oracle pl/sql input error

Question

Code:

DECLARE
 N NUMBER :=&N;
BEGIN
 DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(N);
END;

Error:

ORA-06550: line 2, column 12: PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol "&" when expecting one of the following:

( - + case mod new not null continue avg count current exists max min prior sql stddev sum variance execute forall merge time timestamp interval date pipe

Answer 1

You need to do:

SET DEFINE ON

I think you are using GUI client like SQL Developer, and you do not have define on. & is used for a substitution variable.

In SQL Developer:

SET serveroutput ON
SET define OFF
DECLARE
  N NUMBER :=&N;
BEGIN
  DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(N);
END;
/

Error starting at line : 8 in command -
DECLARE
  N NUMBER :=&N;
BEGIN
  DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(N);
END;
Error report -
ORA-06550: line 2, column 14:
PLS-00103: Encountered the symbol "&" when expecting one of the following:

   ( - + case mod new not null <an identifier>
   <a double-quoted delimited-identifier> <a bind variable>
   continue avg count current exists max min prior sql stddev
   sum variance execute forall merge time timestamp interval
   date <a string literal with character set specification>
   <a number> <a single-quoted SQL string> pipe
   <an alternatively-quoted string literal with character set specification>
   <an alternatively
06550. 00000 -  "line %s, column %s:\n%s"
*Cause:    Usually a PL/SQL compilation error.
*Action:

Set define on, and try again:

SQL> SET serveroutput ON
SQL> SET DEFINE ON
SQL> DECLARE
  2    N NUMBER :=&N;
  3  BEGIN
  4    DBMS_OUTPUT.PUT_LINE(N);
  5  END;
  6  /
Enter value for n: 10
old   2:   N NUMBER :=&N;
new   2:   N NUMBER :=10;
10

PL/SQL procedure successfully completed.

SQL>