Using Snippets to Insert Code Fragments

Snippets are code fragments, such as SQL functions, Optimizer hints, and miscellaneous PL/SQL programming techniques. Some snippets are just syntax, and others are examples. You can insert and edit snippets when you are using the SQL Worksheet or creating or editing a PL/SQL function or procedure.

To display snippets, from the View menu, select Snippets. In the snippets window (on the right side), use the drop-down to select a group (such as Aggregate Functions or Character Functions). In most cases, the fragments in each group do not represent all available objects in that logical grouping, or all formats and options of each fragment shown. For complete and detailed information, see the Oracle Database documentation.

To insert a snippet into your code in a SQL Worksheet or in a PL/SQL function or procedure, drag the snippet from the snippets window and drop it into the desired place in your code; then edit the syntax so that the SQL function is valid in the current context. To see a brief description of a SQL function in a tooltip, hold the pointer over the function name.

For example, you could type SELECT and then drag CONCAT(char1, char2) from the Character Functions group. Then, edit the CONCAT function syntax and type the rest of the statement, such as in the following:

SELECT CONCAT(title, ' is a book in the library.') FROM books;

Related Topics

User-Defined Snippets

Running and Debugging Functions and Procedures

Using the SQL Worksheet

User-Defined Snippets

You can create and edit snippets. User-defined snippets are intended mainly to enable you to supplement the Oracle-supplied snippets, although you are also permitted to replace an Oracle-supplied snippet with your own version.

When you create a user-defined snippet, you can add it to one of the Oracle-supplied snippet categories (such as Aggregate Functions) or to a category that you create. If you add a snippet to an Oracle-supplied category and if your snippet has the same name as an existing snippet, your snippet definition replaces the existing one. (If you later upgrade to a new version of SQL Developer and if you choose to preserve your old settings, your old user-defined snippets will replace any Oracle-supplied snippets of the same name in the new version of SQL Developer.)

To create a snippet, do any of the following:

To edit an existing user-defined snippet, click the Edit User Snippets icon in the Snippets window.

Information about user-defined snippets is stored in a file named UserSnippets.xml under the directory for user-specific information. For information about the location of this information, see Location of User-Related Information.

Related Topics

Save Snippet (User-Defined) (dialog box)

Edit Snippets (User-Defined) (dialog box)