How to report an error from anonymous PL/SQL blocks

Question

Hello,
The following SQL*Plus script
WHENEVER OSERROR EXIT FAILURE
WHENEVER SQLERROR EXIT FAILURE
DECLARE
EXIST_INDEXES BOOLEAN := FALSE;
BEGIN
FOR INDEX IN (SELECT * FROM INDEXES)
LOOP
EXIST_INDEXES := TRUE;
DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(INDEX.SCHEMA || '.' || INDEX.NAME);
END LOOP;
IF EXIST_INDEXES THEN
RAISE_APPLICATION_ERROR(-20000,'Before proceeding, it is recommended to drop the indexes listed above');
END IF;
END;
-- Here go SQL statements that should be executed if no indexes were found
produces this output when there is an entry in table/view INDEXES:
SCHEMA_1.INDEX_1
DECLARE
ERROR at line 1:
ORA-20000: Before proceeding, it is recommended to drop the indexes listed above
ORA-06512: at line 13
When there are entries in table/view INDEXES, how to:
- suppress the 'DECLARE' and '*' lines from appearing in the script output;
- skip executing the SQL statements after the PL/SQL block;
- have the script return a non-zero code?
Regards,
Angel Tsankov

Answer 1

1 You want the rest of the code not to execute, SO all code should be in one anonymous block.
The scope of exceptions is one block.
2 If you want to suppress
- suppress the 'DECLARE' and '*' lines from appearing in the script output;you should not use raise_application_error, because this is how raise_application_error works.
- whenever you raise an exception, the return code will be non-zero.
The code you posted is really very poor, and inefficient, but as it is unclear what you are up to (you seem to want to skip executing everything when there are any indexes, if so you can just count them), it is not possible to provide working code.
If you want to skip the rest of the code, you can declare your own exceptions, and you should just raise your own exception and the block will abort.
Hth
Sybrand Bakker
Senior Oracle DBA