How to convert a Tsql scalar function into a table function?

Question

I am using SSMS 2008 and I have the following scalar function to take a text string and remove all metatags from Microsoft Word. The tags are enclosed in "<...>" and there can be any number of tags / record in one column.

I created this scalar function to update each row in this column.

create function dbo.ufn_StripHTML
    (   @Input      varchar(max),
        @Delimiter  char(1)
    )
returns varchar(max)
as

begin

    declare @Output varchar(max)
    select  @Input = replace(replace(@input, '<', @Delimiter), '>', @Delimiter)

    select @Output = isnull(@Output, '') + s
    from    (    select   row_number() over (order by n.id asc) [i],
                 substring(@Delimiter + @Input + @Delimiter, n.id + 1, charindex(@Delimiter, @Delimiter + @Input + @Delimiter, n.id + 1) - n.id - 1) [s]
            from    [evolv_cs].[dbo].[progress_note] n
            where   n.id = charindex(@Delimiter, @Delimiter + @Input + @Delimiter, n.id) and
                 n.id <= len(@Delimiter + @Input)
            ) d
    where i % 2 = 1

    return @Output

end

This scalar function would work if [progress_note] had an "id" int column. But it does not and I cannot modify this table either, by adding an int column. So the problem is that I am trying to use this function on a temp table.

So I tried creating a view based on this table and then adding a PK int column to it. Because when I tried to create the view with this additional PK int column ("id"), it gave me an error:

Msg 156, Level 15, State 1, Line 1
Incorrect syntax near the keyword 'identity'.

But ALTER VIEW does not support adding columns. Is there another way to do this? Here is my original temp table I am trying to modify:

select [progress_note].[note_text], [progress_note].[event_log_id]
INTO #TEMP_PN
from [evolv_cs].[dbo].[progress_note]
group by [progress_note].[event_log_id], [progress_note].[note_text]

[note_text] is varchar(max) and event_log_id is uniqueidentifier. So [note_text] contains a bunch of "<" and ">" chars. How can I modify this function to make it a table function?

Of course, if I try to replace [progress_note] table with #TEMP_PN in this function, it will error because it won't recognize it. So how can I modify this function for my case?

Meanwhile, I developed a table function which accepts and outputs a table parameter. It does not error, but it does not return the parsed data I was hoping for either. What is missing?

CREATE TYPE dbo.MyTableType AS TABLE 
(
    col1 int identity(1,1) NOT NULL,
    col2 varchar(max) NULL
)
GO

CREATE TABLE [dbo].[MyTable] (
    [col1] [int] identity(1,1) NOT NULL,
    [col2] [varchar](max) NULL
    )   
GO

create PROC usp_AddRowsToMyTable @MyTableParam MyTableType READONLY, @Delimiter varchar(30)
    as
    INSERT INTO MyTable([col2])
    SELECT [col2]   
    FROM @MyTableParam

    --update MyTable
    --set col2 = replace(replace(MyTable.col2, '<', @Delimiter), '>', @Delimiter)
    select s, i, t
    from(
    select MyTableInput.col1 [i],
    replace(replace(MyTable.col2, '<', @Delimiter), '>', @Delimiter) as t,
    substring(@Delimiter + MyTableInput.col2 + @Delimiter, MyTable.col1 + 1, 
    charindex(@Delimiter, @Delimiter + MyTableInput.col2 + @Delimiter, MyTable.col1 + 1) - MyTable.col1 - 1) [s]
    from MyTable
    inner join MyTable as MyTableInput on MyTable.col1 = MyTableInput.col1
    where MyTable.col1 = CHARINDEX(@Delimiter, @Delimiter + MyTableInput.col2 + @Delimiter, MyTable.col1)
     and MyTable.col1 <= LEN(@Delimiter + MyTableInput.col2)
) d


DECLARE @MyTable MyTableType

INSERT INTO @MyTable(col2)
VALUES ('<h><dsf>2000<h><dsf>'),
    ('<sd><dsf>2001'),
    ('2002<vnv><dsf>'),
    ('<gsd><dsf>2003<h><dsf>'),
    ('<eefs><dsf><h><dsf>2004<dfgd><dsf>')

EXEC dbo.usp_AddRowsToMyTable @MyTableParam = @MyTable, @Delimiter = '|'

Answer 1

Not sure I'm understanding your question, but here is how you would modify your function so that it returns a table (it's called a Table-Valued Function):

create function dbo.ufn_StripHTML 
    (   @Input      varchar(max), 
        @Delimiter  char(1) 
    ) 
returns @retYourNewTable table
(
    id int primary key clustered not null,
    yoursecond column varchar(100) null,
    ....
) 
as
....

Is this what you're looking for?