This question comes up very frequently:
Why can’t I see my compilation errors when I’m working with PL/SQL?
Because you are either:
- using the wrong editor, or
- not asking to see the errors
SQL Developer is the PL/SQL IDE for the database. So we obviously need to have those ‘fancy’ IDE features like a debugger, compilation message support, profiling, bookmarks, etc.
We provide this with the Procedure Editor.
![Click on the error message, we'll move the cursor to the appropriate line number and cursor position.](https://www.thatjeffsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/cursor_errors.png)
You invoke a procedure editor whenever you ask to create a new PL/SQL object, open an existing PL/SQL object from the connection tree, or open a file type associated with the procedure editor (pls, pks, pkb.)
If you insist on using the SQL Worksheet – think of it as a free-form scratchpad that you can send anything you want to Oracle…then you can still see your errors. You just have to ask for them.
![Ta-da! But you can't click on them to navigate.](https://www.thatjeffsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/show_errors5.png)
We do let you click on scripting errors in the Worksheet…
We added this feature for version 4.0, and it’s just for SQL stuff, not PL/SQL. Check it out.
![See error, click error, goto error](https://www.thatjeffsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/hyperlinked_error.gif)