Passing Array to Oracle Function - arrays

Question

I am passing an array to a PL/SQL package function. I am doing this to use this array in a query inside the function which has IN clause.
My declaration of package looks like :
create or replace
PACKAGE selected_pkg IS
TYPE NUM_ARRAY IS TABLE OF NUMBER;
FUNCTION get_selected_kml(
in_layer IN NUMBER,
in_id IN NUMBER,
in_feature_ids IN selected_pkg.NUM_ARRAY,
in_lx IN NUMBER,
in_ly IN NUMBER,
in_ux IN NUMBER,
in_uy IN NUMBER
)
RETURN CLOB;
END selected_pkg;
In my PL/SQL function I am firing a query like following
select a.id, a.geom from Table_FIELD a where a.id in (select * from table (in_feature_ids)) and sdo_filter(A.GEOM,mdsys.sdo_geometry(2003,4326,NULL,mdsys.sdo_elem_info_array(1,1003,3), mdsys.sdo_ordinate_array(0,57,2.8,59)),'querytype= window') ='TRUE'
The same query runs fine if I run it from anonymous block like
CREATE TYPE num_arr1 IS TABLE OF NUMBER;
declare
myarray num_arr1 := num_arr1(23466,13396,14596);
BEGIN
FOR i IN (select a.id, a.geom from Table_FIELD a where a.id in (select * from table (myarray)) and sdo_filter(A.GEOM,mdsys.sdo_geometry(2003,4326,NULL,mdsys.sdo_elem_info_array(1,1003,3), mdsys.sdo_ordinate_array(0,57,2.8,59)),'querytype= window') ='TRUE'
loop
dbms_output.put_line(i.id);
end loop;
end;
If I try to run it by calling function as below
--Running function from passing array for IDs
declare
result CLOB;
myarray selected_pkg.num_array := selected_pkg.num_array(23466,13396,14596);
begin
result:=SELECTED_PKG.get_selected_kml(3, 19, myarray, 0.0,57.0,2.8,59);
end;
I am getting error
ORA-00904: "IN_FEATURE_IDS": invalid identifier
Could someone please help me understand the cause of it?
Thanks,
Alan

Answer 1

You cannot query a type declared in plsql in a sql query, as the sql engine doesn't recognise it.
Your first example works because you have declared the type numarr1 in the database, whereas the type selected_pkg.num_array is declared in a package.
Good summary here

Answer 2

I can't quite recreate the error you're getting; the anonymous block doesn't refer to in_feature_ids, and the package ought to only report that if it doesn't recognise it on compilation rather than at runtime - unless you're using dynamic SQL. Without being able to see the function body I'm not sure how that's happening.
But you can't use a PL/SQL-defined type in an SQL statement. At some point the table(in_feature_ids) will error; I'm getting an ORA-21700 when I tried it, which is a new one for me, I'd expect ORA-22905. Whatever the error, you have to use a type defined at schema level, not within the package, so this will work (skipping the spatial stuff for brevity):
CREATE TYPE num_array IS TABLE OF NUMBER;
/
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE selected_pkg IS
FUNCTION get_selected_kml(
in_layer IN NUMBER,
in_id IN NUMBER,
in_feature_ids IN NUM_ARRAY,
in_lx IN NUMBER,
in_ly IN NUMBER,
in_ux IN NUMBER,
in_uy IN NUMBER
) RETURN CLOB;
END selected_pkg;
/
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY selected_pkg IS
FUNCTION get_selected_kml(
in_layer IN NUMBER,
in_id IN NUMBER,
in_feature_ids IN NUM_ARRAY,
in_lx IN NUMBER,
in_ly IN NUMBER,
in_ux IN NUMBER,
in_uy IN NUMBER
) RETURN CLOB IS
BEGIN
FOR i IN (select * from table(in_feature_ids)) LOOP
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(i.column_value);
END LOOP;
RETURN null;
END get_selected_kml;
END selected_pkg;
/
... and calling that also using the schema-level type:
set serveroutput on
declare
result CLOB;
myarray num_array := num_array(23466,13396,14596);
begin
result:=SELECTED_PKG.get_selected_kml(3, 19, myarray, 0.0,57.0,2.8,59);
end;
/
23466
13396
14596
PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.
Also note that you have to use exactly the same type, not just one that looks the same, as discussed in a recent question. You wouldn't be able to call your function with a variable of num_arr1 type, for example; they look the same on the surface but to Oracle they are different and incompatible.