Hello,
Apparently since SQLcl 22.1.0:
SQL> show version
Oracle SQLDeveloper Command-Line (SQLcl) version: 22.1.1.0 build: 22.1.1.131.0820
SQL> define _DATE
DEFINE _DATE = "2022-06-09 13:09:03" (CHAR)
SQL> prompt Date is now: &&_DATE
Date is now: &2022-06-09 13:09:15
The & symbol before 2022 in the readout is not expected at all, as the substituted token here should be &&_DATE, not &_DATE.
SQLcl 21.4.1 worked as expected:
SQL> show version
Oracle SQLDeveloper Command-Line (SQLcl) version: 21.4.1.0 build: 21.4.1.17.1458
SQL> define _DATE
DEFINE _DATE = "2022-06-09 13:07:42" (CHAR)
SQL> prompt Date is now &&_DATE
Date is now 2022-06-09 13:07:58
Perhaps worse: SQLcl 22.1 does not automatically DEFINE substitution variables preceded by two ampersands (as it should):
SQL> define MYVAR
SP2-0135: symbol myvar is UNDEFINED
SQL> prompt MYVAR = &&MYVAR
Enter value for MYVAR: test
MYVAR = &test
SQL> prompt MYVAR = &&MYVAR
Enter value for MYVAR: _
SQLcl 22.1 re-prompts for the value of the MYVAR substitution variable, which means it did not DEFINE it automatically the first time &&MYVAR was replaced. Again, this is not expected behaviour—but is consistent with the fact that it did not recognize &&MYVAR as a single token in the first place, as it apparently mistook it for a single & character followed by &MYVAR.
Obviously, this looks like a bug / regression.
Regards,