Oracle8i Java Stored Procedures Developer's Guide Release 2 (8.1.6) Part Number A81358-01 |
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## Understanding Call Specs

To publish Java methods, you write call specs. For a given Java method, you declare a function or procedure call spec using the SQL `CREATE` `FUNCTION` or `CREATE` `PROCEDURE` statement. Inside a PL/SQL package or SQL object type, you use similar declarations.

You publish value-returning Java methods as functions and `void` Java methods as procedures. The function or procedure body contains the `LANGUAGE` `JAVA` clause. This clause records information about the Java method including its full name, its parameter types, and its return type. Mismatches are detected only at run time.

As Figure 3-1 shows, applications call the Java method through its call spec, that is, by referencing the call-spec name. The run-time system looks up the call-spec definition in the Oracle data dictionary, then executes the corresponding Java method.

#### Figure 3-1 Calling a Java Method

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