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docs(RETURN): document pattern expressions in projections#364

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gregfelice:docs_pattern_expr_projection
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docs(RETURN): document pattern expressions in projections#364
gregfelice wants to merge 1 commit into
apache:masterfrom
gregfelice:docs_pattern_expr_projection

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What — Documents that pattern expressions (path patterns such as (a)-[:KNOWS]->(:Person)) can be returned directly from a RETURN/WITH projection, not only used as WHERE predicates. Adds a worked example to the RETURN reference with verified output, plus a performance note.

Why — Follow-up to the review of apache/age#2360. The reviewer asked that the per-row EXISTS-subquery cost of pattern expressions in projection contexts be discoverable from the Cypher reference, not just the PR history.

Performance note — A pattern expression is evaluated as an EXISTS subquery, once per result row in a projection, so cost scales with rows projected. The note makes only this mechanically-grounded claim.

Depends on apache/age#2360 (the projection capability); should not merge before it.

Verification — Example output generated against a PG18 build of the #2360 branch using the canonical doc graph (intro/aggregation.md).

Pattern expressions (path patterns such as (a)-[:KNOWS]->(:Person)) can be
used directly in a RETURN/WITH projection, not only as WHERE predicates.
Adds a worked example to the RETURN reference with verified output, plus a
performance note: a pattern expression is evaluated as an EXISTS subquery
once per result row, so its cost scales with the number of rows projected.

Documents the projection capability added in apache/age#2360.
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