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ThatJeffSmith
In SQL Developer

SQL Developer Quick Hit: Zebra Pattern Data Grids

1 Min Read

Here is a 2 second tweak that I recommend for all users of Oracle SQL Developer.

Open Tools – Preferences

    Database –

      Worksheet –

        ‘Grid in checkerboard or Zebra pattern’ – toggle ON
Grid option for alternating backgrounds

Now run a query in the worksheet or open a table in the browser

Grids in SQL Developer with the 'zebra option'

If you’re going to be staring at data for hours on end, give your eyes a break and mix it up a bit!

thatjeffsmith
Author

I'm a Distinguished Product Manager at Oracle. My mission is to help you and your company be more efficient with our database tools.

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17 Comments

  1. Rich Reply

    Jeff,

    Any updates on being able to change the zebra colors? Is there any way to ‘hack’ SQL Developer to get different colors… Clients are asking, and now, of course, SQL Developer Web is out, so you’ve met your “Cloud comes first” goal…

  2. Michael Reply

    He Jeff,
    Any news on the zebra colors ?
    We are now 6 years later ….
    Any idea when this is planned ?

    rgrds Mike

    • thatjeffsmith
      thatjeffsmith Post Author

      It’s a nice to have and that this point, we have lots of ‘must have’ features to build first.

  3. Sun Reply

    Hi,
    “Oracle SQL Developer” has been a nightmare for me. Is there any option which produces the result in “Grid” of the Query result?

    For some reason, I don’t see any output in the grid rather there is a message which states “Executing…” followed by the SQL statement.

    • thatjeffsmith
      thatjeffsmith Post Author

      Sounds like something is up, maybe a bad ‘install.’

      Do the same queries work using F5?

  4. Martin Berger Reply

    For those who want to tweak around until SQLDev is broken (or want to sync their config between different machines) I found the proper config-file in ~/.sqldeveloper/system3.1.05.97/o.sqldeveloper.11.2.0.5.97/product-preferences.xml (the numbers might differ a little bit depending on the particular version).
    The Zebra is mentioned there in this section:

       <hash n="DBConfig">
          <value n="DEFAULTPATH" v=""/>
          <hash n="EXTENSION"/>
          <value n="GLOGIN" v="true"/>
          <value n="INDENT_CACHE_NUMBER" v="2"/>
          <value n="INDENT_CACHE_USE_TAB" v="false"/>
          <list n="TPDRIVER"/>
          <value n="ZEBRA_ROWS" v="true"/>
       </hash>

  5. joel garry Reply

    Someone should suggest this to the 11.2 docs master books list…

    • JeffS
      JeffS Post Author

      I can work on that, but what exactly do you think should be included, just this tip for SQLDev?

  6. Gregory Liss Reply

    Only “checker board or zebra”…very uninspiring. If only the grid was totally customizable with many styles already available at your fingertips.

    • JeffS
      JeffS Post Author

      90% of those styles are junk. But yeah, I’d like to see a few templates to choose from.

    • Gregory Liss

      How about being able to customize it any way you’d like. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

    • JeffS
      JeffS Post Author

      Grid enhancements are under consideration. Feel free to submit any particular ideas to the Exchange.

    • Chris99

      Any news on this Jeff? The current zebra colours are too strong.

    • Brian Rollins

      It’s been a year. Can we get an update on grid customization? I really like how customizable most of the UI is. It’s surprising that this hasn’t been provided yet.

    • thatjeffsmith
      thatjeffsmith Post Author

      It’s about priorities. Cloud is first. Then everything else. It’s on my list. We’re starting to make progress on v4.2 stuff. I’ll see if I can sneak this in.

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