ALIAS FOR $2;

        returnValue record;
        subFieldNumber char(3);
        subFieldLetter char(1);

BEGIN
        subFieldNumber = substr(aSubFieldId, 1, 3);
        subFieldLetter = substr(aSubFieldId, 4);

        FOR returnValue IN SELECT "subfieldValue"::varchar
                                FROM "records_sub" 
                                WHERE "fieldTag" = subFieldNumber AND 
"subfieldTag" = subFieldLetter
AND "recordId" = aRecordId
        LOOP
                RETURN NEXT returnValue;
        END LOOP;

        RETURN;
END
$BODY$
  LANGUAGE 'plpgsql' VOLATILE;



Now, when I do this:

biblio3=# select * from php_get_subfield_data_repeating(1,'606a');
 php_get_subfield_data_repeating1
----------------------------------
 (Anđeli)
 (ofsajd)
(2 rows)

I have return values in parentheses. However, if I create a new type:

CREATE TYPE subfield_data_type AS (subfield_data varchar);

And then drop the function and recreate it like this:

CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION php_get_subfield_data_repeating(int4,
"varchar")
  RETURNS SETOF subfield_data_type AS
$BODY$
...

And then when I run the function, the results are ok:

biblio3=# select * from php_get_subfield_data_repeating(1,'606a');
 subfield_data
---------------
 Anđeli
 ofsajd
(2 rows)


Am I doing something wrong here? Why do I need to create type with only
one member of type varchar to have results without the parentheses?

        Mike

P.S. The subFieldValue field in the records_sub table is of type
varchar(4096).


-- 
Mario Splivalo
Mob-Art
[EMAIL PROTECTED]

"I can do it quick, I can do it cheap, I can do it well. Pick any two."




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