PLSql return values

Question

Hiya,

Here I go again with some PLSql..

I want to know, if there's anyway I can use the following function like a select without having to turn it into a function or procedure (so I can see the code from the script where it is contained).

The code would be like:

DECLARE
    outpt  VARCHAR2(1000) := ''; 
    flow_rI  VARCHAR2(50); 
    CURSOR flow_r IS
      select flow_run_id
        from table
        where CREATED_DATE < sysdate - 32
        and rownum < 10
        order by 1 desc;
BEGIN 
    OPEN flow_r;
    LOOP 
        FETCH flow_r INTO flow_rI; 
        EXIT WHEN flow_r%notfound; 
        BEGIN 
            outpt := outpt ||  ',' || flow_rI;
        EXCEPTION 
            WHEN no_data_found THEN 
              dbms_output.Put_line(outpt); 
        END; 
    END LOOP;
    dbms_output.Put_line(outpt); 
    outpt := '';
    CLOSE flow_r;
END;

The idea is simple, I just want to get a series of codes from my table but having the results formatted like "1234,2434,424,45,767,43" sort of thing, rather than the table result from a query. It will be used later in the code for various purposes including another queries where I could simply do an in ([variable with that string]).

Thing is that using the dbms_output.Put_line(outpt);, I can't access it from my application layer and seems that in plsql I cannot use the return without turning it into a function.

Would anyone have an idea? It doesn't need to be a PlSql like that as long as I can have the whole code in the script.

thanks!

f.

Answer 1

if you are on Oralce 11 r2 you can use LISTAGG to do exactly this http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E14072_01/server.112/e10592/functions087.htm

but this site has how you can do it an any version (but you need to be >=9i to do it in pure SQL with 11r2 being ideal): http://www.oracle-base.com/articles/misc/StringAggregationTechniques.php (specifically look at ROW_NUMBER() and SYS_CONNECT_BY_PATH functions in Oracle 9i for a pure sql )

Answer 2

Why not use just sql:

   SELECT MAX(ltrim(sys_connect_by_path(flow_run_id, ','), ','))
   FROM
   (
    select flow_run_id, rownum rn
    from table
    where CREATED_DATE < sysdate - 32
    and rownum < 10
    order by 1 desc
   )
   START WITH rn = 1
   CONNECT BY PRIOR rn = rn - 1

Answer 3

Another option would be to define some input/output variables and instead of return assign your result value to an output variable.