Oracle SQL*Plus: The Definitive Guide, 2nd Edition

Name

SET HEADSEP

Synopsis

The HEADSEP setting changes the character used when defining a two-line column heading.

Syntax

SET HEADS[EP] heading_separator

Parameters

SET HEADS[EP]

Is the command, which may be abbreviated SET HEADS.

heading_separator

Is the new heading separator character, which may be used in subsequent COLUMN commands to mark line breaks in multiline column headings.

Examples

Normally, the heading separator is a vertical bar and marks the place in a column's heading where you want a line break to occur. The following example shows a two-line heading being defined:

SQL> COLUMN dummy FORMAT A10 HEADING 'Line 1 | Line 2'
SQL> SELECT * FROM dual;
Line 1
Line 2
----------
X

The vertical bar in the column's heading text was replaced by a line break when the column heading was printed. If you need to use the vertical bar as part of a column heading, use SET HEADSEP to choose some other character to act as the line break marker.

Tip

The line break in a heading is set when you first define that heading using the COLUMN command. Subsequently changing the heading separator character doesn't affect column headings you have defined.