Re: user interaction in pl/sql

"niranjan v sathe" <satheniranjan_at_yahoo.com> wrote in message news:c3fae289.0404090915.3ac8e1c4_at_posting.google.com...
| Hans Forbrich <forbrich_at_yahoo.net> wrote in message
 news:<pKndc.23709$J56.18035_at_edtnps89>...
| > DottingTheNet wrote:
| >
| > > hi!!
| > > just wanna know how to accept user input??
| > > if i prompt a question "Are u happy today?(Y/N)"
| > > how do i receive user's answer?
| > > thnx
| >
| > Counter-question - if the database is on a server, and the pl/sql is run
 in
| > the database, where is the answer coming from?
| >
| > You might want to give some hint of the environment you are running.
 Are
| > you displaying in a browser or in SQL Plus?
|
| you can try with colon (:variablename) in pl-sql. This should prompt for a
value.

not exactly... if you're submitting anonymous pl/sql blocks, some tools may notice the bind variable and prompt for it, but SQL*Plus will not automatically prompt for bind variable

SQL> begin
  2 dbms_output.put_line('A bind variable... ' || : x );   3 end;
  4 /
SP2-0552: Bind variable "X" not declared.

additionally, stored PL/SQL program units will not compile with bind variables

SQL> create or replace procedure bindx
  2 is
  3 begin
  4 dbms_output.put_line('A bind variable... ' || : x );   5 end;
  6 /

Warning: Procedure created with compilation errors.

SQL> show errors
Errors for PROCEDURE BINDX:
...

LINE/COL ERROR

-------- -----------------------------------------------------------------
4/50     PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol ":" when expecting one of the
         following:
         ( - + mod null <an identifier>
         <a double-quoted delimited-identifier> <a bind variable> avg
         count current max min prior sql stddev sum variance execute
         forall time timestamp interval date
         <a string literal with character set specification>
         <a number> <a single-quoted SQL string>
         The symbol ":" was ignored.

;-{ mcs Received on Fri Apr 09 2004 - 22:38:49 CEST