Handling NULL records in plpgsql

Was anything ever done with http://archives.postgresql.org/pgsql- 
hackers/2008-09/msg01758.php ?

I have a different issue I'm seeing, but I think it's related, and  
ISTM it's a bug (on 8.2.10):
    SELECT INTO v_prev *    FROM installments_static    WHERE id = (     SELECT id FROM installments_static i
            WHERE i.loan_id = NEW.loan_id AND i.installment_number <  
 
NEW.installment_number                        ORDER BY installment_number DESC                        LIMIT 1
        );
 
...RAISE DEBUG $$Previous installment: id = %, due_date = %        Current installment: id = %, number = %, loan_id =
%, 
 
installment_date = %, due_date = %        Next installment: id = %, installment_date = %        v_prev IS NOT NULL = %,
v_prevIS NULL = %        v_next IS NOT NULL = %, v_next IS NULL = %$$    , v_prev.id, v_prev.due_date    , NEW.id,
NEW.installment_number,NEW.loan_id,  
 
NEW.installment_date, NEW.due_date    , v_next.id, v_next.installment_date    , v_prev IS NOT NULL, v_prev IS NULL    ,
v_nextIS NOT NULL, v_next IS NULL;
 
psql:sql/installments_static.sql:XX: DEBUG:  Previous installment: id  
= 5, due_date = XXXX-XX-XX        Current installment: id = 8, number = 2, loan_id = 3,  
installment_date = XXXX-XX-XX, due_date = XXXX-XX-XX        Next installment: id = <NULL>, installment_date = <NULL>
   v_prev IS NOT NULL = f, v_prev IS NULL = f -- v_prev is actually set!        v_next IS NOT NULL = f, v_next IS NULL
=t -- v_next is unset, ie:  
 
NULL


If I change v_* IS NOT NULL to NOT v_* IS NULL everything's ok:

psql:sql/installments_static.sql:XX: DEBUG:  Previous installment: id  
= 5, due_date = XXXX-XX-XX        Current installment: id = 8, number = 2, loan_id = 3,  
installment_date = XXXX-XX-XX, due_date = XXXX-XX-XX        Next installment: id = <NULL>, installment_date = <NULL>
   NOT v_prev IS NULL = t, v_prev IS NULL = f        NOT v_next IS NULL = f, v_next IS NULL = t
 
-- 
Decibel!, aka Jim C. Nasby, Database Architect  decibel@decibel.org
Give your computer some brain candy! www.distributed.net Team #1828