Can you set the output configuration at Query time?

Question

Is there a TSQL statement to configure the output to be Text-Column aligned?

I want to use SQL templates for my coworkers to run some templated UPDATE before/after statements. But when they run the query it needs to output to text and Column delimited

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So contrived example say I have this query:

USE master
GO
SELECT *
FROM sys.dm_os_ring_buffers AS dorb
WHERE dorb.timestamp = N'<time, bigint, NULL>'

Is there a some SET statement to configure the output to be Text-Column aligned? This is only for these specific queries otherwise my coworker would want their default settings which is grid. I also can't rely on them to know to change it and that is important because unlike my contrived example they are print commands of sql update before/after statements.

Thus far I think my best bet would be to create a SSMS Add-in but I REALLY do not want to spend time doing that!

Answer 1

No, there is no programmatic way (outside of what you suggested: writing a custom SSMS plug-in) to control SSMS (for the most part). Like most commands, SET commands are executed by SQL Server. The only control you could have locally is a subset of the SQLCMD commands -- :r, :setvar, :connect, and so on -- but none of those allow for configuring the UI / SSMS.

BUT, all hope might not be lost yet. Since you are giving your coworkers T-SQL templates to copy and paste and fill out, and since there are already short-cut keys to toggle between "Results to Grid" and "Results to Text", just add in a few helpful comments to direct them on how to execute the script. Something along the lines of:

/* INSTRUCTIONS:
1) Control-Shift-M (to fill out parameter values)
2) Control-T (for Results To Text)
3) Control-E (or F5) (to execute query)
4) Control-D (for Results to Grid)
*/