PL/Scope is a compiler-driven tool that collects data about identifiers in PL/SQL source code at program-unit compilation time and makes it available in static data dictionary views. The collected data includes information about identifier types, usages (declaration, definition, reference, call, assigment) and the location of each usage in the source code.
PL/Scope enables the development of powerful and effective PL/Scope source code browsers that increase PL/SQL developer productivity by minimizing time spent browsing and understanding source code.
PL/Scope is intended for application developers, and will usually be used in the environment of a development database.
Note:
PL/Scope cannot collect data for a PL/SQL unit whose source code is wrapped. For information about wrapping PL/SQL source code, see Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference.Topics:
By default, PL/Scope does not collect data for identifiers in the PL/SQL source program. To have PL/Scope collect data for all identifiers in the PL/SQL source program, including identifiers in package bodies, set the PL/SQL compilation parameter PLSCOPE_SETTINGS to 'IDENTIFIERS:ALL'.
Note:
Collecting all identifiers might generate large amounts of data and slow compile time.PL/Scope stores the data that it collects in the SYSAUX tablespace. If the SYSAUX tablespace is unavailable, and you compile a program unit with PLSCOPE_SETTINGS='IDENTIFIERS:ALL', PL/Scope does not collect data for the compiled object. The compiler does not issue a warning, but it saves a warning in USER_ERRORS.
See Also:
Oracle Database Reference for information about PLSCOPE_SETTINGS
Oracle Database PL/SQL Language Reference for information about PL/SQL compilation parameters
The packages STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD declare and define base types, such as VARCHAR2 and NUMBER, and subprograms such as RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR. If your database has PL/Scope identifier data for these packages, PL/Scope can track your usage of the identifiers that these packages create.
Do You Need STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD Identifier Data?
You can use PL/Scope without STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD identifier data. You need this data only if you must know where your code uses the base types or subprograms that these packages create—for example, if you want to know where your code uses the base type BINARY_INTEGER so that you can substitute PLS_INTEGER.
Does Your Database Have STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD Identifier Data?
A newly created Oracle 11.1.0.7 database, or a database that was upgraded to 11.1.0.7 from 10.2, has PL/Scope identifier data for the packages STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD. A database that was upgraded to 11.1.0.7 from 11.1.0.6 does not have this data.
To see if your database has this data, use the query in Example 8-1.
Example 8-1 shows what the query returns when the database has PL/Scope identifier data for STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD.
Example 8-1 Is STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD PL/Scope Identifier Data Available?
SQL> SELECT UNIQUE OBJECT_NAME FROM ALL_IDENTIFIERS 2 WHERE OBJECT_NAME IN ('STANDARD', 'DBMS_STANDARD') 3 AND OWNER='SYS'; OBJECT_NAME ------------------------------ DBMS_STANDARD STANDARD 2 rows selected. SQL>
If the query in Example 8-1 selects no rows, then the database does not have PL/Scope identifier data for the packages STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD. To collect this data, a DBA must recompile the packages STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD, as explained in Recompiling STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD.
Recompiling STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD
A DBA can use the following procedure to recompile the packages STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD:
Note:
This procedure invalidates and revalidates (by recompiling) every PL/SQL object in the database.Connect to the database, shut it down, and then start it in UPGRADE mode:
SQL> CONNECT / AS SYSDBA; SQL> SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE; SQL> STARTUP PFILE=parameter_initialization_file UPGRADE;
Have PL/Scope collect data for all identifiers in the packages STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD:
SQL> ALTER SESSION SET PLSCOPE_SETTINGS='IDENTIFIERS:ALL';
Invalidate and recompile the database:
SQL> @?/rdbms/admin/utlirp.sql
Now all PL/SQL objects in the database are invalid except STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD, which were recompiled with PLSCOPE_SETTINGS='IDENTIFIERS:ALL'.
(Optional) Invalidate any other PL/SQL objects that you want to recompile with PLSCOPE_SETTINGS='IDENTIFIERS:ALL', using a script similar to the following.
Customize the query on lines 5 through 9 to invalidate only those objects for which you need PL/Scope identifier data. Collecting all identifiers for all objects, as the following script does, might generate large amounts of data and slow compile time.
