Piper News

Piper Release Notes

The following are brief release notes or recent items of interest

6-Jul-2004 Piper: Version 3.63 Maintenance Release >> The "Describe" command (short form: desc) was failing in some scenarios. Fixed.
27-May-2004 Piper: Version 3.62 Maintenance Release >> Some important bug fixes to crash scenarios. and performance improvements to the name completion feature.. please see previous releases for more info.
5-May-2004 Piper: Version 3.60 Maintenance Release >> The object-name-completion feature, introduced in the last two release notes, has now been refined and improved. It performs better for schema-wide searches. Most importantly, it is now activated by the Tab key on your keyboard (this is intended to be reminiscent of the file name completion feature in Linux's Bash Shell). It is also activated by the Period (.) key. To get a genuine Tab character into your command, you must now press Ctrl-T. >> There is now a facility to adjust the tab settings in your Command Area. Use the menu option View->Command Areas Settings->Tab Stops Width. The units are in an absolute distance measurement, not a character count, because the window is a Rich Edit Control. This setting is saved with your document.
8-Apr-2004 Piper: Version 3.58 New Features >> This release extends the capabilities of the Context Menu key (see last release). Now supported is the scenario "otherschema.object.". This means that you can press the Context key (or click the right mouse button) for many different object names in the namespace. >> Note.. if you have already typed a period ('.'), then the context request will attempt to search the schema for component names that can validly follow it. If you have not typed the period yet, the context request will list valid names that would complete the name you have started typing.
4-Apr-2004 Piper: Version 3.57 new Features >> There is now more consistent support for the F7 and shift-F7 keys.. these move the focus to the next and previous windows respectively. >> There is now introductory Intellisense-style support for object name hints.. when you are in the SQL Command Area, and you type part of a schema object (table, package, etc) or part of a table.column expression, try either pressing the "Context Menu" meta key (that's the key on your keyboard that makes popup menus appear in Windows applications) or if you can't find that key, try clicking the right mouse button. A list of valid names will appear allowing you to complete the object name you are entering. Try this before and after you type the period (eg. the period in emp.ename), to see how the behaviour changes accordingly. The Catalog Browser will be automatically populated with the object you have chosen, and possibly with other objects as well. >> As usual, any feedback from our loyal users on this important new feature is welcomed.
3-Nov-2003 Piper: Version 3.52 new Features and Maintenance Release >> Piper's CLOB handling features have now been extended to support LONGS. This means you can select from tables or views that contain LONG columns of arbitrary length, and you can then double-click on any LONG cell and get the entire contents displayed in the browser area. You may not have LONGS in your application design, but there are quite a few of them in Oracle's catalog tables, such as user_views. As with CLOBs, use the special CLOB display toolbar to choose XML, HTML, or Text rendering of your LONG data. >> The familiar Windows Edit-Undo capability is now available in the SQL Command Area. As with Notepad and Word, you can undo Editing action with use Ctrl-Z (or Alt-Backspace) and you can redo edit actions with Ctrl-Y. These commands are also callable from the Edit Menu. >> In the SQL Command area, the sql text was jump-scrolling to the top of the buffer when editing large blocks of text. Fixed. >> The syntax highlighting was not restoring for lines following comments starting with the comment token double-dash ('--'). Fixed.
3-Jul-2003 Piper: Version 3.50 Maintenance Release >> In the SQL command window, when only a selection is highlighted, only that portion is executed as an SQL statement and the rest of the command area is ignored. This feature had been broken in a recent release (by Microsoft, not me) and is now fixed. A warning now appears in the log window if a selection is active at the time you invoke your command. >> Syntax coloring was broken for lines beginning with -- (i.e. rest-of-line comments). Once again, a consequence of Microsoft "improvements". Now fixed. >> If you refer to new Bind variables in your SQL command, Piper will now automatically instantiate the Bind var and give it a null value, in an attempt to run your statement. One consequence of this is that your statement, having run without a hard error, will now be saved in the SQL history list. >> Piper now uses a SQL*Net array pre-fetch of 10 rows rather than 2. We may ultimately parameterize this value.. please send any feedback on performance impact, good or bad.
