PL/Python - Python Procedural Language

PostgreSQL 7.3.4 Documentation
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# Chapter 22. PL/Python - Python Procedural Language

The PL/Python procedural language allows PostgreSQL functions to be written in the Python language.

To install PL/Python in a particular database, use createlang plpython dbname.

> Note: Users of source packages must specially enable the build of PL/Python during the installation process (refer to the installation instructions for more information). Users of binary packages might find PL/Python in a separate subpackage.

# 22.1. PL/Python Functions

The Python code you write gets transformed into a function. E.g.,

    CREATE FUNCTION myfunc(text) RETURNS text
        AS 'return args[0]'
        LANGUAGE 'plpython';

gets transformed into

    def __plpython_procedure_myfunc_23456():
            return args[0]

where 23456 is the OID of the function.

If you do not provide a return value, Python returns the default `None` which may or may not be what you want. The language module translates Python's `None` into the SQL null value.

The PostgreSQL function parameters are available in the global args list. In the `myfunc` example, args[0] contains whatever was passed in as the text argument. For myfunc2(text, integer), args[0] would contain the `text` variable and args[1] the `integer` variable.

The global dictionary SD is available to store data between function calls. This variable is private static data. The global dictionary GD is public data, available to all Python functions within a session. Use with care.

Each function gets its own restricted execution object in the Python interpreter, so that global data and function arguments from `myfunc` are not available to `myfunc2`. The exception is the data in the GD dictionary, as mentioned above.

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