How to see your Oracle text output in something other than the browser!

Updated November 8, 2013 – I have verified this on Windows 7 Enterprise Edition.

Have you ever wanted to see your Oracle output or log files open in your custom text editor instead of an IE window? I use Notepad++ (FREE) for text editing. Every time I open an output file or log file which is text it opens in IE.

This is undesirable for a couple of reasons: (I’m sure you can name more)

1. This means I have SEVERAL IE (Internet Explorer) windows open for each log I am viewing.
2. I cannot use the advanced features of my desktop application, I’m stuck with CTRL+F in IE, etc.

If you are in my boat, I have the cure for your woes.

Click Start -> Run -> then type “regedit” in the run box and press {ENTER}

You may be prompted to allow access to the application. Click “Yes,” if so.

Navigate to the object HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.txt\Content Type. It should have a value of ‘text/plain’. Go ahead and DELETE this object.

Now when you open text files in your browser, including when you click View Log or View Output from the Oracle Concurrent Request screen, text files open properly in your default OS application for text as long as you are using the Viewer: Text profile option set to “Browser” in your site.

Whatever your preferred text editor is, Notepad++, Ultraedit, Textpad, you can use it to view logs, compare files quickly and save them easily in a tabbed application.