7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Parameter Modes: IN, OUT, and INOUT

PL/pgSQL Function Parameter Modes: IN, OUT, INOUT

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Summary: in this tutorial, you will learn about parameter modes of functions including: in , out ,
and inout .

Introduction to PL/pgSQL parameter modes

The parameter modes determine the behaviors of parameters. PL/pgSQL supports three parameter
modes: in , out , and inout . A parameter takes the in mode by default if you do not explicitly
specify it.

The following table illustrates the three parameter modes:

IN OUT INOUT

The default Explicitly specified Explicitly specified

Pass a value to Return a value from a function Pass a value to a function and return
function an updated value.

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7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Parameter Modes: IN, OUT, and INOUT

IN OUT INOUT

in parameters act like out parameters act like inout parameters act like an initialized
constants uninitialized variables variables

Cannot be assigned a Must assign a value Should be assigned a value

value

The IN mode

The following function finds a film by its id and returns the title of the film:

create or replace function find_film_by_id(p_film_id int)

returns varchar

language plpgsql

as $$

declare

film_title film.title%type;

begin

-- find film title by id

select title

into film_title

from film

where film_id = p_film_id;

if not found then

raise 'Film with id % not found', p_film_id;

end if;

return title;

end;$$

Because we didn’t specify the mode for p_film_id parameter, it takes the in mode by default.

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7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Parameter Modes: IN, OUT, and INOUT

The OUT mode

The out parameters are defined as a part of the argument list and are returned back as a part of the
result.

The out parameters are very useful in functions that need to return multiple values.

Note that PostgreSQL has supported the out parameters since version 8.1.

To define out parameters, you explicitly precede the parameter name with the  out keyword as
follows:

out parameter_name type

The following example defines the get_film_stat function that has three out parameters:

create or replace function get_film_stat(

out min_len int,

out max_len int,

out avg_len numeric)

language plpgsql

as $$

begin

select min(length),

max(length),

avg(length)::numeric(5,1)

into min_len, max_len, avg_len

from film;

end;$$

In the get_film_stat function, we select the min, max, and average of film length from the film
table using the min , max , and avg aggregate functions and assign the results to the corresponding
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7/8/2021 PL/pgSQL Function Parameter Modes: IN, OUT, and INOUT

out parameters.

The following statement calls the get_film_stat function:

select get_film_stat();

The output of the function is a record. To make the output separated as columns, you use the
following statement:

select * from get_film_stat();

The INOUT mode

The inout mode is the combination in and out modes.

It means that the caller can pass an argument to a function. The function changes the argument and
returns the updated value.

The following swap function accepts two integers and their values:

create or replace function swap(

inout x int,

inout y int

language plpgsql

as $$

begin

select x,y into y,x;

end; $$;
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The following statement calls the swap() function:

select * from swap(10,20);

Summary
PL/pgSQL support three parameter modes: in, out, and intout. By default, a parameter takes the
in mode.

Use the in mode if you want to pass a value to the function.

Use the out mode if you want to return a value from a function.

Use the inout mode when you want to pass in an initial value, update the value in the function,
and return it updated value back.

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