ACCEPT

Syntax

ACC[EPT] variable [NUM[BER]|CHAR|DATE] [FOR[MAT] format] [DEF[AULT] default]
[PROMPT text|NOPR[OMPT]] [HIDE]

Reads a line of input and stores it in a given user variable.

Terms

Refer to the following list for a description of each term or clause:

variable

Represents the name of the variable in which you wish to store a value. If variable does not exist, SQL*Plus creates it.

NUM[BER]

Makes the datatype of variable the datatype NUMBER. If the reply does not match the datatype, ACCEPT gives an error message and prompts again.

CHAR

Makes the datatype of variable the datatype CHAR. The maximum CHAR length limit is 240 bytes. If a multi-byte character set is used, one CHAR may be more than one byte in size.

DATE

Makes reply a valid DATE format. If the reply is not a valid DATE format, ACCEPT gives an error message and prompts again. The datatype is CHAR.

FOR[MAT]

Specifies the input format for the reply. If the reply does not match the specified format, ACCEPT gives an error message and prompts again for a reply. The format element must be a text constant such as A10 or 9.999. See the COLUMN command in this chapter for a complete list of format elements.

Oracle date formats such as "dd/mm/yy" are valid when the datatype is DATE. DATE without a specified format defaults to the Oracle NLS_DATE_FORMAT of the current session. See the Oracle9i Administrator's Guide and the Oracle9i SQL Reference for information on Oracle date formats.

DEF[AULT]

Sets the default value if a reply is not given. The reply must be in the specified format if defined.

PROMPT text

Displays text on-screen before accepting the value of variable from the user.

NOPR[OMPT]

Skips a line and waits for input without displaying a prompt.

HIDE

Suppresses the display as you type the reply.

To display or reference variables, use the DEFINE command. See the DEFINE command in this chapter for more information.

Examples

To display the prompt "Password: ", place the reply in a CHAR variable named PSWD, and suppress the display, enter

ACCEPT pswd CHAR PROMPT 'Password:  ' HIDE

To display the prompt "Enter weekly salary: " and place the reply in a NUMBER variable named SALARY with a default of 000.0, enter

ACCEPT salary NUMBER FORMAT '999.99' DEFAULT '000.0' -
PROMPT 'Enter weekly salary:  '

To display the prompt "Enter date hired: " and place the reply in a DATE variable named HIRED with the format "dd/mm/yyyy" and a default of "01/01/2001", enter

ACCEPT hired DATE FORMAT 'dd/mm/yyyy' DEFAULT '01/01/2001'-
PROMPT 'Enter date hired:  '

To display the prompt "Enter employee lastname: " and place the reply in a CHAR variable named LASTNAME, enter

ACCEPT lastname CHAR FORMAT 'A20' -
PROMPT 'Enter employee lastname:  '