Oracle SQL Developer

Using Snippets to Insert Code FragmentsRelated TopicsUsing the SQL Worksheet1.7 Using SQL*PlusYou can use the SQL*Plus command-line interface to enter SQL and PL/SQLstatements accessing the database associated with a specified connection. To displaythe SQL*Plus command window, from the Tools menu, select SQL*Plus.To use this feature, the system on which you are using SQL Developer must have anOracle Home directory or folder, with a SQL*Plus executable under that location. If thelocation of the SQL*Plus executable is not already stored in your SQL Developerpreferences, you are asked to specify its location (see SQL*Plus Location).If you do not have a SQL*Plus executable on your system, you can execute comeSQL*Plus statements using the SQL Worksheet (see SQL*Plus Statements Supportedand Not Supported in SQL Worksheet), and you can also use the SQL Developer scriptrunner feature to emulate a limited set of SQL*Plus features (see Script Runner).For more information about using SQL*Plus, see SQL*Plus: Usage Information.Related TopicsSQL*Plus Location (dialog box)SQL*Plus: Usage InformationSQL*Plus Statements Supported and Not Supported in SQL WorksheetScript RunnerSQL Developer Concepts and Usage1.8 Using Snippets to Insert Code FragmentsSnippets are code fragments, such as SQL functions, Optimizer hints, andmiscellaneous PL/SQL programming techniques. Some snippets are just syntax, andothers are examples. You can insert and edit snippets when you are using the SQLWorksheet or creating or editing a PL/SQL function or procedure.To display snippets, from the View menu, select Snippets. In the snippets window (onthe right side), use the drop-down to select a group (such as Aggregate Functions orCharacter Functions). In most cases, the fragments in each group do not represent allavailable objects in that logical grouping, or all formats and options of each fragmentshown. For complete and detailed information, see the Oracle Databasedocumentation.A Snippets button is placed in the right window margin, so that you can display thesnippets window if it becomes hidden.To insert a snippet into your code in a SQL Worksheet or in a PL/SQL function orprocedure, drag the snippet from the snippets window and drop it into the desiredplace in your code; then edit the syntax so that the SQL function is valid in the currentcontext. To see a brief description of a SQL function in a tooltip, hold the pointer overthe function name.For example, you could type SELECT and then drag CONCAT(char1, char2) from theCharacter Functions group. Then, edit the CONCAT function syntax and type the restof the statement, such as in the following:SELECT CONCAT(title, ' is a book in the library.') FROM books;SQL Developer Concepts and Usage 1-21