SQL> DECLARE 2 TYPE ObjIDArray IS TABLE OF NUMBER INDEX BY BINARY_INTEGER; 3 ObjIDs ObjIDArray; 4 BEGIN 5 SELECT object_id BULK COLLECT INTO ObjIDs 6 FROM ALL_OBJECTS 7 WHERE object_type IN 8 (SELECT DISTINCT TYPE 9 FROM ALL_PLSQL_OBJECT_SETTINGS); 10 FOR i IN 1..SQL%ROWCOUNT LOOP 11 BEGIN 12 DBMS_UTILITY.INVALIDATE(ObjIDs(i), 13 'PLSCOPE_SETTINGS=IDENTIFIERS:ALL REUSE SETTINGS'); 14 NULL; 15 END; 16 END LOOP; 17 END;
Notes:
In the preceding script:Do not substitute ObjIDs.LAST for SQL%ROWCOUNT, because ObjIDs attributes are dependent on a package that is locked by the anonymous block.
If your database is large, do not substitute a cursor FOR LOOP for the BULK COLLECT statement, or you will run out of resources.
Shut down the database, and then start it in NORMAL mode:
SQL> SHUTDOWN IMMEDIATE;
SQL> STARTUP PFILE=parameter_initialization_file;
For any remaining invalid PL/SQL objects, do one of the following:
Allow them to be recompiled automatically, as they are referenced.
(This can be slow if there are complex dependencies.)
Run the script utlrp.sql to recompile the invalid PL/SQL objects, as explained in Running utlrp.sql to Recompile Invalid PL/SQL Objects.
Running utlrp.sql to Recompile Invalid PL/SQL Objects
If the database was restarted in NORMAL mode (step 5), then a DBA, or a user who has been granted the DBA role, can use the following procedure:
PL/Scope stores its data in the SYSAUX tablespace. If you are logged on as SYSDBA, you can use the query in Example 8-2 to display the amount of space that PL/Scope data is using.
Example 8-2 How Much Space is PL/Scope Data Using?
SQL> SELECT SPACE_USAGE_KBYTES FROM V$SYSAUX_OCCUPANTS 2 WHERE OCCUPANT_NAME='PL/SCOPE'; SPACE_USAGE_KBYTES ------------------ 384 1 row selected. SQL>
For information about managing the SYSAUX tablespace, see Oracle Database Administrator's Guide.
To view the data that PL/Scope has collected, you can use any of the following:
The static data dictionary views *_IDENTIFIERS display information about PL/Scope identifiers, including their types and usages. For general information about these views, see Oracle Database Reference.
Topics:
Each row of a *_IDENTIFIERS view represents a unique usage of an identifier in the PL/SQL unit. In each of these views, the following are equivalent unique keys within a compilation unit:
LINE, COL, and USAGE
USAGE_ID
For the usages in the *_IDENTIFIERS views, see Usages that PL/Scope Reports.
Note:
An identifier that is passed to a subprogram inIN OUT mode has two rows in *_IDENTIFIERS: a REFERENCE usage (corresponding to IN) and an ASSIGNMENT usage (corresponding to OUT).Context is useful for discovering relationships between usages. Except for top-level schema object declarations and definitions, every usage of an identifier happens within the context of another usage. For example:
A local variable declaration happens within the context of a top-level procedure declaration.
If an identifier is declared as a variable, such as x VARCHAR2(10), the USAGE_CONTEXT_ID of the VARCHAR2 type reference contains the USAGE_ID of the x declaration, allowing you to associate the variable declaration with its type.
In other words, USAGE_CONTEXT_ID is a reflexive foreign key to USAGE_ID, as Example 8-3 shows.
