SQL Developer User Interface

The SQL Developer window generally uses the left side for navigation to find and select objects, and the right side to display information about selected objects.

Note:

This text explains the default interface. However, you can customize many aspects of the appearance and behavior of SQL Developer by setting preferences (see SQL Developer Preferences).

Note:

For migration of third-party databases to Oracle, see also SQL Developer User Interface for Migration.

The menus at the top contain standard entries, plus entries for features specific to SQL Developer (see Menus for SQL Developer), as shown in the following figure.

You can use shortcut keys to access menus and menu items: for example Alt+F for the File menu and Alt+E for the Edit menu; or Alt+H, then Alt+S for Help, then Full Text Search. You can also display the File menu by pressing the F10 key.

Icons under the menus perform various actions, including the following:

New creates a new a new database object (see Create/Edit New Object (New Gallery)).
Open opens a file (see Open File).
Save saves any changes to the currently selected object.
Save All saves any changes to all open objects.
Back moves to the pane that you most recently visited. (Or use the drop-down arrow to specify a tab view.)
Forward moves to the pane after the current one in the list of visited panes. (Or use the drop-down arrow to specify a tab view.)
Open SQL Worksheet opens the SQL Worksheet (see Using the SQL Worksheet). If you do not use the drop-down arrow to specify the database connection to use, you are asked to select a connection.

The left side of the SQL Developer window has tabs and panes for the Connections and Reports navigators, icons for performing actions, and a hierarchical tree display for the currently selected navigator, as shown in the following figure.

The Connections navigator lists database connections that have been created. To create a new database connection, import an XML file with connection definitions, or export or edit current connections, right-click the Connections node and select the appropriate menu item. (For more information, see Database Connections.)

The Reports navigator lists informative reports provided by SQL Developer, such as a list of tables without primary keys for each database connection, as well as any user-defined reports. (For more information, see SQL Developer Reports.)

Icons under the Connections tab (above the metadata tree) perform the following actions on the currently selected object:

Refresh queries the database for the current details about the selected object (for example, a connection or just a table).
Apply Filter restricts the display of objects using a filter that you specify. For example, you can right-click the Tables node and specify a filter of EM% to see only tables that start with EM and to have the Tables node label be changed to Tables (EM%). To remove the effects of applying a filter, right-click the node and select Clear Filter.

The metadata tree in the Connections pane displays all the objects (categorized by object type) accessible to the defined connections. To select an object, expand the appropriate tree node or nodes, then click the object.

The right side of the SQL Developer window has tabs and panes for objects that you select or open, as shown in the following figure, which displays information about a table named BOOKS. (If you hold the mouse pointer over the tab label -- BOOKS in this figure -- a tooltip displays the object's owner and the database connection.)

Right side of the window: details about selected objects

For objects other than subprograms, icons provide the following options:

Freeze View (the pin) keeps that object's tab and information in the window when you click another object in the Connections navigator; a separate tab and display are created for that other object. If you click the pin again, the object's display is available for reuse.
Edit displays a dialog box for editing the object.
Refresh updates the display by querying the database for the latest information.
Actions displays a menu with actions appropriate for the object. The actions are the same as when you right-click an object of that type in the Connections navigator, except the Actions menu does not include Edit.

To switch among objects, click the desired tabs; to close a tab, click the X in the tab. If you make changes to an object and click the X, you are asked if you want to save the changes.

For tables and views, this information is grouped under tabs, which are labeled near the top. For example, for tables the tabs are Columns, Data (for seeing and modifying the data itself), Indexes, Constraints, and so on; and you can click a column heading under a tab to sort the grid rows by the values in that column. For most objects, the tabs include SQL, which displays the SQL statement for creating the object.

You can export data from a detail pane or from the results of a SQL Worksheet operation or a report by using the context menu and selecting Export.

The Messages - Log area is used for feedback information as appropriate (for example, results of an action, or error or warning messages). If this area is not already visible, you can display is by clicking View and then Log.

The Compiler - Log area is used for any messages displayed as a result of a Compile or Compile for Debug operation.

Menus for SQL Developer

This topic explains menu items that are specific to SQL Developer.

Edit menu

Extended Paste: Displays the Paste dialog box, in which you select a clipboard item (from potentially many) to be pasted into the current location.

Duplicate Selection: When you have selected text while editing a function or procedure, creates a copy of the selected text at the current location.

Wrap Selection: When you have selected text while editing a function or procedure, wraps the selected text.

View menu

Contains options that affect what is displayed in the SQL Developer interface.

Connections: Displays the Connections navigator.

Files: Displays the Files navigator, which is marked by a folder icon. You can use the Files navigator to open a file in a SQL Worksheet window, and to perform Compare With and Replace With operations. (See also Using Versioning.)

Reports: Displays the Reports navigator (see SQL Developer Reports).

Captured Objects: Displays the Captured Objects navigator (see SQL Developer User Interface for Migration).

Converted Objects: Displays the Converted Objects navigator (see SQL Developer User Interface for Migration).

Find DB Object: Displays the Find Database Object pane (see Using Find DB Object to Find Database Objects).

Versioning Navigator: Displays the Versioning navigator (see Using Versioning).

