Re: Problem with self-made plpgsql-function / casting

Moritz Bayer <moritz.bayer@googlemail.com> writes:
>  ERROR: function public.fc_editlanguage(integer, "unknown", "unknown", 
> integer) does not exist
>
> CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION "public"."fc_editlanguage" (id bigint, name 
> varchar, kuerzel varchar, active smallint) RETURNS smallint AS

The short answer to this is to avoid declaring function arguments as
"smallint".  When you call this as, say,
select fc_editlanguage(42, 'foo', 'bar', 1);

the "42" and the "1" are initially typed as integer constants.  There's
an implicit up-cast from integer to bigint, so the parser has no problem
matching the 42 to a bigint parameter, but the down-cast from integer to
smallint is not implicit.  With the function as written you'd have to
cast to smallint explicitly:
select fc_editlanguage(42, 'foo', 'bar', 1::smallint);

This is enough of a notational pain in the neck that it's easier just to
declare the argument as integer.
        regards, tom lane