CREATE TYPE BODY

Purpose

Type bodies are defined using PL/SQL. Therefore, this section provides some general information but refers to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for details of syntax and semantics.

Use the CREATE TYPE BODY to define or implement the member methods defined in the object type specification. You create object types with the CREATE TYPE and the CREATE TYPE BODY statements. The CREATE TYPE statement specifies the name of the object type, its attributes, methods, and other properties. The CREATE TYPE BODY statement contains the code for the methods that implement the type.

For each method specified in an object type specification for which you did not specify the call_spec, you must specify a corresponding method body in the object type body.

Note:

If you create a SQLJ object type, then specify it as a Java class.

See Also:

  • CREATE TYPE for information on creating a type specification

  • ALTER TYPE for information on modifying a type specification

Prerequisites

Every member declaration in the CREATE TYPE specification for object types must have a corresponding construct in the CREATE TYPE or CREATE TYPE BODY statement.

To create or replace a type body in your own schema, you must have the CREATE TYPE or the CREATE ANY TYPE system privilege. To create an object type in another user's schema, you must have the CREATE ANY TYPE system privilege. To replace an object type in another user's schema, you must have the DROP ANY TYPE system privilege.

Syntax

Type bodies are defined using PL/SQL. Therefore, the syntax diagram in this book shows only the SQL keywords. Refer to Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the PL/SQL syntax, semantics, and examples.

Semantics

OR REPLACE

Specify OR REPLACE to re-create the type body if it already exists. Use this clause to change the definition of an existing type body without first dropping it.

Users previously granted privileges on the re-created object type body can use and reference the object type body without being granted privileges again.

You can use this clause to add new member subprogram definitions to specifications added with the ALTER TYPE ... REPLACE statement.

[ EDITIONABLE | NONEDITIONABLE ]

If you do not specify this clause, then the type body inherits EDITIONABLE or NONEDITIONABLE from the type specification. If you do specify this clause, then it must match that of the type specification.

plsql_type_body_source

See Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for the syntax and semantics of the plsql_type_body_source.