Can one read/write files from PL/SQL?

Included in Oracle 7.3 is a UTL_FILE package that can read and write files. The directory you intend writing to has to be in your INIT.ORA file (see UTL_FILE_DIR=... parameter). Before Oracle 7.3 the only means of writing a file was to use DBMS_OUTPUT with the SQL*Plus SPOOL command.

DECLARE

fileHandler UTL_FILE.FILE_TYPE;

BEGIN

fileHandler := UTL_FILE.FOPEN('/home/oracle/tmp', 'myoutput','W');

UTL_FILE.PUTF(fileHandler, 'Value of func1 is %sn', func1(1));

UTL_FILE.FCLOSE(fileHandler);

END;