Collection Types Defined in Package Specifications

A collection type defined in a package specification is incompatible with an identically defined local or standalone collection type.

Note:

The examples in this topic define packages and procedures, which are explained in PL/SQL Packages and PL/SQL Subprograms, respectively.

Example 6-37 Identically Defined Package and Local Collection Types

In this example, the package specification and the anonymous block define the collection type NumList identically. The package defines a procedure, print_numlist, which has a NumList parameter. The anonymous block declares the variable n1 of the type pkg.NumList (defined in the package) and the variable n2 of the type NumList (defined in the block). The anonymous block can pass n1 to print_numlist, but it cannot pass n2 to print_numlist.

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE pkg AS
  TYPE NumList IS TABLE OF NUMBER;
  PROCEDURE print_numlist (nums NumList);
END pkg;
/
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY pkg AS
  PROCEDURE print_numlist (nums NumList) IS
  BEGIN
    FOR i IN nums.FIRST..nums.LAST LOOP
      DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(nums(i));
    END LOOP;
  END;
END pkg;
/
DECLARE
  TYPE NumList IS TABLE OF NUMBER;  -- local type identical to package type
  n1 pkg.NumList := pkg.NumList(2,4);  -- package type
  n2     NumList :=     NumList(6,8);  -- local type
BEGIN
  pkg.print_numlist(n1);  -- succeeds
  pkg.print_numlist(n2);  -- fails
END;
/

Result:

  pkg.print_numlist(n2);  -- fails
  *
ERROR at line 7:
ORA-06550: line 7, column 3:
PLS-00306: wrong number or types of arguments in call to 'PRINT_NUMLIST'
ORA-06550: line 7, column 3:
PL/SQL: Statement ignored

Example 6-38 Identically Defined Package and Standalone Collection Types

This example defines a standalone collection type NumList that is identical to the collection type NumList defined in the package specification in Example 6-37. The anonymous block declares the variable n1 of the type pkg.NumList (defined in the package) and the variable n2 of the standalone type NumList. The anonymous block can pass n1 to print_numlist, but it cannot pass n2 to print_numlist.

CREATE OR REPLACE TYPE NumList IS TABLE OF NUMBER;
  -- standalone collection type identical to package type
/
DECLARE
  n1 pkg.NumList := pkg.NumList(2,4);  -- package type
  n2     NumList :=     NumList(6,8);  -- standalone type
 
BEGIN
  pkg.print_numlist(n1);  -- succeeds
  pkg.print_numlist(n2);  -- fails
END;
/

Result:

  pkg.print_numlist(n2);  -- fails
  *
ERROR at line 7:
ORA-06550: line 7, column 3:
PLS-00306: wrong number or types of arguments in call to 'PRINT_NUMLIST'
ORA-06550: line 7, column 3:
PL/SQL: Statement ignored