Example 8-3 USAGE_CONTEXT_ID and USAGE_ID
ALTER SESSION SET PLSCOPE_SETTINGS = 'IDENTIFIERS:ALL';
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE a (p1 IN BOOLEAN) IS
v PLS_INTEGER;
BEGIN
v := 42;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(v);
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR (-20000, 'Bad');
EXCEPTION
WHEN Program_Error THEN NULL;
END a;
/
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE b (p2 OUT PLS_INTEGER, p3 IN OUT VARCHAR2) IS
n NUMBER;
q BOOLEAN := TRUE;
BEGIN
FOR j IN 1..5 LOOP
a(q); a(TRUE); a(TRUE);
IF j > 2 THEN
GOTO z;
END IF;
END LOOP;
<<z>> DECLARE
d CONSTANT CHAR(1) := 'X';
BEGIN
SELECT COUNT(*) INTO n FROM Dual WHERE Dummy = d;
END z;
END b;
/
WITH v AS (
SELECT Line,
Col,
INITCAP(NAME) Name,
LOWER(TYPE) Type,
LOWER(USAGE) Usage,
USAGE_ID,
USAGE_CONTEXT_ID
FROM USER_IDENTIFIERS
WHERE Object_Name = 'B'
AND Object_Type = 'PROCEDURE'
)
SELECT RPAD(LPAD(' ', 2*(Level-1)) ||
Name, 20, '.')||' '||
RPAD(Type, 20)||
RPAD(Usage, 20)
IDENTIFIER_USAGE_CONTEXTS
FROM v
START WITH USAGE_CONTEXT_ID = 0
CONNECT BY PRIOR USAGE_ID = USAGE_CONTEXT_ID
ORDER SIBLINGS BY Line, Col
/
IDENTIFIER_USAGE_CONTEXTS
-------------------------------------------------------------
B.................. procedure declaration
B................. procedure definition
P2.............. formal out declaration
P3.............. formal in out declaration
N............... variable declaration
Q............... variable declaration
Q............. variable assignment
J............... iterator declaration
A............. procedure call
Q........... variable reference
A............. procedure call
A............. procedure call
J............. iterator reference
Z............. label reference
Z............... label declaration
D............. constant declaration
D........... constant assignment
N............. variable assignment
D............. constant reference
The signature of an identifier is unique, within and across program units. That is, the signature distinguishes the identifier from other identifiers with the same name, whether they are defined in the same program unit or different program units.
For the program unit in Example 8-4, which has two identifiers named p, the static data dictionary view USER_IDENTIFIERS has several rows in which NAME is p, but in these rows, SIGNATURE varies. The rows associated with the outer procedure p have one signature, and the rows associated with the inner procedure p have another signature. If program unit q calls procedure p, the USER_IDENTIFIERS view for q has a row in which NAME is p and SIGNATURE is the signature of the outer procedure p.
$ORACLE_HOME/plsql/demo/plscopedemo.sql is an HTML-based demo implemented as a PL/SQL Web Application using the PL/SQL Web Toolkit. For more information about PL/SQL Web Applications, see Implementing PL/SQL Web Applications.
PL/Scope is a feature of SQL Developer. For information about using PL/Scope from SQL Developer, see the SQL Developer online documentation.
Table 8-1 shows the identifier types that PL/Scope collects, in alphabetical order. The identifier types in Table 8-1 appear in the TYPE column of the *_IDENTIFIER static data dictionary views, which are described in Oracle Database Reference.
Note:
Identifiers declared in compilation units that were not compiled withPLSCOPE_SETTINGS='IDENTIFIERS:ALL' do not appear in *_IDENTIFIER static data dictionary views.Table 8-1 Identifier Types that PL/Scope Collects
| TYPE Column Value | Comment |
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Each |
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An iterator is the index of a |
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A label declaration also acts as a context. |
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Examples of internal opaque types are |
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PL/Scope does not resolve the base object name of a synonym. To find the base object name of a synonym, query |
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Can be object attribute, local variable, package variable, or record field. |
Table 8-2 shows the usages that PL/Scope reports, in alphabetical order. The identifier types in Table 8-2 appear in the USAGE column of the *_IDENTIFIER static data dictionary views, which are described in Oracle Database Reference.
Table 8-2 Usages that PL/Scope Reports
The sample PL/Scope session uses the following PL/SQL procedure, example.sql:
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE PACK1 IS
TYPE r1 is RECORD (rf1 VARCHAR2(10));
FUNCTION F1(fp1 NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER;
PROCEDURE P1(pp1 VARCHAR2);
END PACK1;
/
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY PACK1 IS
FUNCTION F1(fp1 NUMBER) RETURN NUMBER IS
a NUMBER := 10;
BEGIN
RETURN a;
END F1;
PROCEDURE P1(pp1 VARCHAR2) IS
pr1 r1;
BEGIN
pr1.rf1 := pp1;
END;
END PACK1;
/
In the following sample session, assume that you are logged in as HR.
