Oracle PL/SQL Language Pocket Reference- P9: This pocket guide features quick-reference information to help you use Oracle's PL/SQL language. It includes coverage of PL/SQL features in the newest version of Oracle, Oracle8i. It is a companion to Steven Feuerstein and Bill Pribyl's bestselling Oracle PL/SQL Programming. Updated for Oracle8, that large volume (nearly 1,000 pages) fills a huge gap in the Oracle market, providing developers with a single, comprehensive guide to building applications with PL/SQL and building them the right way. . | total_type IN VARCHAR2--ALL or NET For every employee hired more than five years ago give them a bonus and send them an e-mail notification. FOR emp_rec IN emp_cur ADD_MONTHS SYSDATE -60 LOOP apply_bonus send_notification END LOOP -- IF STATUS CHANGED THEN COMMIT END IF FUNCTION display_user user_id IN NUMBER Must be valid ID user_type IN VARCHAR2 The first example uses the single-line comment syntax to include endline descriptions for each parameter in the procedure specification. The second example uses a multiline comment to explain the purpose of the FOR loop. The third example uses the double-hyphen to comment out a whole line of code. The last example embeds a comment in the middle of a line of code using the block comment syntax. These two types of comments offer the developer flexibility in how to provide inline documentation. The rest of this section offers guidelines for writing effective comments in your PL SQL programs. Comment As You Code It is very difficult to make time to document your code after you have finished writing your program. Psychologically you want to and often need to move on to the next programming challenge after you get a program working. You may also have a harder time writing your comments once you have put some distance between your brain cells and those lines of code. Why exactly did you write the loop that way Where precisely is the value of that global variable set Unless you have total recall post-development documentation can be a real challenge. The last and perhaps most important reason to write your comments as you write your code is that the resulting code will have fewer bugs and independent of the comments themselves be easier to understand. When you write a comment you theoretically explain what your code is meant to accomplish. If you find it difficult to come up with that explanation there is a good chance that you lack a full Please purchase PDF Split-Merge .
