XPLAIN_PLAN in SQL Developer

We don't offer that.

You could enable exec order in the plan/trace preferences and then read the steps as the optimizer reports back

I tried to achieve this functionality using a User Defined Report, however failed miserably at getting it to launch from the editor in the context of the current statement. I think the option that would be most popular would be dbms_xplan output. As a halfway house I set up a template which is pretty much this, with a template code of dxp:

select * from table(dbms_xplan.display_cursor(sql_id=>'', format=>'ALLSTATS LAST'));

So by typing dxp, it expands out to the above. Then I just have to get the sql_id (which is a bit of a pain at the moment, but I believe in one of the upcoming releases it's easier to get hold of).

Sql_id is right there in the menu opened via "Explain plan... (F10)" button in the toolbar. If all the child cursors are grayed, then run the statement. Next, you click onto any active child number. Then, there would be plan tab appearing. On the tab header you would see something like: V$SQL_PLAN.SQL_ID=520mkxqpf15q8    To copy-and-paste the sql_id invoke context menu and choose "Rename".

However, I'm still wondering why people prefer this:

to that:

.