Newbie: how to launch query, located in a part of a file

Question

When I put a query in a file, I can run the query using the filename, as follows:
file content:
===
select whatever from where-ever where however;
exit;
===
Command:
sqlplus username/password@databasename @filename
I would like to put a list of queries within one file and run only one of them as I please, as follows:
file content:
===
first_query:
select first from first_table where first_condition;
exit;
second_query:
select second from second_table where second_condition;
exit;
===
Commands:
sqlplus username/password@databasename @filename->first_query
sqlplus username/password@databasename @filename->second_query
Does anybody know whether this is possible and how?
Thanks
Dominique

Answer 1

You would have to pass a command line parameter and have it somehow conditionally execute one part based on the value of the parameter. SQL*Plus does not provide a built-in way of doing this but with some ingenuity there is probably a workaround.
Why would you not use a proper programming language though?