Obtain info from nested table in function?

Question

Oracle9i 9.2.0.1.0/Windows 2000
I'd like to obtain an ID from a nested table object in order to insert it into an ID field (outside the nested table I'm getting it from). I've got a function that lets me get a foreign key ID from one other table ('objtarget'); but it isn't nested:
CREATE FUNCTION oeln.get_obj_id(
     obj_type IN oeln.objtarget.objecttarget%type
RETURN oeln.objtarget.obj_id%type
IS id_type oeln.objtarget.obj_id%type;
BEGIN
SELECT obj_id INTO id_type
FROM oeln.objtarget
WHERE oeln.objtarget.objecttarget = obj_type;
RETURN(id_type);
END;
SELECT obj_id
FROM oeln.objtarget
WHERE obj_id = get_obj_id('');
I'm getting compilation errors on functions to obtain ID's from nested tables instead. I've got the table 'opt' (includes the fields 'opt_id' & 'optics'). The 'optics' field in opt is of type o_tab(o_ty), including the field 'optinfo'. I'd like to get the opt_id out of the opt table, from input I obtain for the optinfo field: i.e.,
SELECT opt_id
FROM oeln.opt
WHERE opt_id = get_opt_id('');
In other words, I'd like to get opt_id from the opt table like I get obj_id from the objtarget table; but instead of looking it up by objecttarget I've got to look it up by optinfo, a field in a nested table object in the opt table itself. I've only gotten compilation errors on functions in order to do this. Is this an option?
- Noel

Answer 1

select * from table(v_names);
I guess ,here you were trying to put the content of the NT into another NT, or just trying to print it.
But, I don't think INTO Clause is mandatory here.
Please check your modified code (w/o INTO) and the output :
DECLARE
   TYPE string_table IS TABLE OF VARCHAR (100);
   v_names   string_table := string_table ();
   v_test    string_table := string_table ();
BEGIN
   v_names.EXTEND (3);
   v_names (1) := 'name1';
   v_names (2) := 'name2';
   v_names (3) := 'name3';
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('Old collection - '||v_names (1));
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('Old collection - '||v_names (2));
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('Old collection - '||v_names (3));
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('Old collection - '||v_names.COUNT ());
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line (CHR(10));
   /* SELECT * FROM TABLE (v_names); */
   v_test := v_names;
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('New collection -- '||v_test (1));
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('New collection -- '||v_test (2));
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('New collection -- '||v_test (3));
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('New collection -- '||v_test.COUNT ());
   DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line (CHR(10));
   /* Printing using FOR LOOP */
   FOR i IN v_test.FIRST..v_test.LAST
   LOOP
     DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('In FOR Loop --- '||v_test (i));
   END LOOP;
EXCEPTION
   WHEN OTHERS
   THEN
      DBMS_OUTPUT.put_line ('Error ' ||SQLERRM|| DBMS_UTILITY.format_error_backtrace);
END;gives o/p :
Old collection - name1
Old collection - name2
Old collection - name3
Old collection - 3
New collection -- name1
New collection -- name2
New collection -- name3
New collection -- 3
In FOR Loop --- name1
In FOR Loop --- name2
In FOR Loop --- name3Refer this link -- http://docs.oracle.com/cd/E11882_01/appdev.112/e17126/tuning.htm#CIHGGBGF
Edited by: ranit B on Dec 26, 2012 2:29 PM
-- code modified
Edited by: ranit B on Dec 26, 2012 2:45 PM
-- code 'again' updated -- FOR LOOP added