stored procedure variable names

Started by inspector morseabout 11 years ago7 messagesgeneral
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#1inspector morse
inspectormorse86@gmail.com

In all other DBMS, the variable names have a distinctive character to
differentiate between variables and column names:

Example:
SQL Server uses @
MySql uses ?
Oracle uses :
Firebirdsql uses :

It makes it easier to write and manage queries especially in stored
procedures.

Just compare the below:
create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select username into @username from users where user_id = @user_id;
end;

to this mess:

create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select u.username into get_user_for_editing.username from users u where
get_user_for_editing.user_id = get_user_for_editing.user_id;
end;

Prefixing the variables (ex: p_user_id) makes the application code harder
to write as we have a lot of dynamic code that is expecting "user_id"
instead of "p_user_id".

Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

#2Jerry Sievers
gsievers19@comcast.net
In reply to: inspector morse (#1)
Re: stored procedure variable names

inspector morse <inspectormorse86@gmail.com> writes:

In all other DBMS, the variable names have a distinctive character to differentiate between variables and column names:

Example:
SQL Server uses @
MySql uses ?
Oracle uses :
Firebirdsql uses :

It makes it easier to write and manage queries especially in stored procedures.

Just compare the below:
create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username varchar)
begin
   select username into @username from users where user_id = @user_id;
end;

to this mess:

create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username varchar)
begin
   select u.username into get_user_for_editing.username from users u where get_user_for_editing.user_id = get_user_for_editing.user_id;
end;

Prefixing the variables (ex: p_user_id) makes the application code harder to write as we have a lot of dynamic code that is expecting "user_id" instead of "p_user_id".

Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

Not that I'm aware of but please submit a patch or do not hesitate to
run any of those other platforms where things are not such a mess :-)

--
Jerry Sievers
Postgres DBA/Development Consulting
e: postgres.consulting@comcast.net
p: 312.241.7800

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#3Tom Lane
tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us
In reply to: inspector morse (#1)
Re: stored procedure variable names

inspector morse <inspectormorse86@gmail.com> writes:

Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

No. You're free to use a naming convention yourself, of course, but
we're not going to break every stored procedure in sight in order
to impose one.

regards, tom lane

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#4Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com
In reply to: inspector morse (#1)
Re: stored procedure variable names

On 02/19/2015 04:57 PM, inspector morse wrote:

In all other DBMS, the variable names have a distinctive character to
differentiate between variables and column names:

Example:
SQL Server uses @
MySql uses ?
Oracle uses :
Firebirdsql uses :

It makes it easier to write and manage queries especially in stored
procedures.

Just compare the below:
create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select username into @username from users where user_id = @user_id;
end;

to this mess:

create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select u.username into get_user_for_editing.username from users u
where get_user_for_editing.user_id = get_user_for_editing.user_id;
end;

First Postgres does not have stored procedures, but user defined
functions, so the above is a no-op right from the start.

Second I have no idea where you are pulling get_user_for_editing.* from?

Third, which of the Postgres procedural languages are you having an
issue with?

Prefixing the variables (ex: p_user_id) makes the application code
harder to write as we have a lot of dynamic code that is expecting
"user_id" instead of "p_user_id".

Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

In what procedural language?

--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com

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#5inspector morse
inspectormorse86@gmail.com
In reply to: Adrian Klaver (#4)
Re: stored procedure variable names

Yeah, I'm using plpgsql.

Actually nevermind on this. I was able to patch my data access utility so
it adds a prefix when calling the stored function and then remove it again
before returning for front end processing.

On Thu, Feb 19, 2015 at 8:44 PM, Adrian Klaver <adrian.klaver@aklaver.com>
wrote:

Show quoted text

On 02/19/2015 04:57 PM, inspector morse wrote:

In all other DBMS, the variable names have a distinctive character to
differentiate between variables and column names:

Example:
SQL Server uses @
MySql uses ?
Oracle uses :
Firebirdsql uses :

It makes it easier to write and manage queries especially in stored
procedures.

Just compare the below:
create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select username into @username from users where user_id = @user_id;
end;

to this mess:

create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select u.username into get_user_for_editing.username from users u
where get_user_for_editing.user_id = get_user_for_editing.user_id;
end;

First Postgres does not have stored procedures, but user defined
functions, so the above is a no-op right from the start.

Second I have no idea where you are pulling get_user_for_editing.* from?

Third, which of the Postgres procedural languages are you having an issue
with?

Prefixing the variables (ex: p_user_id) makes the application code

harder to write as we have a lot of dynamic code that is expecting
"user_id" instead of "p_user_id".

Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

In what procedural language?

--
Adrian Klaver
adrian.klaver@aklaver.com

#6Pavel Stehule
pavel.stehule@gmail.com
In reply to: inspector morse (#1)
Re: stored procedure variable names

2015-02-20 1:57 GMT+01:00 inspector morse <inspectormorse86@gmail.com>:

In all other DBMS, the variable names have a distinctive character to
differentiate between variables and column names:

Example:
SQL Server uses @
MySql uses ?
Oracle uses :
Firebirdsql uses :

It makes it easier to write and manage queries especially in stored
procedures.

Just compare the below:
create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select username into @username from users where user_id = @user_id;
end;

to this mess:

create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username
varchar)
begin
select u.username into get_user_for_editing.username from users u where
get_user_for_editing.user_id = get_user_for_editing.user_id;
end;

Prefixing the variables (ex: p_user_id) makes the application code harder
to write as we have a lot of dynamic code that is expecting "user_id"
instead of "p_user_id".

Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

No, and I don't think so it is necessary in this moment (so I am against a
introduction new prefix)

a) PostgreSQL safely solves conflicts between plpgsql and SQL - what
Oracle doesn't

b) Usual prefix for plpgsql variables is "_" - I don't see a difference
between @,?,:

Regards

Pavel Stehule

#7Igor Neyman
ineyman@perceptron.com
In reply to: inspector morse (#1)
Re: stored procedure variable names

From: pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org [mailto:pgsql-general-owner@postgresql.org] On Behalf Of inspector morse
Sent: Thursday, February 19, 2015 7:58 PM
To: pgsql-general@postgresql.org
Subject: [GENERAL] stored procedure variable names

In all other DBMS, the variable names have a distinctive character to differentiate between variables and column names:
Example:
SQL Server uses @
MySql uses ?
Oracle uses :
Firebirdsql uses :
It makes it easier to write and manage queries especially in stored procedures.
Just compare the below:
create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username varchar)
begin
select username into @username from users where user_id = @user_id;
end;

to this mess:

create stored procedure get_user_for_editing(user_id int, out username varchar)
begin
select u.username into get_user_for_editing.username from users u where get_user_for_editing.user_id = get_user_for_editing.user_id;
end;
Prefixing the variables (ex: p_user_id) makes the application code harder to write as we have a lot of dynamic code that is expecting "user_id" instead of "p_user_id".
Is there any plan to add a character to differentiate between variables?

That: “Oracle uses :” is simply not true.
There is no such requirement (mandatory prefix) in Oracale’s PlSQL.

In Oracle, only when you use dynamic SQL (EXECUTE ‘…’) with “USING” (to specify variable values) – then variable inside EXECUTE ‘…’ should have ‘:’ prefix.
The only difference in Postgres when using dynamic SQL variables inside EXECUTE ‘…’ are “positional” prefixed with ‘$’, eg.: $1, $2,…

Regards,
Igor Neyman