A simple trick for “Block Comment” syntax in SSMS

• trboyden

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  July 10, 2015 at 8:51 am

  #1811636

  Phil Parkin (7/10/2015)

  OK, I roundly disagree with your absolute statement:

  "Thus advocating the approach is improper."

  Here is a part of a setup script I wrote recently. I developed it on one environment, then moved to QA, Prod etc.

  --Verifications Framework

  -------------------------

  --Author:Phil Parkin

  --Created:2015-06-03

  --Script to be run on the ETL server

  --*** Initial set-up only. Do not run when the live tables have been populated – the data would be deleted ***

  --Config database

  --__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  /*

  --#region Create the SSISConnStringVariable table

  use Config;

  go

  if object_id('cfg.SSISConnStringVariable', 'U') is not null

  drop table cfg.SSISConnStringVariable;

  create table cfg.SSISConnStringVariable

  (

  SSISConnStringVariableNameId int identity(1, 1)

  not null

  ,SSISConnStringVariableName sysname not null

  ,SSISEnvironmentName sysname not null

  ,constraint PK_SSISConnStringVariable primary key clustered (SSISConnStringVariableNameId asc)

  );

  create unique index ix_SSISConnStringVariableName on cfg.SSISConnStringVariable(SSISConnStringVariableName);

  --*/

  --#endregion Create the SSISConnStringVariable table

  --__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

  On my system, with SSMSBoost (which supports collapsible regions) installed, I see this as follows:

  

  So, when I am running the script in QA, for example, all I have to do is comment out the first /* to make this block 'active'.

  Why is this such bad practice?

  As opposed to simply setting a sentinel variable and having an IF statement that only runs that section of code if the sentinel value is true? I.e. IsInitialConfig = True/False

  Or better yet, create/use an SSIS "install" package that is set only to do the initial config stuff on the first run.

  Don't even get me started on using CLR code in T-SQL work...

• Tim Moss

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  July 10, 2015 at 9:24 am

  #1811654

  Something similar can be done in PowerShell

  Compare:

  <# header

  # comment

  Write-Host "uncommented"

  #>

  Write-Host "outside of comment"

  with

  #<# header

  # comment

  Write-Host "uncommented"

  #>

  Write-Host "outside of comment"

• GoofyGuy

  SSCertifiable

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  July 10, 2015 at 9:42 am

  #1811662

  No comment.

  

• aroggeband-815867

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  July 10, 2015 at 10:31 am

  #1811681

  I begin the block with [font="Courier New"]/*Dbg [/font]for debug code and [font="Courier New"]/*Rls[/font] for release code. That way I can search and replace [font="Courier New"]--/*Dbg [/font]with [font="Courier New"]/*Dbg [/font]to disable all the debug code at once and vice versa to enable.

• Tim Moss

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  July 10, 2015 at 10:49 am

  #1811684

  GoofyGuy (7/10/2015)

  ---

  No comment.

  

  #<#

  # no comment ;-)

  Write-Host "no comment"

  #>

• cbernabeu

  Grasshopper

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  July 13, 2015 at 3:01 am

  #1811882

  Thank you! great idea and very usefull

• RossRoss

  SSCommitted

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  July 13, 2015 at 3:21 am

  #1811887

  Thanks for the interesting post.

  Genuine question to someone who uses this method frequently (without trying to sound argumentative):

  Do you find this more useful than just highlighting the block and clicking the line comment/uncomment button? Or highlighting the block and pressing CTRL-K + CTRL-C or CTRL-K + CTRL-U?

• Phil Parkin

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  July 13, 2015 at 4:25 am

  #1811904

  Ross.M (7/13/2015)

  ---

  Thanks for the interesting post.

  Genuine question to someone who uses this method frequently (without trying to sound argumentative):

  Do you find this more useful than just highlighting the block and clicking the line comment/uncomment button? Or highlighting the block and pressing CTRL-K + CTRL-C or CTRL-K + CTRL-U?

  Yes indeed.

  Imagine this:

  --DELETE X

  --From X

  --Where Id = 12

  If you are working quickly, it is so very easy to miss the third line when selecting ... After pressing F5, the immediate sinking feeling is not good at all.

  ---

• akljfhnlaflkj

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  July 13, 2015 at 7:29 am

  #1811963

  I've accidentally left debug code in, only to have it discovered after it went to production (they can't test everything).

• September 2, 2020 at 9:02 pm

  This was removed by the editor as SPAM