Question

I am working with object relational features in Oracle and am having trouble persisting a change to an object that occur in a member procedure. First I have an abstract super type:

CREATE TYPE fantasy_action AS OBJECT (
action_id      NUMBER,
time_completed DATE,
NOT INSTANTIABLE MEMBER PROCEDURE execute(SELF IN OUT NOCOPY fantasy_action)
NOT INSTANTIABLE NOT FINAL;

This is part of one of my type declarations (there is a corresponding table created as well):

CREATE TYPE fantasy_trade UNDER fantasy_action (
...[other variables]...
OVERRIDING MEMBER PROCEDURE execute(SELF IN OUT NOCOPY fantasy_trade));

And the issue I am having is with this part of the member procedure:

CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE BODY fantasy_trade AS
     OVERRIDING MEMBER PROCEDURE execute( SELF IN OUT NOCOPY fantasy_trade ) IS
     current_week NUMBER;
     player1_plays NUMBER;
     player2_plays NUMBER;
  BEGIN
     ...
     time_completed := current_date;
     ...
  END;
END;

And finally the way I am calling the procedure is through a simple PL/SQL loop:

DECLARE
   action fantasy_action;
  BEGIN
     FOR x IN (SELECT DEREF(action) as action FROM fantasy_scheduledaction WHERE time <= current_date AND DEREF(action).time_completed is null) LOOP
     x.action.execute();
END LOOP;
END;

The time_completed field is still null even after verifying that the rest of the procedure went through — what could be the problem? I have tried using SELF.time_completed to no avail, and all the other variables in the procedure are reference appropriately. Does it have to do with the fact that this variable is from the super type? Or could it be that I am calling the procedure through a dereferenced pointer? Any help is much appreciated.

Answer 1

Try using UTL_REF.UPDATE_OBJECT:

DECLARE
    action fantasy_action;
BEGIN
    FOR x IN
    (
        SELECT DEREF(action) as action_deref, action action_ref
        FROM fantasy_scheduledaction
        WHERE time <= current_date
            AND DEREF(action).time_completed is null
    ) LOOP
        x.action_deref.execute();
        utl_ref.update_object(x.action_ref, x.action_deref);
    END LOOP;
END;
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