Re: OUT parameter

Daniel Caune wrote:

> Is there any suggestion against using OUT parameter for local
> calculation such as using a local variable?
>
> CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION foo(a IN int,
> b1 OUT int,
> b2 OUT int)
> AS $$
> BEGIN
> FOR (...) LOOP
> b1 = (...);
> b2 = (...);
> END LOOP;
> END;
> $$ LANGUAGE PLPGSQL;

I'd say there's no problem with this, PROVIDED you can ensure you'll never abort before completing the computation. It's not a good idea to modify out parameters partway; programmers (myself included) have this nasty habit of assuming, rightly or wrongly, that a failed function call won't have destroyed the parameters.

If you can't ensure you'll always complete, use locals.

-Owen