Chapter 10. Extending SQL Developer

Oracle SQL Developer is written using a Java framework, provided by Oracle JDeveloper. This underlying integrated development environment is commonly referred to as the JDeveloper IDE, or more recently, the Fusion Client Platform (FCP). The framework provides the underlying structure onto which developers of both Oracle JDeveloper and Oracle SQL Developer add their features. This framework is extensible and is available to development engineers and end users to add functionality. The nature of these extensions can range from including a single XML report, to adding complex Java extensions bundled as JAR files. In this chapter, we'll look at the range of support available for adding XML extensions, a task that is easily within the reach of any database developer with SQL and PL/SQL skills. While it is considered beyond the scope of the book to include information on building a Java extension, we will discuss working with existing Java extensions...