Using a row as a table in a query within a function PLpgSQL - postgresql

Question

I am trying to write a plpgsql function that loops through a table. On each loop, it pulls a row from the table, stores it in a record, then uses that record in the join clause of a query. Here is my code:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION "testfncjh2" () RETURNS int
IMMUTABLE
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $dbvis$
DECLARE
counter int;
tablesize int;
rec1 record;
tablename text;
rec2 record;
BEGIN
counter = 0;
for rec1 in SELECT * FROM poilocations_sridconv loop
raise notice 'here';
execute $$ select count(*) from $$||rec1||$$ $$ into tablesize;
while counter < tablesize loop
counter = counter + 1;
raise notice 'hi';
execute $$ select count(*) from cities_sridconv $$ into tablesize;
end loop;
end loop;
return counter;
END;
$dbvis$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
Each time I run this, I get the following error:
ERROR: could not find array type for data type record
Is there a way to use the row as a table in the query within the nested loops?
My end goal is to build a function that loops through a table, pulling a row from that table on each loop. In each loop, a number COUNTER is computed using the row, then a query is executed depending on the row and COUNTER. Knowing that this code is currently very flawed, I am posting it below to give an idea of what I am trying to do:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION "testfncjh" () RETURNS void
IMMUTABLE
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $dbvis$
DECLARE
counter int;
tablesize int;
rec1 record;
tablename text;
rec2 record;
BEGIN
for rec1 in SELECT * FROM poilocations_sridconv loop
counter = 0;
execute $$ select count(*)
from $$||rec1||$$ a
join
cities_srid_conv b
on right(a.geom_wgs_pois,$$||counter||$$) = right(b.geom_wgs_pois,$$||counter||$$) $$ into tablesize;
raise notice 'got through first execute';
while tablesize = 0 loop
counter = counter + 1;
execute $$ select count(*)
from '||rec1||' a
join
cities_srid_conv b
on right(a.geom_wgs_pois,'||counter||') = right(b.geom_wgs_pois,'||counter||') $$ into tablesize;
raise notice 'hi';
end loop;
EXECUTE
'select
poiname,
name as cityname,
postgis.ST_Distance(postgis.ST_GeomFromText(''POINT(poilat poilong)''),
postgis.ST_GeomFromText(''POINT(citylat citylong)'')
) as distance
from (select a.poiname,
a.latitude::text as poilat,
a.longitude::text as poilong,
b.geonameid,
b.name,
b.latitude as citylat,
b.longitude as citylong
from '||rec1||' a
join cities_srid_conv b
on right(a.geom_wgs_pois,'||counter||') = right(b.geom_wgs_pois,'||counter||'))
) x
order by distance
limit 1'
poi_cities_match (poiname, cityname, distance); ------SQL STATEMENT TO INSERT CLOSEST CITY TO TABLE POI_CITIES_MATCH
end loop;
END;
$dbvis$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
I am running on a PostgreSQL 8.2.15 database.
Also, sorry for reposting. I had to remove some data from the original.

Answer 1

I think you should be able to use composite types for what you want. I simplified your top example and used composite types in the following way.
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION "testfncjh2" () RETURNS int
IMMUTABLE
SECURITY DEFINER
AS $dbvis$
DECLARE
counter int;
tablesize int;
rec1 poilocations_sridconv;
tablename text;
rec2 record;
BEGIN
counter = 0;
for rec1 in SELECT * FROM poilocations_sridconv loop
raise notice 'here';
select count(*) FROM (select (rec1).*)theRecord into counter;
end loop;
return counter;
END;
$dbvis$ LANGUAGE plpgsql;
The main changes being the rec1 poilocations_sridconv; line and using (select (rec1).*)
Hope it helps.
EDIT: I should note that the function is not doing the same thing as it does in the question above. This is just as an example of how you could use a record as a table in a query.

Answer 2

You have a few issues with your code (apart, perhaps, from your logic).
Foremost, you should not use a record as a table source in a JOIN. Instead, filter the second table for rows that match some field from the record.
Second, you should use the format() function instead of assembling strings with the || operator. But you can't because you are using the before-prehistoric version 8.2. This is from the cave-painting era (yes, it's that bad). UPGRADE!
Thirdly, don't over-complicate your queries. The sub-query is not necessary here.
Put together, the second dynamic query from your real code would reduce to this:
EXECUTE format(
'SELECT b.name,
postgis.ST_Distance(postgis.ST_SetSRID(postgis.ST_MakePoint(%1$I.longitude, %1$I.latitude), 4326),
postgis.ST_SetSRID(postgis.ST_MakePoint(b.longitude, b.latitude), 4326))
FROM cities_srid_conv b
WHERE right(%1$I.geom_wgs_pois, %2$L) = right(b.geom_wgs_pois, %2$L)
ORDER BY distance
LIMIT 1', rec1, counter) INTO cityname, distance;
poi_cities_match (rec1.poiname, cityname, distance); ------SQL STATEMENT TO INSERT CLOSEST CITY TO TABLE POI_CITIES_MATCH
Here %1$I refers to the first parameter after the string, which is an idenifier: rec1; %2$L is the second parameter, being a literal value: counter. I leave it to yourself to re-work this to a pre-8.4 string concatenation. The results from the query are stored in a few additional variables which you can then use in the following function call.
Lastly, you had longitude and latitude reversed. In PostGIS longitude always comes first.