Is this code actually unreachable?
PL/SQL User’s Guide and Reference (10.2): “4 Using PL/SQL Control Structures – Using the NULL Statement”
“…Note that the use of the NULL statement might raise an unreachable code warning if warnings are enabled.”
Example 4-23 Using NULL as a Placeholder When Creating a Subprogram
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE award_bonus (emp_id NUMBER, bonus NUMBER) AS
BEGIN — executable part starts here
NULL; — use NULL as placeholder, raises “unreachable code” if warnings enabled
END award_bonus;
/
Indeed, when I compile the above in 10.2 with PL/SQL warnings on, I get PLW-06002 as expected (due to bug 3680132 I get “Message 6002 not found; No message file for product=plsql, facility=PLW” but at least I can look it up in the reference).
“PLW-06002: Unreachable code”
“Cause: Static program analysis determined that some code on the specified line would never be reached during execution.”
I agree that a PL/SQL warning would be desirable in the case where a procedure has nothing but a NULL in it (probably a stub). Correct me if I’m wrong, but if I were to call award_bonus, surely the NULL is “executed” – therefore, it is reachable! A more appropriate warning would be something like “function/procedure does nothing”, or “get back to work you silly mug, you’ve forgotten to finish the code”. Maybe they just couldn’t be bothered making up another warning code.
About Jeffrey Kemp
Application Designer & Developer at Oracle specialising in Oracle APEX (Application Express), Oracle SQL and PL/SQL. Oracle ACE Alumni ♠️. Piano player, father, husband, Christian. The views expressed on this blog are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Oracle.