Log: Displays the Messages - Log pane, which can contain errors, warnings, and informational messages.

Debugger: Displays panes related to debugging (see Running and Debugging Functions and Procedures).

Run Manager: Displays the Run Manager pane, which contains entries for any active debugging sessions.

SQL History: Displays information about SQL statements that you have executed. You can select statements and append them to or overwrite statements on the worksheet (see SQL History).

Snippets: Displays snippets (see Using Snippets to Insert Code Fragments).

Status Bar: Controls the display of the status bar at the bottom of the SQL Developer window.

Toolbars: Controls the display of the main toolbar (under the SQL Developer menus) and the Connections navigator toolbar.

Refresh: Updates the current display for any open connections using the current objects in the affected database or databases.

Navigate menu

Contains options for navigating to panes and in the execution of subprograms.

Back: Moves to the pane that you most recently visited.

Forward: Moves to the pane after the current one in the list of visited panes.

Toggle Bookmark: If you are editing a function or procedure, creates or removes a bookmark (see Using Bookmarks When Editing Functions and Procedures).

Remove Bookmarks from File: Removes bookmarks from the currently active editing window for a function or procedure (see Using Bookmarks When Editing Functions and Procedures).

Remove All Bookmarks: Removes bookmarks from open editing windows for functions and procedures (see Using Bookmarks When Editing Functions and Procedures).

Go to Bookmark: Displays a dialog box so that you can go to a specified bookmark (see Using Bookmarks When Editing Functions and Procedures).

Go to Next Bookmark: Goes to the next bookmark in the currently active editing window for a function or procedure (see Using Bookmarks When Editing Functions and Procedures).

Go to Previous Bookmark: Goes to the previous bookmark in the currently active editing window for a function or procedure (see Using Bookmarks When Editing Functions and Procedures).

Go to Line: Goes to the specified line number and highlights the line in the editing window for the selected function or procedure. (To display line numbers, enable Show Line Numbers under the Code Editor: Line Gutter preferences.)

Go to Last Edit: Goes to the last line that was edited in the editing window for a function or procedure.

Go to Recent Files: Displays the Recent Files dialog box, in which you can specify a function or procedure to go to.

Run menu

Contains options relevant when a function or procedure is selected or when it is open for debugging.

Run [name]: Starts execution of the specified function or procedure.

Debug [name]: Starts execution of the specified function or procedure in debug mode.

The remaining items on the Debug menu match commands on the debugging toolbar, which is described in Running and Debugging Functions and Procedures.

Source menu

Contains options for use when editing functions and procedures.

Completion Insight, Smart Completion Insight, and Parameter Insight: Display pop-up windows that list item as you type and from which you can select an item for autocompletion. See also the code insight and completion (autocomplete) options for Code Editor under SQL Developer Preferences.

Toggle Line Comments: Inserts and removes comment indicators at the start of selected code lines.

Indent Block: Moves the selected statements to the right.

Unindent Block: Moves the selected statements to the left.

Migration menu

Contains options related to migrating third-party databases to Oracle; see Migration Menu for more information.

Versioning menu

Contains options related to support for the CVS and Subversion version management and source control system; see Using Versioning for more information.

The commands on the Versioning menu depend on whether the Version System is specified as CVS, Subversion, or none.

Tools menu

Invokes SQL Developer tools.

Copy Wizard: Enables you to copy objects from one database schema to another (see the Copy (Schema Objects) interface).

Export Wizard: Enables you to export some or all objects of one or more object types for a database connection to a file containing SQL statements to create these objects and optionally to export table data (see the Export (Database Objects and Data) interface).

Diff Wizard: Enables you to compare two schemas to find differences between objects of the same type and name (for example, tables named CUSTOMERS) in two different schemas, and optionally to update the objects in the destination schema to reflect differences in the source schema (see the Schema Differences interface).

Monitor Sessions: Displays the status of one or more sessions, using information from the V$RSRC_SESSION_INFO view, which shows how the session has been affected by the Oracle Database Resource Manager. For more information about monitoring, see Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.

SQL Worksheet: Displays a worksheet in which you can enter and execute SQL and PL/SQL statements using a specified connection (see Using the SQL Worksheet).

External Tools: Displays the External Tools dialog box, with information about user-defined external tools that are integrated with the SQL Developer interface. From this dialog box can add external tools (see Create/Edit External Tool). The Tools menu also contains items for any user-defined external tools.

Preferences: Enables you to customize the behavior of SQL Developer (see SQL Developer Preferences).

Help menu

Displays help about SQL Developer and enables you to check for SQL Developer updates.

Search: Displays the Help Center window.

Table of Contents: Displays the Help Center window.

Tip of the Day: Displays a suggestion for efficient use of SQL Developer.

Check for Updates: Checks for any updates to the selected optional SQL Developer extensions, as well as any mandatory SQL Developer extensions. The available updates may include the JTDS JDBC Driver for Microsoft SQL Server and the MySQL JDBE Driver, which enable you to create connections to third-party databases. (If the system you are using is behind a firewall, see the SQL Developer user preferences for Web Browser and Proxy.)

About: Displays version-related information about SQL Developer and its components.