plsql function must be declared - sql

Question

So I have this function called cal_approv that calculates a quantity of supply, by selecting
the sum of ordered quantity, the "present" quantity, and the min quantity of a giving product(idart)...fecthing information into cursor then inserting it into a result table(resultat), when i try to run this code
accept idarticle prompt 'Donner lid article : '
declare
FUNCTION cal_approv(code_art article.idart%type)
RETURN number IS qte _app number;
qtot number;
qtestk number;
qtemin number;
begin
select sum(qte_com) into qtot from lig_com where idart=code_art;
select qtestk into qtestk from article where idart=code_art;
select qtemin into qtemin from article where idart=code_art;
if ((qtot/qtestk)>(2*qtemin)) then
qte_app := qtot-qtestk*1.5;
else
qte_app := qtot*1.2;
end if;
return qte_app;
end;
/
drop function cal_approv;
declare
cursor arts is select idart, desart,pu from article where qtestk <= qtemin;
ida number;
da number;
qa number;
pa number;
begin
open arts;
loop
fetch arts into ida, da, pa;
qa := cal_ap prov(&idarticle);
pa := pa*cal_approv(&idarticle);
exit when(arts%notfound);
insert into resultat values(ida,da, qa,pa);
end loop;
close arts;
end;
/
select * from resultat;
I get this error
PLS-00201: identifier 'CAL_APPROV' must be declared
any help is appreciated!

Answer 1

Here's what I get when I indent your first block of PL/SQL code:
declare
FUNCTION cal_approv(code_art article.idart%type)
RETURN number
IS
qte_app number;
qtot number;
qtestk number;
qtemin number;
begin
select sum(qte_com) into qtot from lig_com where idart=code_art;
select qtestk into qtestk from article where idart=code_art;
select qtemin into qtemin from article where idart=code_art;
if ((qtot/qtestk)>(2*qtemin)) then
qte_app := qtot-qtestk*1.5;
else
qte_app := qtot*1.2;
end if;
return qte_app;
end;
/
Note that the end in the second-last line ends the function, not the anonymous PL/SQL block. This will cause an error because Oracle is expecting something like the following:
declare
FUNCTION cal_approv(code_art article.idart%type)
RETURN number
IS
-- ...
begin
-- body of function omitted
end;
begin
-- do something with this function
end;
/
Also, to be clear, a function declared within a PL/SQL block, rather than with a CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION ... statement, exists only while that block is being executed. Once the block completes, the function no longer exists. So you can write the following block:
DECLARE
FUNCTION add_one(p_in IN NUMBER)
RETURN NUMBER IS
BEGIN
RETURN p_in + 1;
END;
BEGIN
dbms_output.put_line(TO_CHAR(add_one(4));
END;
/
This should write 5 to dbms_output, if that has been enabled.
On the other hand, this won't work:
DECLARE
FUNCTION add_one(p_in IN NUMBER)
RETURN NUMBER IS
BEGIN
RETURN p_in + 1;
END;
BEGIN
NULL;
END;
/
BEGIN
dbms_output.put_line(TO_CHAR(add_one(4));
END;
/
This doesn't work because the function add_one is no longer available when the first block completes. The second block will fail with an error because it cannot find the function add_one.
There is no point attempting to use DROP FUNCTION with your function. DROP FUNCTION can only drop stored functions, and because your function is declared within a PL/SQL block, it is not a stored function.
As I see it you have two alternatives:
declare the function as a stored function, using CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION ..., outside of any DECLARE block, or
move all of the code that uses the function into the same block that declares the function.
In the latter case, your code would look something like the following (abbreviated for clarity):
declare
FUNCTION cal_approv(code_art article.idart%type)
RETURN number
IS
-- ...
begin
-- ...
end;
cursor arts is select idart, desart,pu from article where qtestk <= qtemin;
ida number;
da number;
qa number;
pa number;
begin
open arts;
loop
-- ...
end loop;
close arts;
end;
/