SPI_CURSOR_PARSE_OPEN(3pg17)

💖 NAME 💖

okay bestie, welcome to SPI_cursor_parse_open — the manual page is SPI_CURSOR_PARSE_OPEN(3), aka the 3pg17 page from the PostgreSQL 17.11 docs. This function sets up a cursor using a query string and parameters. periodt. ✨

🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

       Portal SPI_cursor_parse_open(const char *name,
                                    const char *command,
                                    const SPIParseOpenOptions * options)

🦋 DESCRIPTION 🦋

okay so SPI_cursor_parse_open sets up a cursor (internally, a portal) that will execute the specified query string. It's giving “comparable to SPI_prepare_cursor followed by SPI_cursor_open_with_paramlist,” except that parameter references within the query string are handled entirely by supplying a ParamListInfo object. lowkey iconic. 💅

For one-time query execution, this function should be preferred over SPI_prepare_cursor followed by SPI_cursor_open_with_paramlist. 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. choose your fighter, bestie. 🫶

The options->params object should normally mark each parameter with the PARAM_FLAG_CONST flag, since a one-shot plan is always used for the query. yes, that's the assignment — don't skip it. 🙈

The passed-in parameter data will be copied into the cursor's portal, so it can be freed while the cursor still exists. love that for us. 💖

🎀 ARGUMENTS 🎀

• const char * name — name for portal, or NULL to let the system select a name.
• const char * command — command string.
• const SPIParseOpenOptions * options — struct containing optional arguments.

Callers should always zero out the entire options struct, then fill whichever fields they want to set. This ensures forward compatibility of code, since any fields that are added to the struct in future will be defined to behave backwards-compatibly if they are zero. The currently available options fields are:

• ParamListInfo params — data structure containing query parameter types and values; NULL if none.
• int cursorOptions — integer bit mask of cursor options; zero produces default behavior.
• bool read_only — true for read-only execution.

👑 RETURN VALUE 👑

Pointer to portal containing the cursor. Note there is no error return convention; any error will be reported via elog. so yeah, no cute little “oops” return value — elog handles the drama. 💀

💖 that's the whole page, bestie! brought to you by PostgreSQL 17.11, dated 2026, and filed under SPI_CURSOR_PARSE_OPEN(3) (the 3pg17 shelf). stay slay, stay safe, and may your portals always close. 🎀✨