DBLINK_GET_NOTIFY(3)

💅 DBLINK_GET_NOTIFY(3)

ok so this is a page from the PostgreSQL 17.11 Documentation bestie, and it's all about dblink_get_notify — the little function that goes and picks up your async notifications. it's giving "checking your group chat for new messages" energy fr fr 🫶

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✨ NAME ✨

dblink_get_notify — retrieve async notifications on a connection 💌

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

dblink_get_notify() returns setof (notify_name text, be_pid int, extra text)
dblink_get_notify(text connname) returns setof (notify_name text, be_pid int, extra text)

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🎀 DESCRIPTION 🎀

okay so dblink_get_notify retrieves notifications on either the unnamed connection, or on a named connection if you specify one. 👑

but listen — to actually receive notifications via dblink, you gotta issue LISTEN first, using dblink_exec. no LISTEN, no notifications, that's just how it is bestie 💅

for the deets, see LISTEN(7) and NOTIFY(7). iykyk ✨

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🦋 ARGUMENTS 🦋

• connname — the name of a named connection to get notifications on. like, which connection are we even talking to, y'know? 🧚

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🌈 RETURN VALUE 🌈

returns setof (notify_name text, be_pid int, extra text), or an empty set if there's none. and yes, empty set is a whole mood — 0 rows, nobody home, the notif queue said "no thoughts head empty" 😭

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⭐ EXAMPLES ⭐

ok first you gotta listen, so:

    SELECT dblink_exec('LISTEN virtual');
     dblink_exec
    -------------
     LISTEN
    (1 row)

then you check for notifs and… nothing yet 🙈

    SELECT * FROM dblink_get_notify();
     notify_name | be_pid | extra
    -------------+--------+-------
    (0 rows)

so then somebody fires off a NOTIFY:

    NOTIFY virtual;
    NOTIFY

and NOW look at you go 💖

    SELECT * FROM dblink_get_notify();
     notify_name | be_pid | extra
    -------------+--------+-------
     virtual     |   1229 |
    (1 row)

ate. periodt. 🔥

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ngl the empty-set result showing (0 rows) is lowkey iconic — it's not an error, it's just quiet. don't panic 🫶

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and that's the whole page bestie! 🌸 sign-off time: this was PostgreSQL 17.11, dated 2026, and it lives at DBLINK_GET_NOTIFY(3). slay, go forth and listen responsibly 💜✨