SQL Developer: Quick Outline with SQL statements

Von Tobias Arnhold 11.30.2016
Most of you probably know the "Quick Outline" function you have inside the SQL Developer.
It helps you to easily jump between different functions/procedures inside a package.


My colleague Holger told me about a bug in SQL Developer 3.x where you could use the "Outline" view with normal SQL files, too. Unfortunately in version 4 it didn't work anymore. So he stayed with version 3 for a long while. Otherwise he would had to scroll again instead of a short jump towards a specific SQL select.


A few days ago he asked me again if I knew a way how to easily jump between SQL statements inside a SQL file.
So I thought I talk to a SQL developer specialist "Sabine Heimsath". She knows all about those little tricks I have no clue about. But Sabine didn't know how to do it either.

My last chance was to ask on Twitter about a proper solution.

Even on Twitter nobody answered me. I guess they just started to implement such a feature. :)

Anyway yesterday Holger told me that he found a way to get it to run on SQL Developer 4.1.
Reason enough for me to share the awesome idea.

create or replace package body "" as 
/* ************************************************************************************************************************************************ */
function "SQL example 1";
/
-- SQL Statement

/* ************************************************************************************************************************************************ */
function "SQL example 2 - no character capping";
/
-- SQL Statement

/* ************************************************************************************************************************************************ */
function SQL_example_3_without_double_quote;
/
-- SQL Statement

end;


Finally a little GIF movie showing you the usage in action: