OCI8: returning cursors from stored procedures

Question

The short version of my question is:
In OCI8, how do open a cursor from the database stored procedure, return it to my C++ program and fetch from it, given that in OCI8 cursors and cursor functions are becoming obsoleted?
The long version of the same question is:
I am converting my C++ code from the Oracle 7.3 OCI driver to the Oracle8 OCI driver. One thing I did very frequently in Oracle 7.3 OCI code is open a multi-row select cursor within a stored procedure and return that cursor to my program. In the program, I would then do the fetching with the returned cursor. This was very useful, as it allows me to change the queries in the stored procedure (for example, to append information to certain columns or make some data in all uppercase) without recompiling the application due to a changed SQL string.
My 7.3 psuedocode is as follows:
stored procedure def:
TYPE refCurTyp IS REF CURSOR;
FUNCTION LoadEmployeeData RETURN refCurTyp;
stored procedure body:
FUNCTION LoadEmployeeData RETURN refCurTyp IS
aCur refCurTyp;
BEGIN
OPEN aCur FOR
SELECT emp_id, emp_name
FROM employee_table
ORDER BY emp_name;
return aCur;
END;
OCI code: // all functions are simplified, not actual parameter listing
// declare main cursor variable #1 and return cursor variable #2
Cda_Def m_CDAstmt, m_CDAfunction;
// open both cursors
oopen(m_CDAstmt, ...);
oopen(m_CDAfunction, ...);
// bind cursor variable to cursor #2
oparse(&m_CDAstmt, "BEGIN :CUR := MYPACKAGE.LoadEmployeeData; END;");
obindps(&m_CDAstmt, SQLT_CUR, ":CUR", &m_CDAfunction);
// run cursor #1
oexn(&m_CDAstmt);
// bind variables from cursor #2, and fetch
odefineps(&m_CDAfunction, 1, SQLT_INT, &m_iEmpId);
odefineps(&m_CDAfunction, 2, SQLT_CHAR, &m_pEmpName);
while (!ofen(&m_CDAfunction))
// loop: do something with fetch
// values placed in m_iEmpID and m_pEmpName
This works perfectly, and has really helped to make my code more maintainable. Problem is, in Oracle 8 OCI both cursors and the cursor functions (such as oopen()) are becoming obsoleted. Now it uses statement and environment handles. I know I can still use Cda_Def and cursors--for a while--within OCI8, but I need to know the official up-to-date method of returning a cursor from the database and fetching within my C++ code. Any code fragment, or explanation of what I need to do in OCI8 would be appreciated (perhaps I need to bind to a statement handle instead? But the stored procedure still returns a cursor.)
The Oracle8 OCI has a new SQLT_ type, SQLT_RSET, which the header file defines as "result set type". Unfortunately, it's almost completely undocumented in the official documentation. Am I supposed to use this instead of the obsolete SQLT_CUR?
Thanks,
Glen Mazza

Answer 1

Email me diorectly and I will get you some code that might help. I fail to see the relevance of posting this type of information in the JDeveloper forum.