Keyboard Shortcuts in Oracle SQL

Developer
by thatjeffsmith on November 5, 2012 10 comments

The CTRL key, which stands for ConTRoLaw, the good ole days :)

What keyboard shortcuts should EVERY Oracle SQL Developer user know? How do
you find new shortcuts to master, and how do you change them to match ones youve
already learned in other tools?
These are the driving questions for todays post.
While some of us may be keyboard ninjas, and others are more driven to use the
mouse everyone has probably picked up a few strategic keyboard shortcuts over
the years. For example, Ive personally JUST memorized the Cmd-Shift-4 trick in
Mac OS X. And of course we all know what F1 does, right? Right?!?
Here are a few more keyboard shortcuts to commit to memory.

My Favorite SQL Developer Shortcuts

1.

ctrl-enter : executes the current statement(s)

2.

F5 : executes the current code as a script (think SQL*Plus)

3.

ctrl-space : invokes code insight on demand

Code Editor Completion Insight Enable Completion Auto-Popup (Keyword being

Auto)

4.

ctrl-Up/Dn : replaces worksheet with previous/next SQL from SQL History

5.

ctrl-shift+Up/Dn : same as above but appends instead of replaces

6.

shift+F4 : opens a Describe window for current object at cursor

7.

ctrl+F7 : format SQL

8.

ctrl+/ : toggles line commenting

9.

ctrl+e : incremental search

And New for Version 4.0

Alt+PageDown: Will take focus from worksheet edit area to results pane.
Alt+PageUp takes you back up in the opposite direction

Configuring Keyboard Shortcuts in SQL Developer

Tools > Preferences > Shortcut Keys

Search by command name OR the keystroke itself

Some tips

Sort by category

Pay special attention to the Code Editor and Other categories

Mind the conflicts when you change the defaults

Be nice share! You can save your new mappings with your co-workers using
the Export and Import buttons

Click on More Actions to expose the Import and Export buttons

When I get bored or if I think I might be missing something, I peruse the Code Editor
and Other categories, again! Ive picked up quite a few cool editor tricks here. Then I
blog about them, like theyre magic. #EvilLaugh
But the main tip is this dont let your previously memorized keyboard shortcuts
SHORTCUT your usage of SQL Developer. If your fingers have already memorized
some keystrokes, just re-program SQL Developer to match!