13-May-2003 Piper: Version 3.48 New Features and Maintenance Release >> Toolbar buttons for Commit and Rollback at last! The new toolbar images are a Heart (for Commit.. you love it) and a Club (for Rollback.. you want to hit it on the head). These buttons (and their corresponding new SQL-menu items) will be automatically enabled when a transaction has been started. Currently, for long rollback operations, no feedback at the start of the operation is supplied in the log window. >> If you close a document or exit Piper or disconnect, while an Oracle transaction is open, you will be prompted to either commit or rollback first. Previous versions of Piper automatically committed work at close or disconnect time. >> The SQL History list now accumulates additional statistics for saved statements, and shows those statistics as extra columns alongside the saved statement: Length of statement in bytes, Execution time in milliseconds, Number of rows returned, and timestamp at last execution. These statistics are saved with the document. >> Entries in the SQL History list can now be sorted by any of its fields by clicking on the column header. An additional click will reverse-sort the entries. Entries for which no statistics have yet been accumulated, will sort in their original load order. To revert the whole list to the original load order, a new toolbar button and menu option in the Session Group are available. >> A crash was occuring, soon after connection, when the server-generated version identification string was unusually long. Fixed. >> In the Catalog Browser, the Edit button was generating incorrect syntax for Public Synonyms. Fixed. >> The keyboard commands Ctrl-[ and Ctrl-], which move to the previous and next entries in the SQL History list regardless of window focus, had been disabled in a previous maintenance release. Now available again. >> Various minor low-level bug fixes in this release. If something was not right, try it again. If it's still not right, please tell us about it. >> Piper is now built as a Microsoft Installer (.msi) file. However, it still can be deployed as a stand-alone .exe .
24-Dec-2002 Piper: Version 3.38 New Features >> WARNING.. SQLPlus support is ONLY for Oracle client-side releases 9.0 or higher! We use SQLPlus's latest HTML support features and they are unrecognised in 8.1.7 or older clients! >> Piper can now pass commands directly to SQLPlus. This can be useful in many cases. You must have SQLPlus installed on your workstation. Just prefix your command with 'plus' or 'sqlplus' or '+'. A SQLPlus session will be opened and maintained for you for the duration of the current connection. Output will appear in Piper's HTML Browser Window. Any HTML formatting here is done by the SQLPlus HTML output support feature. REMEMBER that for SQLPlus to actually run a simple SQL Statement, you should suffix it with a semi-colon, also in this and other cases the 'run' command or just a slash on a line by itself will cause the contents of the SQL Buffer to be executed. >> New toolbar buttons are available to force Piper's default SQL statement execution into using SQlPlus versus using Piper's usual mode. >> A new menu option 'View->SQLPlus settings' is available which lets you set the starting directory for SQLPlus sessions, and lets you set an option to automatically append a trailing semi-colon to each sql*plus command. >> Multiple selections in the SQL History list were causing multiple screen drawing work in the command area. Fixed.
18-Sep-2002 Piper: Version 3.35 New Features and Bug Fixes Syntax Coloring is here! >> Piper now colors text in the command window according to PL/SQL and SQL syntax rules. You can adjust the settings by clicking View->Command Area Settings->Syntax Colors (there's also a new Toolbar button for this). Your colour preferences will be saved with the Piper Document. You can also save the current settings as the System-wide default, to be applied to all New Piper Documents and to documents saved with earlier versions of Piper. In order to avoid conflicts, non-default background colors saved with earlier Piper versions are filtered out. >> The Catalog Browser was not being re-initialised when the current connection was changed using the command-line 'Connect' command. Fixed. >> When adding a new Bind Variable from the dialog in the Binds Window, a check was not being done to ensure that it did not already exist. Fixed. >> The "Describe" command-line command did not work for some catalog views, eg. USER_TABLES. Fixed.
4-Sep-2002 Piper: Version 3.33 New Features and Fixes New Features >> New Shortcut keystrokes: Ctrl-[ and Ctrl-] will move to the previous and next entries in the SQL Command History regardless of which window currently has the focus. >> New Menu Option File->New Window; Shortcut keystroke Ctrl-W.. this will open a new, additional, Piper Window on the current document. The current window is left unaltered except that a File Save operation is forced prior to the new window being opened. >> The Use External Editor option (invoked via Ctrl-E, Menu Edit->External Editor, or toolbar) now uses the clipboard to paste data to "Lemmy" (the external editor) much faster than before. >> Clipboard operations into the command window (ie. cut-and-paste operations) now paste using CF_TEXT format, ie. they maintain the chosen font and colour of the target window. This will eliminate the problem where a paste into the command window can deliver text in an unsuitable colour. >> Fixed a crash occuring if user clicks on the 'Loading..' line of the Catalog Browser. >> The "Describe" command now allows you to describe Public Views. eg. desc v$database. Note that you must have select permissions on the object being described.
