OracleDbType for function OBJECT return type

Question

Hi all,
I inherited an oracle function that has an object as a return type:
create or replace TYPE OBJECTPATH IS OBJECT (OBJECTID NUMBER);
create or replace TYPE OBJECTPATH_TAB AS TABLE OF OBJECTPATH;
create or replace FUNCTION GETOBJECTINPATH ( pobjectid in NUMBER, role1 varchar2, role2 varchar2 ) RETURN OBJECTPATH_TAB
IS
v_tmp_tab OBJECTPATH_TAB:=OBJECTPATH_TAB();
parentid NUMBER;
rowno INTEGER;
BEGIN
rowno:=0;
parentid:=pobjectid;
loop
select objectid into parentid from dual left join (select ro2.objectid from relationshipobject ro1, relationshipobject ro2
where ro1.role=role1 and ro2.role=role2 and ro1.relationshipid=ro2.relationshipid and ro1.objectid=parentid)
on 1=1;
if parentid is null then
exit;
end if;
v_tmp_tab.extend;
rowno:=rowno1;+
v_tmp_tab(rowno) := OBJECTPATH(parentid);
end loop;
RETURN v_tmp_tab;
END;
On my application side, I am trying to run this function and retrieve the return value with ODP.NET as below. However, I am stumped when I need to supply an OracleDbType for the function return type.
1. What is the OracleDbType I should use for the return type? I read that there used to be support for OracleDbType.Object, but it seems like it is now not supported. I am using ODP.NET 11g. Am I getting the situation correct?
2. If retrieving an object return type is not as straightforward as setting the parameters (as what I have done below), what is the workaround to achieve it?
OracleCommand runGetPObjectInPathCmd = new OracleCommand("GETOBJECTINPATH", conn);
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.CommandType = CommandType.StoredProcedure;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters.Add(new OracleParameter("pobjectid", OracleDbType.Decimal)).Value = pobjectId;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters["pobjectid"].Direction = ParameterDirection.Input;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters.Add(new OracleParameter("role1", OracleDbType.Varchar2, 255)).Value = role1;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters["role1"].Direction = ParameterDirection.Input;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters.Add(new OracleParameter("role2", OracleDbType.Varchar2, 255)).Value = role2;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters["role2"].Direction = ParameterDirection.Input;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters.Add("OBJECTPATH_TAB", OracleDbType.Decimal); // this is not correct as the return type is not a NUMBER
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.Parameters["OBJECTPATH_TAB"].Direction = ParameterDirection.ReturnValue;
runGetPObjectInPathCmd.ExecuteNonQuery();
Thanks in advance for any help and would greatly appreciate it.

Answer 1

Hi Greg,
Thanks for your reply. I am not exactly sure whether I am using 11.1.0.6.21. The Oracle.DataAccess.dll I see under my \ODP.NET\bin\2.x directory is of Assembly/Product Version 2.111.6.0 - is this version 11.1.0.6.21? I also do not have the samples directory. Am I working on a wrong version? Thanks for your patience as I am really new to this and appreciate your guidance.