Yes, we are using sql plus.

if I do,

select * from userdetails; //this table has 2 rows

It first displays all the headings for 1 row. This takes up 2 lines. Then it displays the row. This also takes up another 2 lines with lots of blank spaces in between ( as many cols are null). Then it displays the second row (2 more lines) and THEN it displays the column names again (2 more lines). Can this be compacted and trimmed out ? like display the column names first in one line and the values for the columns in 1 line each ? Because, though I have set my column size to be varchar2 (30). The value in it is only 10 chars. Can I set a default to trim those column values ? I think right now, each column is taking up as much space as specified, though the data isnt that long.

Thanks for your help
Neelima