That kind of code knitting is disgusting and detrimental to the company which uses it. Tools like sqlplus or bash are not meant for very smart programming and scripting. Yes, one can make a shell scrip and a .SQL file do things like you described, but it's ugly, tricky and platform dependent. Problems like the one you described should be solved with a general purpose scripting language like Perl or PHP. Some perverts are even using something called "Python" but that's very exotic and funky stuff, illegal in some states. In other words, shell and SQL*Plus programming, when applied to complex problem is not only bad spaghetti code but also a counterproductive mess which is hard to maintain, debug or support. Scripting should be done in scripting languages, that is why Larry Wall has given them to us. _____ From: oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:oracle-l-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of David Moss Sent: Friday, December 15, 2006 5:00 PM To: David Moss; oracle-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: (RE: Use of host command from scripted SQL)++ Hi all Firstt of all, I just wanted to thank you all for your help. On a sidenote, does anyone know if you can stop the execution of a script called using @ or @@ conditionally? This has to be outside of a procedure as I'm using ACCEPT and the like. Halting the sqlplus process is not an option either. I'm trying to get a recursive script to work. Think of something like ------some-file.sql-------- SOME CODE ACCEPT some_var PROMPT 'Give me input> '; IF some_var = '' THEN -- I know this doesn't exist COOL CODE TTHAT STOPS SCRIPT END IF PRINT some_var MORE CODE @@some-file.sql -------/some-file.sql-------- David. This message is confidential and is intended for the addressee only; unless clearly stated that this disclaimer should not apply, this e-mail is not intended to create legally binding commitments on behalf of FDM Group Plc, nor do its contents reflect the corporate views or policies of FDM. Any unauthorised disclosure, use or dissemination, either whole or partial, is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient of the message, please notify the sender immediately. ____________________________________________________________ ____________ This e-mail has been scanned for all viruses by Star Internet. The service is powered by MessageLabs. For more information on a proactive anti-virus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit: http://www.star.net.uk ____________________________________________________________ ____________