SPI_CURS...WITH_ARGS(3)

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie, welcome to the SPI_CURS...WITH_ARGS(3) page from the PostgreSQL 16.15 Documentation — this is literally the “set up a cursor using a query and parameters” function, and yes we’re gonna cover every single detail. 💅✨

✨ SYNOPSIS ✨

       Portal SPI_cursor_open_with_args(const char *name,
                                        const char *command,
                                        int nargs, Oid *argtypes,
                                        Datum *values, const char *nulls,
                                        bool read_only, int cursorOptions)

🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

SPI_cursor_open_with_args sets up a cursor (internally, a portal) that will execute the specified query. Most of the parameters have the same meanings as the corresponding parameters to SPI_prepare_cursor and SPI_cursor_open. slay, that’s the core vibe. 🦋

For one-time query execution, this function should be preferred over SPI_prepare_cursor followed by SPI_cursor_open. If the same command is to be executed with many different parameters, either method might be faster, depending on the cost of re-planning versus the benefit of custom plans. like, it’s a real trade-off bestie, not just vibes. 💫

The passed-in parameter data will be copied into the cursor’s portal, so it can be freed while the cursor still exists. very convenient, no cap. 🫶

🚨 deprecated alert: this function is now deprecated in favor of SPI_cursor_parse_open, which provides equivalent functionality using a more modern API for handling query parameters. so that’s the official tea. 💅

🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• const char * name — name for portal, or NULL to let the system select a name.
• const char * command — command string.
• int nargs — number of input parameters ($1, $2, etc.).
• Oid * argtypes — an array of length nargs, containing the OIDs of the data types of the parameters.
• Datum * values — an array of length nargs, containing the actual parameter values.
• const char * nulls — an array of length nargs, describing which parameters are null.

If nulls is NULL then SPI_cursor_open_with_args assumes that no parameters are null. Otherwise, each entry of the nulls array should be ' ' if the corresponding parameter value is non-null, or 'n' if the corresponding parameter value is null. (In the latter case, the actual value in the corresponding values entry doesn’t matter.) Note that nulls is not a text string, just an array: it does not need a '\0' terminator. read that twice, it’s giving important. 😭

• bool read_only — true for read-only execution.
• int cursorOptions — integer bit mask of cursor options; zero produces default behavior.

🌸 RETURN VALUE 🌸

Pointer to portal containing the cursor. Note there is no error return convention; any error will be reported via elog. so like, errors go through elog, periodt. 👑

okay that’s the whole page, bestie 🫶 — shoutout to the source/version PostgreSQL 16.15, the date 2026, and the SPI_CURS...WITH_ARGS(3) manual page. iconic, honestly. 💅✨