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Anonymous Block

An anonymous block applies to a script infrequently executed or a one-off activity. An anonymous block is executed in a session and is not stored.

Syntax

Figure 1 shows the syntax diagrams for an anonymous block.

Figure 1 anonymous_block::=

Details about the syntax diagram are as follows:

  • The execute part of an anonymous block starts with a BEGIN statement, has a break with an END statement, and ends with a semicolon (;). Type a slash (/) and press Enter to execute the statement.

    The terminator "/" must be written in an independent row.

  • The declaration section includes the variable definition, type, and cursor definition.
  • A simplest anonymous block does not execute any commands. At least one statement, even a null statement, must be presented in any implementation blocks.

Examples

The following lists basic anonymous block programs:

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-- Null statement block:
BEGIN
     NULL; 
END;
/

-- Print information to the console:
BEGIN
     dbms_output.put_line('hello world!'); 
END; 
/

-- Print variable contents to the console:
DECLARE      
     my_var VARCHAR2(30);  
BEGIN      
     my_var :='world';     
     dbms_output.put_line('hello'||my_var); 
END; 
/
Parent topic: Syntax