Re: PL/pgSQL Function Problem

the inquirer  writes:

> ERROR: syntax error at or near "$1" at character 14
> CONTEXT: PL/pgSQL function "create_author" line 7 at
> SQL statement

PL/pgSQL errors are sometimes obscure.  I'll try to comment on what
looks wrong to me...

> CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION create_author (
> VARCHAR(32), VARCHAR(32), VARCHAR(32) ) 
> RETURNS INTEGER AS '
> 	DECLARE
> 		name_		ALIAS FOR $1;
> 		username_	ALIAS FOR $2;
> 		password_	ALIAS FOR $3;
> 		authorid_	INTEGER;
> 	BEGIN
> 		CREATE USER username_ WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD
> password_ IN GROUP authors;

I can't tell you why, but my suspicion is that you need to use EXECUTE
in order to do CREATE USER in a function.  Try that. 

> 		INSERT INTO Authors 

Be aware that, unless you double-quote the identifier, "Author" will
be folded to "author" by the SQL parser.  This may also be causing a
problem--you didn't post your schema.

> 			( Name, Username ) 
> 		VALUES 
> 			( $1, $2 );
> 		SELECT Max( AuthorID ) INTO authorid_ FROM Authors;

This is a potential race, depending on your transaction isolation
level.  It would be better to find out the sequence name for your
SERIAL column and user currval('') as the return value.

Hope this helps!

-Doug
-- 
Let us cross over the river, and rest under the shade of the trees.
   --T. J. Jackson, 1863