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<chapter id="plpgsql">

<para>

<synopsis>

<replaceable>name</replaceable> <replaceable>table-datatype</replaceable>;

<replaceable>name</replaceable> <replaceable>tablename</replaceable><literal>%ROWTYPE</literal>;

</synopsis>

</para>

<para>

A variabledeclared witha composite type(referenced by the name of

the table that defines that type) is called a<firstterm>row</>

variable. Such a variable can hold awhole row of a SELECT or FOR

A variableofa composite typeis called a <firstterm>row</>

variable (or <firstterm>rowtype</> variable). Such avariable can hold a

whole row of a SELECT or FOR

query result, so long as that query's column set matches the declared

rowtype of the variable. The individual fields of the row value are

type of the variable. The individual fields of the row value are

accessed using the usual dot notation, for example

<literal>rowvar.field</literal>.

</para>

<para>

Presently, a row variable can only be declared using the

<literal>%ROWTYPE</literal> notation; although one might expect a

bare table name to work as a type declaration, it won't be accepted

within <application>PL/pgSQL</application> functions.

</para>

<para>

Parameters to a function can be

composite types (complete table rows). In that case, the

<type>%ROWTYPE</type> provides the composite data type corresponding

to a whole row of the specified table.

<replaceable>table</replaceable> must be an existing

table or view name of the database. A row variable declared

in this way acts the same as a row variable explicitly declared using

the same composite (row) datatype.

table or view name of the database.

</para>

<programlisting>

RENAME this_var TO that_var;

</programlisting>

</para>

<note>

<para>

RENAME appears to be broken as of PostgreSQL 7.2. Fixing this is

of low priority, since ALIAS covers most of the practical uses of

RENAME.

</para>

</note>

</sect2>

</sect1>