Hello Maryann, If you can find a copy of my SQL*Plus book, read the two chapters on scripting. There are some tricks you can play with SQL*Plus to get it to branch depending on whether a user response with Y or an N. You really can't prompt for input from PL/SQL. You attempt to do this below via &&Response, but it is actually SQL*Plus that prompts for that variable. The true sequence of events is: 1. SQL*Plus prompts for EMP_ID (the ACCEPT command) 2. SQL*Plus prompts for Response (because of &&Response) 3. SQL*Plus sends the PL/SQL block across the network to the database 4. The database executes the block. 5. DBMS_OUTPUT places "Employee ID entered is ..." into the output buffer 6. DBMS_OUTPUT places "Response is..." into the output buffer 7. PL/SQL block exection ends 8. SQL*Plus reads the buffer and displays the two lines generated by DBMS_OUTPUT. 9. You may not see any of the output generated by DBMS_OUTPUT, because it doesn't look like you execute SET SERVEROUTPUT ON. Maddening as it may seem, there's no way to see any of the output generated by DBMS_OUTPUT until the PL/SQL block ends. You might try something along these lines: ACCEPT Emp_ID Prompt 'Please Enter the Employee ID > ' ACCEPT Response Prompt 'Is &Emp_ID correct (y/n)?> ' @somefile_&Response Ok. The key here is to be sure you have two script files, one named somefile_y.sql, and the other named somefile_n.sql. The user's y/n response then determines which of those files is executed. I don't show it, but there are some things you can do to validate that y/n response, and make it case-insensitive, if those things are important to you. SQL*Plus isn't the world's most robust scripting tool. Best regards, Jonathan Gennick --- Brighten the corner where you are http://Gennick.com * 906.387.1698 * mailto:jonathan@xxxxxxxxxxx Join the Oracle-article list and receive one article on Oracle technologies per month by email. To join, visit http://four.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/oracle-article, or send email to Oracle-article-request@xxxxxxxxxxx and include the word "subscribe" in either the subject or body. Tuesday, February 17, 2004, 7:03:37 PM, Maryann Atkinson (maryann_30@xxxxxxxxx) wrote: MA> I am trying to write a pl/sql script that will prompt the user for an id, MA> and then somehow I need to re-prompt the user to verify that indeed MA> this is the correct id. MA> The one below seems like it should work, except because of buffer issue(I MA> guess) MA> I dont get to see the line that prompts the user if its correct. MA> Anyone has an idea how it can be improved? MA> thx MA> maa MA> SET VERIFY OFF MA> ACCEPT Emp_ID Prompt 'Please Enter the Employee ID > ' MA> DECLARE MA> Response VARCHAR2(1); MA> BEGIN MA> DBMS_Output.Put_Line('Employee ID entered is ' || &Emp_ID MA> || '. Is this correct?(Y/N)'); MA> Response := &&Response; MA> DBMS_Output.Put_Line('Response is ' || Response); MA> END; MA> / MA> ---------------------------------------------------------------- MA> Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com MA> ---------------------------------------------------------------- MA> To unsubscribe send email to: oracle-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx MA> put 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. MA> -- MA> Archives are at //www.freelists.org/archives/oracle-l/ MA> FAQ is at //www.freelists.org/help/fom-serve/cache/1.html MA> ----------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------- Please see the official ORACLE-L FAQ: http://www.orafaq.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe send email to: oracle-l-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx put 'unsubscribe' in the subject line. -- Archives are at //www.freelists.org/archives/oracle-l/ FAQ is at //www.freelists.org/help/fom-serve/cache/1.html -----------------------------------------------------------------