Method R Trace has two components: an Oracle SQL Developer extension, and a small set of Oracle Database objects. Here are the instructions for installing both.
Installing the SQL Developer Extension
Method R Trace is an Oracle SQL Developer extension. To install Method R Trace:
- Obtain a license key from our trial license key request form or our online store.
- Open Oracle SQL Developer.
- Click Help › Check for Updates…
- Select Search Update Centers.
- Click Add…
- Use the following values:
- Name: Method R Trace
- Location: https://method-r.com/distro/mrtrace-sqldev.xml
- Follow SQL Developer’s remaining instructions.
- Enter your license key in the panel.
If you prefer to use the SQL Developer Install From Local File(s) feature, you can download the distribution file yourself from our downloads page.
Setting Up Oracle
Method R Trace requires some Oracle Database privileges and components to trace your scripts and fetch your files for you. When Method R Trace needs privileges for a database connection, it will pop up a dialog box showing you what it needs. If you are your own DBA, then all you need to do is enter a password, and you’re on your way. If your DBA is someone else, we’ve made it easy to send a copy of the script to your DBA for review and execution. You can see this script in Preferences › Method R Trace › Installation Script.
Using Method R Trace
Once you’ve installed Method R Trace, select View › Trace File Downloads to see the Method R Trace panel. Your SQL Developer application should look something like this. You can dock your new Method R Trace panel anywhere you like:
Now you’re ready to roll.
- Check the Method R Trace toolbar. As long as the indicator lamp is green, Method R Trace is enabled and ready to go. Clicking the indicator toggles the lamp. To the right of the indicator lamp is the Change download directory button. Click that if you want your next trace file to be downloaded to a different directory than the one named in the status panel.
- Click the Run Script button to execute and trace the code on your worksheet. Your trace file will appear automatically in your file system, right in the directory you chose for it. The panel shows the status of your most recent download.
Method R Trace is a zero-click trace file collector. Once you enable it and set your download directory, the only button you’ll click—Run Script—is a button you’d have clicked anyway. The net effect: a precisely scoped trace file, right where you want it, with zero extra effort.
To open the download directory or a trace file directly from the Method R Trace panel, just click its name. This is a handy way to open your file system manager to your working trace file directory, or to examine a trace file in your favorite editor.
You can move your Method R Trace panel or even hide it. Use View › Method R Trace to reveal it if it’s hidden.
Note that the Run Statement button (the bare green triangle) does not trigger the trace file creation. …Well, actually, sometimes it does, but the reasons are subtle, so it’s easier to remember: use Run Script, not Run Statement.
Uninstalling
To uninstall the Method R Trace Oracle Database components, use the SQL statements provided at the tail of the installation script listed at Preferences › Method R Trace › Installation Script.
To stop Oracle SQL Developer from loading the Method R Trace extension, use Tools › Features… › Installed Updates.
To delete the Method R Trace extension from your computer, delete the following files, where $HOME represents your home directory, and $SQLDEV represents the Oracle SQL Developer installation directory:
- $HOME/.method-r/mrtrace
- $SQLDEV/sqldeveloper/sqldeveloper/extensions/com.methodr.trace.sqldevext
- $SQLDEV/sqldeveloper/sqldeveloper/extensions/com.methodr.trace.sqldevext.jar