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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /><title>34.5. Retrieving Query Results Row-By-Row</title><link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="stylesheet.css" /><link rev="made" href="pgsql-docs@lists.postgresql.org" /><meta name="generator" content="DocBook XSL Stylesheets Vsnapshot" /><link rel="prev" href="libpq-async.html" title="34.4. Asynchronous Command Processing" /><link rel="next" href="libpq-cancel.html" title="34.6. Canceling Queries in Progress" /></head><body><div xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/transitional" class="navheader"><table width="100%" summary="Navigation header"><tr><th colspan="5" align="center">34.5. Retrieving Query Results Row-By-Row</th></tr><tr><td width="10%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="libpq-async.html" title="34.4. Asynchronous Command Processing">Prev</a> </td><td width="10%" align="left"><a accesskey="u" href="libpq.html" title="Chapter 34. libpq - C Library">Up</a></td><th width="60%" align="center">Chapter 34. <span xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" class="application">libpq</span> - C Library</th><td width="10%" align="right"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html" title="PostgreSQL 11.5 Documentation">Home</a></td><td width="10%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="libpq-cancel.html" title="34.6. Canceling Queries in Progress">Next</a></td></tr></table><hr></hr></div><div class="sect1" id="LIBPQ-SINGLE-ROW-MODE"><div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">34.5. Retrieving Query Results Row-By-Row</h2></div></div></div><a id="id-1.7.3.12.2" class="indexterm"></a><p>
Ordinarily, <span class="application">libpq</span> collects a SQL command's
entire result and returns it to the application as a single
<code class="structname">PGresult</code>. This can be unworkable for commands
that return a large number of rows. For such cases, applications can use
<code class="function">PQsendQuery</code> and <code class="function">PQgetResult</code> in
<em class="firstterm">single-row mode</em>. In this mode, the result row(s) are
returned to the application one at a time, as they are received from the
server.
</p><p>
To enter single-row mode, call <code class="function">PQsetSingleRowMode</code>
immediately after a successful call of <code class="function">PQsendQuery</code>
(or a sibling function). This mode selection is effective only for the
currently executing query. Then call <code class="function">PQgetResult</code>
repeatedly, until it returns null, as documented in <a class="xref" href="libpq-async.html" title="34.4. Asynchronous Command Processing">Section 34.4</a>. If the query returns any rows, they are returned
as individual <code class="structname">PGresult</code> objects, which look like
normal query results except for having status code
<code class="literal">PGRES_SINGLE_TUPLE</code> instead of
<code class="literal">PGRES_TUPLES_OK</code>. After the last row, or immediately if
the query returns zero rows, a zero-row object with status
<code class="literal">PGRES_TUPLES_OK</code> is returned; this is the signal that no
more rows will arrive. (But note that it is still necessary to continue
calling <code class="function">PQgetResult</code> until it returns null.) All of
these <code class="structname">PGresult</code> objects will contain the same row
description data (column names, types, etc) that an ordinary
<code class="structname">PGresult</code> object for the query would have.
Each object should be freed with <code class="function">PQclear</code> as usual.
</p><p>
</p><div class="variablelist"><dl class="variablelist"><dt id="LIBPQ-PQSETSINGLEROWMODE"><span class="term">
<code class="function">PQsetSingleRowMode</code>
<a id="id-1.7.3.12.5.1.1.1.2" class="indexterm"></a>
</span></dt><dd><p>
Select single-row mode for the currently-executing query.
</p><pre class="synopsis">
int PQsetSingleRowMode(PGconn *conn);
</pre><p>
</p><p>
This function can only be called immediately after
<code class="function">PQsendQuery</code> or one of its sibling functions,
before any other operation on the connection such as
<code class="function">PQconsumeInput</code> or
<code class="function">PQgetResult</code>. If called at the correct time,
the function activates single-row mode for the current query and
returns 1. Otherwise the mode stays unchanged and the function
returns 0. In any case, the mode reverts to normal after
completion of the current query.
</p></dd></dl></div><p>
</p><div class="caution"><h3 class="title">Caution</h3><p>
While processing a query, the server may return some rows and then
encounter an error, causing the query to be aborted. Ordinarily,
<span class="application">libpq</span> discards any such rows and reports only the
error. But in single-row mode, those rows will have already been
returned to the application. Hence, the application will see some
<code class="literal">PGRES_SINGLE_TUPLE</code> <code class="structname">PGresult</code>
objects followed by a <code class="literal">PGRES_FATAL_ERROR</code> object. For
proper transactional behavior, the application must be designed to
discard or undo whatever has been done with the previously-processed
rows, if the query ultimately fails.
</p></div></div><div class="navfooter"><hr /><table width="100%" summary="Navigation footer"><tr><td width="40%" align="left"><a accesskey="p" href="libpq-async.html">Prev</a> </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="u" href="libpq.html">Up</a></td><td width="40%" align="right"> <a accesskey="n" href="libpq-cancel.html">Next</a></td></tr><tr><td width="40%" align="left" valign="top">34.4. Asynchronous Command Processing </td><td width="20%" align="center"><a accesskey="h" href="index.html">Home</a></td><td width="40%" align="right" valign="top"> 34.6. Canceling Queries in Progress</td></tr></table></div></body></html>
