dbms_output.get_lines problem

[Martin Terpstra]

hello,

can anybody give me an working example how to use the get_lines()
procedure of
the DBMS_OUTPUT package (or tell me what's wrong with the following
example) ?

I am not able to compile a PL/SQL source using get_lines().
I always get the following error message:

PLS-00306: wrong number or types of arguments in call to 'GET_LINES'

==================

Oracle7 Server Release 7.1.6.2.0 - Production Release
With the parallel query option
PL/SQL Release 2.1.6.2.0 - Production

SQL> DECLARE
2 nummertje INTEGER;
3
3 TYPE CHARARRAY IS TABLE OF VARCHAR2(255)
4 INDEX BY BINARY_INTEGER;
5
5 ch_array CHARARRAY;
6
6 array_teller binary_integer default 1;
7
7 BEGIN
8
8 dbms_output.enable(10000);
9
9 dbms_output.put_line('Dit is een regel met tekst');
10 dbms_output.put_line('Dit is regel twee met tekst');
11 dbms_output.put_line('Dit is regel drie met tekst');
12 dbms_output.put_line('Dit is regel vier met tekst');
13 dbms_output.put_line('Dit is regel vijf met tekst');
14
14 nummertje := 3;
15
15 dbms_output.get_lines( ch_array, nummertje);
16
16 END;
17 /
dbms_output.get_lines( ch_array, nummertje);
*
ERROR at line 15:
ORA-06550: line 15, column 9:
PLS-00306: wrong number or types of arguments in call to 'GET_LINES'
ORA-06550: line 15, column 9:
PL/SQL: Statement ignored

thanks,

--
Martin Terpstra Alcatel Telecom Nederland
Software Design Engineer Engineering & Development
phone : +31 (70) 3079-407 Burgemeester Elsenlaan 170
fax : +31 (70) 3079-191 2288 BH RIJSWIJK
mailto:terp...@ats.nld.alcatel.nl NETHERLANDS

[Tomm Carr]

There are two solutions. Choose the one most convenient for you:

1) Change line 5 to:
ch_array dbms_output.chararr;

or 2) change line 3 to:
subtype CHARARRAY IS dbms_output.chararr;

Yes, you and I both know that dbms_output.chararr and your CHARARRAY are
both TABLE OF VARCHAR2(255), but when the PL/SQL compiler tries to
resolve the call to get_lines, it sees only that the LINES argument you
are trying to pass is of a different type (by definition) than the one
expected.

To clarify (I hope):

Create two identical types:

type Type1 is integer;
type Type2 is integer;

Then a procedure specification:

proc1 ( arg1 in out Type1 );

And this code:

declare
myArg Type2;
begin
proc1( myArg );
end;

You will get the same error msg: wrong number or types of arguments in
call to 'PROC1'. That is because the variable you are passing as an
argument is of type Type2 (don't think of it as Integer) and the only
procedure with the name 'proc1' expects an argument of type Type1. If
Type2 were a *subtype* of Type1, the call would be resolved. Confusion
can be created because if you do a DESCRIBE PROC1, the argument will
show up as type Integer.

--
Tomm Carr
--
"Can you describe your assailant?"
"No problem, Officer. That's exactly what I was doing when he hit me!"