# drop_routine

DROP ROUTINE

DROP ROUTINE

7

SQL - Language Statements

DROP ROUTINE

remove a routine

DROP ROUTINE \[ IF EXISTS \]

name

\[ ( \[ \[

argmode

\] \[

argname

\]

argtype

\[, ...\] \] ) \] \[, ...\] \[ CASCADE \| RESTRICT \]

# Description

`DROP ROUTINE` removes the definition of one or more existing routines. The term “routine” includes aggregate functions, normal functions, and procedures. See under [???](#sql-dropaggregate), [???](#sql-dropfunction), and [???](#sql-dropprocedure) for the description of the parameters, more examples, and further details.

# Notes

The lookup rules used by `DROP ROUTINE` are fundamentally the same as for `DROP PROCEDURE`; in particular, `DROP ROUTINE` shares that command's behavior of considering an argument list that has no \<argmode\> markers to be possibly using the SQL standard's definition that `OUT` arguments are included in the list. (`DROP AGGREGATE` and `DROP FUNCTION` do not do that.)

In some cases where the same name is shared by routines of different kinds, it is possible for `DROP ROUTINE` to fail with an ambiguity error when a more specific command (`DROP FUNCTION`, etc.) would work. Specifying the argument type list more carefully will also resolve such problems.

These lookup rules are also used by other commands that act on existing routines, such as `ALTER ROUTINE` and `COMMENT ON ROUTINE`.

# Examples

To drop the routine `foo` for type `integer`:

    DROP ROUTINE foo(integer);

This command will work independent of whether `foo` is an aggregate, function, or procedure.

# Compatibility

This command conforms to the SQL standard, with these PostgreSQL extensions:

- The standard only allows one routine to be dropped per command.

- The `IF EXISTS` option is an extension.

- The ability to specify argument modes and names is an extension, and the lookup rules differ when modes are given.

- User-definable aggregate functions are an extension.

# See Also

Note that there is no `CREATE ROUTINE` command.