Doc: update libpq's documentation for PQfn().

tglsfdc · tglsfdc · commit 2033d108ee6b · 2021-04-30T15:10:06.000-04:00
Mention specifically that you can't call aggregates, window functions, or procedures this way (the inability to call SRFs was already mentioned). Also, the claim that PQfn doesn't support NULL arguments or results has been a lie since we invented protocol 3.0. Not sure why this text was never updated for that, but do it now. Discussion: https://postgr.es/m/2039442.1615317309@sss.pgh.pa.us
diff --git a/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml b/doc/src/sgml/libpq.sgml
@@ -4922,15 +4922,35 @@ typedef struct
 
   <para>
    <function>PQfn</function> always returns a valid
-   <structname>PGresult</structname> pointer. The result status should be
+   <structname>PGresult</structname> pointer, with
+   status <literal>PGRES_COMMAND_OK</literal> for success
+   or <literal>PGRES_FATAL_ERROR</literal> if some problem was encountered.
+   The result status should be
    checked before the result is used.   The caller is responsible for
    freeing  the  <structname>PGresult</structname>  with
    <function>PQclear</function> when it is no longer needed.
   </para>
 
   <para>
-   Note that it is not possible to handle null arguments, null results,
-   nor set-valued results when using this interface.
+   To pass a NULL argument to the function, set
+   the <parameter>len</parameter> field of that parameter structure
+   to <literal>-1</literal>; the <parameter>isint</parameter>
+   and <parameter>u</parameter> fields are then irrelevant.
+   (But this works only in protocol 3.0 and later connections.)
+  </para>
+
+  <para>
+   If the function returns NULL, <parameter>*result_len</parameter> is set
+   to <literal>-1</literal>, and <parameter>*result_buf</parameter> is not
+   modified.  (This works only in protocol 3.0 and later connections; in
+   protocol 2.0, neither <parameter>*result_len</parameter>
+   nor <parameter>*result_buf</parameter> are modified.)
+  </para>
+
+  <para>
+   Note that it is not possible to handle set-valued results when using
+   this interface.  Also, the function must be a plain function, not an
+   aggregate or window function.
   </para>
 
  </sect1>
