Re: Specific names for plpgsql variable-resolution control options?

On Fri, Nov 6, 2009 at 3:21 PM, Tom Lane <tgl(at)sss(dot)pgh(dot)pa(dot)us> wrote:
> I believe we had consensus that plpgsql should offer the following three
> behaviors when a name in a SQL query could refer to either a plpgsql
> variable or a column from a table of the query:
>        * prefer the plpgsql variable (plpgsql's historical behavior)
>        * prefer the table column (Oracle-compatible)
>        * throw error for the ambiguity (to become the factory default)
> and that we wanted a way for users to select one of these behaviors at the
> per-function level, plus provide a SUSET GUC to determine the default
> behavior when there is not a specification in the function text.
>
> What we did not have was any concrete suggestions for the name or
> values of the GUC, nor for the exact per-function syntax beyond the
> thought that it could look something like the existing '#option dump'
> modifier.
>
> The code is now there and ready to go, so I need a decision on these
> user-visible names in order to proceed.  Anyone have ideas?

I wonder if the word "scoping" might be useful here.

...Robert