return setof record from function with dynamic query

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Hi all,

   I've been beating my head against the desk for days on this, and
   I've been completely unable to find docs on it.  I have a function
   (code below) that creates and executes a dynamic query. I want to
   pass the results of that query as a recordset to the caller - I can
   do it as a refcursor (but via odbc a refcursor just appears as an
   empty recordset, no use at all.), but when I use the function code
   below I get the error:

   ERROR:  A column definition list is required for functions returning RECORD

   I'd really appreciate it if someone could show me how to pass back
   a set of records please???

Toby

CREATE FUNCTION poptions (INTEGER)
RETURNS setof record AS '
DECLARE
        -- parameters
        p_author_id ALIAS FOR $1;

        -- local variables
        row_data poem_option_def%ROWTYPE;
        newrows record;
        i integer;
        qString varchar(4000);

BEGIN
        qString := ''SELECT  p.poem_id,p.poem_title'';

        FOR row_data IN SELECT option_id,option_name FROM poem_option_def LOOP
                qString := qString || '', (SELECT po.setting FROM poem_option po WHERE po.poem_id = p.poem_id and
po.option_id= '' || row_data.option_id || '') AS '' || row_data.option_name; 
        END LOOP;

        qString := qString      || '' FROM poem p WHERE p.author_id = '' || p_author_id;

        FOR newrows IN EXECUTE qString loop
                RETURN NEXT newrows
        END LOOP;

        RETURN;
end;
' LANGUAGE 'plpgsql';



 ---------------------------------------

             Life is poetry -
               write it in your own words.

 ---------------------------------------

Toby Tremayne
Technical Team Lead
Code Poet and Zen Master of the Heavy Sleep
Toll Solutions
154 Moray St
Sth Melbourne
VIC 3205
+61 3 9697 2317
0416 048 090
ICQ:  13107913

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