20-Aug-2002 Piper: Version 3.32 Maintenance Release Fixes to V3.31 Crash Scenarios >> The Bind Variables strategy change from V3.31 was flawed in that there was no longer a check for duplicate bind var names, leading to duplication in the Bind Var pool. This is now fixed. Old Piper Documents will now have this problem cleaned out at load time. >> Bind variable names are now limited to 30 characters to avoid a fatal Oracle crash at Bind time. >> A serious bug (with initial values of the new Docking State registry flags) affecting first-time users of Piper was causing a fatal crash. Fixed. >> It was not possible to set the default background picture for New Documents. It now is, via a new View->Picture menu option.
29-Jul-2002 Piper: Version 3.31 New Features and Fixes Support for EXPLAIN PLAN >> There is now a new Toolbar Icon and a Menu Item to run 'Explain Plan' on the currently highlighted sql command. The Explain-Plan target table will be created if necessary. You can use a View option to change the name of the Explain-Plan target table. >> Fixed crash that was occuring unpredictably at sql statement execution when bind variables with invalid names were present. This condition arose when a statement such as 'select count(), xxx, yyy ..' was executed, causing Piper to automatically define a bind variable named 'count()'. Sometimes, on subsequent statements (even in a later session using the same saved Piper document), the attempt to bind such a variable name was causing an Oracle crash. Thus this bug affected users who were not even knowingly using the Bind Variables feature. From this release, bind var names will have invalid characters converted to underscores.
28-Jul-2002 Piper: Version 3.30 New Features Dockable Diaglog Boxes >> The Bind Variables dialog box and the Catalog Browser dialog box are now dockable.. they can be placed into the currently active Piper region. A Tab-Control will be automatically generated in order to accommodate them when needed. The boxes can be undocked again at any time.
17-May-2002 Piper: Version 3.28 New Features Null and Empty Strings >> A new menu option, View->Null&EmptyData, lets you set two strings that are to appear in the Output Window for null values and empty clobs respectively.
11-May-2002 Piper: Version 3.27 New Features CLOB fix, focus indicator >> The current window (the one with the focus) will now be automatically flagged by a thin red border. >> BUG FIX: The "File Busy" message during CLOB processing, for large CLOBS, now fixed.
06-May-2002 Piper: Version 3.26 Maintenance Release CLOB fix >> From this release, at "Go" ( execute command), only the currently highlighted (selected) portion of the command will be executed. >> BUG: A "File Busy" message appears during CLOB processing, for large CLOBS. Bug rectified in next release.
01-May-2002 Piper: Version 3.25 Maintenance Release Splitter Layout Refinements >> BUG FIX: Under some circumstances Windows refuses to create the local temporary file corresponding to a CLOB. The error handling here has been improved and the Windows error reason will now be reported. >> When data is produced but the data window is entirely hidden, a small region of it will be automatically made visible. >> When browser output is produced but the browser window is entirely hidden, a small region of it will be automatically made visible. >> In order to improve visibility in the browser window, the Bind Variable window no longer comes up automatically when double-clicking on a CLOB. It will still appear if you double-click elsewhere on a row. >> BUG FIX: After clicking OK in the SQL Iteration Window, the command area will now correctly display the sql statement that was editable in that window.
