## DROP ROUTINE

DROP ROUTINE — remove a routine

## Synopsis

    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 DROP AGGREGATE, DROP FUNCTION, and DROP PROCEDURE 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

DROP AGGREGATE, DROP FUNCTION, DROP PROCEDURE, ALTER ROUTINE

Note that there is no `CREATE ROUTINE` command.