Tuen Off Substitution Variable for SQL Window

[billbell52]

How do you turn off the substitution variables for the SQL Window. I pulled down the latest release and tried several things and none work. It seems to work for the Command Window but I either need to turn it off or at least change the character for the SQL Window.

 

[Marco Kalter]

If you want to use an & in the SQL Text, use && instead to prevent the interpretation as a substitution variable. Of course && will be sent to the server as &.

 

[billbell52]

Thanks, but this is really not a solution. The text string I am trying to look for could contain 20 or more &. It is a logic equation. I need to do dozens of queries manually to visually validate the record sets.

There needs to be a way to either set another character or turn off the feature.

 

[mike]

I'm glad to hear about the "&&"! Working for "Oregon Health & Science University" with benefit plans like "AD&D" has bugged me for years. Now I can replace all "&" with "&&" and back.

A button would be more intuitive though!

Mike

 

[Worker]

As another workaround, you can use a Test Window to perform the query. It doesn't interpret ampersands as anything special.

 

[-IceTea-]

This has bugged me for years (and still does) is this feature planned to be implemented? (turning off looking for substitution variables in the sql window)

 

[Marco Kalter]

It's on the list of enhancement requests. At the moment you can only use an && expression in the SQL Window, or use the Test Window.

 

[Gustavo]

Or you can use the command window. Just enter "set define off" before your query.

 

[JEK]

Originally posted by Gustavo:
Or you can use the command window. Just enter "set define off" before your query.

Boa, Gustavo!

 

[Dan Townsend]

I had never thought of using the Test window to execute SQL. This might actually come in handy when a SELECT uses a package function as a column and the package under development does DBMS_OUTPUT for debugging purposes. Very nice!

BTW, JEK, what's "Boa"?

 

[Gustavo]

"Great", or "good one". That's Portuguese.

 

[MundeX]

I used SET DEFINE OFF (try both Command Window and SQL Window) and always get Variables window to define variables. Why?

 

[Marco Kalter]

In the Command Window you can use SET DEFINE OFF. This SQL*Plus command is supported, and suppresses variable substitution.

In the SQL Window you can use && instead of & to escape variable substitution. The SQL Window does not support SQL*Plus commands.