Question

I have the following pl/sql block:

BEGIN
  FOR I IN 1 .. 5
  LOOP
    INSERT INTO TEST_TABLE VALUES('&slno',SYSDATE);
  END LOOP;
END;

When I executed the above block it is taking only one input.
But it is supposed to take 5 input in total.
What is missing in my code? Can any one help me please?

Answer 1

It is a substitution variable – an sql*plus feature – and it doesn’t work this way. You have to call undefine &slno or accept slno ... to make it take another input, but these are also sqlplus, not pl/sql commands, so you won’t be able to invoke them in a loop,

Probably the only thing you can do here is

INSERT INTO TEST_TABLE VALUES('&slno1',SYSDATE);
INSERT INTO TEST_TABLE VALUES('&slno2',SYSDATE);
INSERT INTO TEST_TABLE VALUES('&slno3',SYSDATE);
INSERT INTO TEST_TABLE VALUES('&slno4',SYSDATE);
INSERT INTO TEST_TABLE VALUES('&slno5',SYSDATE);

update: Fortunately, you can work this around by generaing a list of separate sequential statements accepting independent inputs:

22:38:59 @> conn system/sys@oars_sandbox
Connected.
22:39:01 SYSTEM@oars_sandbox> @s:\test
Enter value for var1: a
Enter value for var2: b
Enter value for var3: c
22:39:06 SYSTEM@oars_sandbox> commit;
22:39:11 SYSTEM@oars_sandbox> select * from test_table;

COL1       COL2
---------- -------------------
a          07.12.2012 22:39:10
b          07.12.2012 22:39:11
c          07.12.2012 22:39:11
22:39:17 SYSTEM@oars_sandbox> get s:\test
  1  set echo off
  2  set define off
  3  set termout off
  4  set feedback off
  5  set timing off
  6  spool s:\123.sql
  7  begin
  8    for i in 1 .. 3 loop
  9      dbms_output.put_line('insert into test_table values(''&var'||i||''', sysdate);');
 10    end loop;
 11  end;
 12  /
 13  spool off
 14  set define "&"
 15  set termout on
 16* @s:\123.sql
22:39:24  17  .
22:39:58 SYSTEM@oars_sandbox> get s:\123.sql
  1  insert into test_table values('&var1', sysdate);
  2  insert into test_table values('&var2', sysdate);
  3* insert into test_table values('&var3', sysdate);
22:40:04 SYSTEM@oars_sandbox>