Michael,
> Have an example at hand? I'd argue that in a case of a function of more
> complexity from a code clarity standpoint you'd want to assign to a new
> variable that describes what the new value reflects.
Depends on what programming language you're used to. For those of us
who do a lot of pass-by-reference in our non-database code, reusing the
IN variable is "natural". I know not being able to is a longstanding
annoyance for me.
And I really don't think it's the place of the PostgreSQL project to try
to force what some of us think is good PL coding style on people.
--
Josh Berkus
PostgreSQL Experts Inc.
www.pgexperts.com