It is possible to add your own reporters by creating an appropriate object type. In principle, it has to be a subtype of `ut_reporter_base`. However, if the reporter is expected to produce output consumable by a client oustside of the database (e.g. the data has to be reported to the screen or to a file), then you should base it on `ut_output_reporter_base` (which is a subtype of `ut_reporter_base`). In contrast, if you would like to create a reporter that, for example, saves the data to a database table, then it should be based directly on `ut_reporter_base`. (Currently, all reporters in the utPLSQL framework are based on `ut_output_reporter_base`.) Coverage reporters are based on `ut_coverage_reporter_base` (a subtype of `ut_output_reporter_base`).

If need to produce a colored text output from the custom reporter, then you can build it basing on `ut_console_reporter_base` (a subtype of `ut_output_reporter_base`). In many cases it may also be more convenient to create the custom reporter type under a more specialized type, like `ut_documentation_reporter` or `ut_junit_reporter`, and override just some of the functionality.

It is recommended to create the reporter type in the schema where utPLSQL is installed (by default it is the `UT3` schema). Note that before running the utPLSQL uninstall scripts, all custom reporters should be dropped (cf. [the installation documentation](install.md)). In particular, when upgrading to a newer version of utPLSQL, one has to drop the custom reporters and recreate them after the upgrade.

**Note:**

Assuming that the custom reporter type is created in the `UT3` schema, to run the tests using a custom reporter just call: `exec ut.run(ut3.custom_reporter_name());`, optionally providing parameter values to the `custom_reporter_name` constructor.

One may get acquainted with the source code of the standard reporters bundled with utPLSQL (including the coverage reporters) by browsing the [`source/reporters/`](https://github.com/utPLSQL/utPLSQL/tree/develop/source/reporters) directory. The base reporter types `ut_reporter_base`, `ut_output_reporter_base` and `ut_console_reporter_base` are defined in [`source/core/types`](https://github.com/utPLSQL/utPLSQL/tree/develop/source/core/types). The base coverage reporter type `ut_coverage_reporter_base` is in [`source/core/coverage`](https://github.com/utPLSQL/utPLSQL/tree/develop/source/core/coverage). There are also two examples of custom reporters in [`examples/custom_reporters/`](https://github.com/utPLSQL/utPLSQL/tree/develop/examples/custom_reporters), both extending the functionality of `ut_documentation_reporter`:

* `ut_custom_reporter` accepts an integer parameter `a_tab_size`; it alters the behaviour of `ut_documentation_reporter` by changing the size of the indentation according to the parameter value (by default the indentation is increased).

* `ut_expectations_reporter` accepts a `varchar2` parameter `a_report_all_expectations`; if its value is `'Y'` (which is the default), then the reporter shows the results of all expectations that are run. This stays in contrast with `ut_documentation_reporter`, which shows the results of all tests that are run, but only of the expectations that failed (keep in mind that a single test may consist of several expectations).