29-Apr-2002 Piper: Version 3.24 Fixes and New Features CLOB Viewer >> View CLOBS as XML! If you have the HTML Output option turned on, and if you double-click on a CLOB that has been returned from a query, the entire CLOB will be read from the database and presented in the Browser window as XML! This is a great new fetaure for those who store serialised XML documents in CLOBs. >> CLOBs can be viewed as either HTML, XML, or TEXT as chosen by pressing the appropriate button in the new CLOB toolbar. These options are also available via the menu option View->Clob. >> Each CLOB you have chosen to view in its entirity (by double-clicking on a cell in the output area) is available as a file called Piper_Clob_r_c. in your system temporary directory, where and are the row/col numbers of the cell you clicked, and is either htm, xml or txt depending on the CLOB view format you have chosen. >> Improved Handling of RAW data type (eg. as seen in select * from v$session) >> BUG FIX: After a no-data-found query, the bind variables correspondening to the parameters of that query were being emptied. This was incorrect behaviour.. they now retain their values from before the query. Note however that if the query was successful, these bind variables are updated from the last row of data received. >> BUG FIX: In the Bind Variables window, When "Sort" is chosen to order the list, the bind variable name and value fields were not consistent with the currently selection. This is now fixed. >> BUG FIX: Fixed Access Exception that occured in some cases when the Bind Variables Window was visible during execution of a query.
9-Apr-2002 Piper: Version 3.22 Maintenance Release Creeping Whitespace >> Complete fix (at last!) to whitespace creep problem (Windows 2000 only). Double-clicking on a SQL command in the History list will now re-invoke that command and leave it in its place without re-enlisting it. >> Fixed headings in HTML Help >> BUG: in the Bind Variables window, when "From Latest Row Only" is selected, the displayed fields "name" and "value" are not consistent with the currently highlighted variable in the list. To workaround, only modify Bind Variables while "Show Entire Pool" is selected. >> BUG: After you call up the SQL Iteration Rules Dialog Box, and click 'OK', the main sql command area should receive the current command again but it remains blank ( it was blanked out when you first opened the Iteration Rules Box, because it appears in there). Don't panic.. the statement is still available if you click "Go" to run it or if you show the Iteration Rules Box again. This behaviour will be corrected.
4-Apr-2002 Piper: Version 3.21 New Features Oracle HTP Preview >> New HTML Output facility.. allows preview of HTP-style output. See Help. >> New feature in Bind Variables window: show values from latest row only or from entire pool >> Partial fix to whitespace creep problem (Windows 2000 only). LATE NEWS.. complete fix in V3.22, now out. >> Fixed problem with connection detail being removed from Connection Manager after disconnect >> PL/SQL compiles: when errors, all errors are shown in the log area and the first one is highlighted >> New 'show errors' command >> Corrected bug with string termination when showing LONGS >> Corrected bug with 'Keep current connection: Yes' >> Enhanced help including new Window layout discussion
16-Mar-2002 Piper: Version 3.18 New Features Oracle Help >> The Help subsystem is finally available, not that you ever needed it. Just press F1 or choose Help from the Menu. >> The minimum files you need to run Piper are now two in number, the Piper.exe executable and Piper.chm, the compiled help file. Piper.chm is only delivered with the full Piper Setup which is available on the download page.
13-Mar-2002 Piper: Version 3.17 New Features SQL History PL/SQL Bind Variables >> Invalid sql statements are no longer added to the History area. >> A new button is available to force the text in the command window to be added to history. This can be used to save comments or incomplete statements. >> Statement-sensitive icons are now used in the History window. >> Better handling of no-internet-connection condition. >> Toolbars re-organised. >> Better support for Bind Variables 1: Log Area now reports which bind variables have been used, and shows their actual values. >> Better support for Bind Variables 2: New command 'Bind ' eg. 'bind deptno 20' defines or replaces a bind variable for immediate use. >> Better support for Bind Variables 3: Double-click on any data row now automatically loads all column values of that row into the pool of bind variables. Also automatically brings up the bindvar window. >> Better support for Bind Variables 4: Sort feature now available in Bind Variables Window.
17-Feb-2002 Piper: Version 3.13 New Features SQL*Net Connection Manager >> New Database Connection Manager via dockable toolbar window. Add entries using the original Connect dialog. Single click on any connection to force a disconnect of the current connection and connect to the new one.
8-Feb-2002 Piper: Version 3.08 New Features Oracle Source Edit >> Cleaner Oracle session management when opening a new document >> Source edit capability now extended to Triggers >> When searching for a string in the SQL command history, any hit is now shown immediately in the SQL Command Buffer >> On opening a new document, the command window will now always show the SQL statement that was current at last save >> Bad column names, and various other errors, will now be shown as highlighted text in the Command Window.