SQL Developer User Interface

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

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 the following actions:

• New creates a new a new database object (see Create/Edit New Object).

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.)

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 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.)

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 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. 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 right-click 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.

Related Topics

Using the Help

Database Objects

Using the SQL Worksheet

Running and Debugging Functions and Procedures

Entering and Modifying Data

SQL Developer Preferences

SQL Developer Concepts and Usage

Tutorial: Creating Objects for a Small Database