---
name: "ctags-universal-lang-sql"
section: "7"
platform: "linux"
package: "universal-ctags"
version: "5.9.20210829.0-2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ctags-universal-lang-sql"
---

# ctags-universal-lang-sql(7)

The man page of the SQL parser for Universal Ctags

## NAME

ctags-lang-sql - The man page of the SQL parser for Universal Ctags

## SYNOPSIS

```
ctags ... [--extras={guest}] --languages=+SQL ...
```

## DESCRIPTION

The SQL parser supports various SQL dialects. PostgreSQL is one of them.

PostgreSQL allows user-defined functions to be written in other languages (*procedural languages*) besides SQL and C \[PL\].

The SQL parser makes tags for language objects in the user-defined functions written in the procedural languages if the **guest** extra is enabled.

The SQL parser looks for a token coming after **LANGUAGE** keyword in the source code to choose a proper guest parser.

```
... LANGUAGE plpythonu AS '... user-defined function ' ...
... AS $$ user-defined function $$ LANGUAGE plv8 ...
```

In the above examples, **plpythonu** and **plv8** are the names of procedural languages. The SQL parser trims *pl* at the start and *u* at the end of the name before finding a ctags parser.  For **plpythonu** and **plv8**, the SQL parser extracts **python** and **v8** as the candidates of guest parsers.

For **plpythonu**, ctags can run its Python parser.  ctags doesn't have a parser named **v8**. However, the JavaScript parser in ctags has **v8** as an alias. So ctags can run the JavaScript parser as the guest parser for **plv8**.

## EXAMPLES

tagging code including a user-defined function in a string literal \[GH3006\]:

"input.sql"

```
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION fun1() RETURNS VARCHAR AS '
DECLARE
        test1_var1 VARCHAR(64) := $$ABC$$;
        test1_var2 VARCHAR(64) := $xyz$XYZ$xyz$;
        test1_var3     INTEGER := 1;
BEGIN
        RETURN  TO_CHAR(test_var3, ''000'') || test1_var1 || test1_var2;
END;
' LANGUAGE plpgsql;
```

"output.tags" with "--options=NONE -o - --sort=no --extras=+{guest} input.sql"

```
fun1    input.sql       /^CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION fun1() RETURNS VARCHAR AS '$/;"    f
test1_var1      input.sql       /^      test1_var1 VARCHAR(64) := $$ABC$$;$/;"  v
test1_var2      input.sql       /^      test1_var2 VARCHAR(64) := $xyz$XYZ$xyz$;$/;"    v
test1_var3      input.sql       /^      test1_var3     INTEGER := 1;$/;"        v
```

tagging code including a user-defined function in a dollar quote \[GH3006\]:

"input.sql"

```
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION fun2() RETURNS VARCHAR LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $$
DECLARE
        test2_var1 VARCHAR(64) := 'ABC2';
        test2_var2 VARCHAR(64) := 'XYZ2';
        test2_var3        INTEGER := 2;
BEGIN
        RETURN  TO_CHAR(test2_var3, '000') || test2_var1 || test2_var2;
END;
$$;
```

"output.tags" with "--options=NONE -o - --sort=no --extras=+{guest} input.sql"

```
fun2    input.sql       /^CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION fun2() RETURNS VARCHAR LANGUAGE plpgsql AS $\$$/;" f
test2_var1      input.sql       /^      test2_var1 VARCHAR(64) := 'ABC2';$/;"   v
test2_var2      input.sql       /^      test2_var2 VARCHAR(64) := 'XYZ2';$/;"   v
test2_var3      input.sql       /^      test2_var3        INTEGER := 2;$/;"     v
```

tagging code including a user-defined written in JavaScript:

```
-- Derived from https://github.com/plv8/plv8/blob/r3.0alpha/sql/plv8.sql
CREATE FUNCTION test(keys text[], vals text[]) RETURNS text AS
$$
        var o = {};
        for (var i = 0; i < keys.length; i++)
                o[keys[i]] = vals[i];
        return JSON.stringify(o);
$$
LANGUAGE plv8 IMMUTABLE STRICT;
```

"output.tags" with "--options=NONE -o - --sort=no --extras=+{guest} input.sql"

```
test    input.sql       /^CREATE FUNCTION test(keys text[], vals text[]) RETURNS text AS$/;"    f
o       input.sql       /^      var o = {};$/;" v
```

## KNOWN BUGS

Escape sequences (*''*) in a string literal may make a guest parser confused.

## SEE ALSO

[ctags(1)](/ctags/1.md), [ctags-client-tools(7)](/ctags-client-tools/7.md)

## REFERENCES

- \[PL\]

  PostgreSQL 9.5.25 Documentation, "Chapter 39. Procedural Languages",  \<https://www.postgresql.org/docs/9.5/xplang.html\>

- \[GH3006\]

  @bagl's comment submitted to  \<https://github.com/universal-ctags/ctags/issues/3006\>