Set the session parameter:
SQL> ALTER SESSION SET PLSCOPE_SETTINGS='IDENTIFIERS:ALL';
Compile the PL/SQL procedure example.sql:
SQL> @example.sql
Verify that PL/Scope collected all identifiers for the package body:
SQL> SELECT PLSCOPE_SETTINGS
FROM USER_PLSQL_OBJECT_SETTINGS
WHERE NAME='PACK1' AND TYPE='PACKAGE BODY'
PLSCOPE_SETTINGS
----------------
IDENTIFIERS:ALL
Display unique identifiers in HR by querying for all DECLARATION usages. For example, to see all unique identifiers with name like %1, use the following query:
SQL> SELECT NAME, SIGNATURE, TYPE
FROM USER_IDENTIFIERS
WHERE NAME LIKE '%1' AND USAGE='DECLARATION'
ORDER BY OBJECT_TYPE, USAGE_ID;
NAME SIGNATURE TYPE --------------------------------------------------------------- PACK1 41820FA4D5EF6BE707895178D0C5C4EF PACKAGE R1 EEBB6849DEE31BC77BF186EBAE5D4E2D RECORD RF1 41D70040337349634A7F547BC83517C7 VARIABLE F1 EEFCF8352A41F4F264B4EF20D7F63A74 FUNCTION FP1 70648EC9E1C3C7FA10C0AE6415FAEC3B FORMAL IN P1 0BE2106B9EFA719D49AF60965EBD69AE PROCEDURE PP1 85B6C0F3BBA39185B00465082322444B FORMAL IN FP1 771368AE41084ADD477DE62A7B1D4278 FORMAL IN PP1 D98482491487F39B4CBC8B776130B739 FORMAL IN PR1 174C2528B929953F4FE2A43DEBA2B5D0 VARIABLE P1 3D1CA191D63523E40E25A72D89424324 FORMAL IN
The *_IDENTIFIERS static data dictionary views display only basic type names; for example, the TYPE of a local variable or record field is VARIABLE. To determine the exact type of a VARIABLE, you must use its USAGE_CONTEXT_ID.
SQL> SELECT a.NAME variable_name,
b.NAME context_name,
a.SIGNATURE
FROM USER_IDENTIFIERS a, USER_IDENTIFIERS b
WHERE a.USAGE_CONTEXT_ID = b.USAGE_ID
AND a.TYPE = 'VARIABLE'
AND a.USAGE = 'DECLARATION'
AND a.OBJECT_NAME = 'PACK1'
AND a.OBJECT_NAME = b.OBJECT_NAME
AND a.OBJECT_TYPE = b.OBJECT_TYPE
AND (b.TYPE = 'FUNCTION' or b.TYPE = 'PROCEDURE')
ORDER BY a.OBJECT_TYPE, a.USAGE_ID;
VARIABLE_NAME CONTEXT_NAME SIGNATURE
---------------------------------------------------------------
A F1 2268998957D20FACD63493B7A77BC55B
PR1 P1 174C2528B929953F4FE2A43DEBA2B5D0
Find all usages performed on the local variable A:
SQL> SELECT USAGE, USAGE_ID, OBJECT_NAME, OBJECT_TYPE
FROM USER_IDENTIFIERS
WHERE SIGNATURE='2268998957D20FACD63493B7A77BC55B'
ORDER BY OBJECT_TYPE, USAGE_ID;
USAGE USAGE_ID OBJECT_NAME OBJECT_TYPE
------------------------------------------------------
DECLARATION 4 PACK1 PACKAGE BODY
ASSIGNMENT 5 PACK1 PACKAGE BODY
REFERENCE 6 PACK1 PACKAGE BODY
The usages performed on the local identifier A are the identifier declaration (USAGE_ID 6), an assignment (USAGE_ID 8), and a reference (USAGE_ID 9).
From the declaration of the local identifier A, find its type:
SQL> SELECT a.NAME, a.TYPE
FROM USER_IDENTIFIERS a, USER_IDENTIFIERS b
WHERE a.USAGE = 'REFERENCE'
AND a.USAGE_CONTEXT_ID = b.USAGE_ID
AND b.USAGE = 'DECLARATION'
AND b.SIGNATURE = '2268998957D20FACD63493B7A77BC55B'
AND a.OBJECT_TYPE = b.OBJECT_TYPE
AND a.OBJECT_NAME = b.OBJECT_NAME;
NAME TYPE
--------------------------------
NUMBER DATATYPE STANDARD
Note:
This query produces the output shown only if your database has PL/Scope identifier data for the packagesSTANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD. For more information, see PL/Scope Identifier Data for STANDARD and DBMS_STANDARD.Find out where the assignment to local identifier A occurred:
SQL> SELECT LINE, COL, OBJECT_NAME, OBJECT_TYPE
FROM USER_IDENTIFIERS
WHERE SIGNATURE='666CEC3A2180DF4013CEBE330A8CE747'
AND USAGE='ASSIGNMENT';
LINE COL OBJECT_NAME OBJECT_TYPE
------------------------------------------------
3 7 PACK1 PACKAGE BODY