11i Instructor Vol1

8/8/2019 11i Instructor Vol1

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14464GC11

Production 1.1November 2000

M0-13459

R11i

Extend OracleApplications: Forms

Volume 1 Instructor Guide


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Authors

Martin Taylor

Mildred Wang

Sara Woodhull

Technical Contributorsand Reviewers

Phil Cannon

Anne Carlson

Steve Carter

Lisa Nordhagen

Mary Thomas

Peter Wallack

Publisher

Copyright Oracle Corporation, 2000. All rights reserved.

This documentation contains proprietary information of Oracle Corporation. It isprovided under a license agreement containing restrictions on use and disclosureand is also protected by copyright law. Reverse engineering of the software isprohibited. If this documentation is delivered to a U.S. Government Agency of theDepartment of Defense, then it is delivered with Restricted Rights and thefollowing legend is applicable:

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Use, duplication or disclosure by the Government is subject to restrictions forcommercial computer software and shall be deemed to be Restricted Rightssoftware under Federal law, as set forth in subparagraph (c)(1)(ii) of DFARS252.227-7013, Rights in Technical Data and Computer Software (October 1988).

This material or any portion of it may not be copied in any form or by any meanswithout the express prior written permission of the Education Products group ofOracle Corporation. Any other copying is a violation of copyright law and mayresult in civil and/or criminal penalties.

If this documentation is delivered to a U.S. Government Agency not within theDepartment of Defense, then it is delivered with Restricted Rights, as defined inFAR 52.227-14, Rights in Data-General, including Alternate III (June 1987).

The information in this document is subject to change without notice. If you findany problems in the documentation, please report them in writing to WorldwideEducation Services, Oracle Corporation, 500Oracle Parkway, Box SB-6,Redwood Shores, CA 94065. Oracle Corporation does not warrant that thisdocument is error-free.

Oracle and all references to Oracle Products are trademarks or registeredtrademarks of Oracle Corporation.

All other products or company names are used for identification purposes only,and may be trademarks of their respective owners.


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Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents iii

Table of Contents

PrefaceObjectives ..................................................................................................................................................I-3Before You Begin This Cou rse ...............................................................................................................I-4Prerequ isites .............................................................................................................................................I-5How This Cou rse is Organized ..............................................................................................................I-6Oth er Sources of In form atio n .................................................................................................................I-7

1 Internet Computing ArchitectureObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................1-3Architectu re Objectives with Intern et Com pu ting .....................................................................1-4The Internet Computing Architecture ..........................................................................................1-5

The Oracle8i Data base Serv er ........................................................................................................1-7Choos ing You r Dev elop ment Platfor m(s) ...................................................................................1-8Choos ing You r Da tabase Server Plat form ...................................................................................1-9Choos ing Your Forms Server Plat form ......................................................................................1-10Choosing Your Developer Desktop Platform ............................................................................1-12Or Develop on a Sing le Machin e .................................................................................................1-15The Form Development Process ..................................................................................................1-16Build ing Your Form ......................................................................................................................1-17Gen era ting Your Form ..................................................................................................................1-19Run nin g Your Form for Test ing ..................................................................................................1-20Running Your Form on the Web .................................................................................................1-21Dep loym ent ....................................................................................................................................1-22


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iv Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents

2 Application ArchitectureObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................2-3Overview of Application Development .......................................................................................2-4

Overview of Form Development Steps .................................................................................2-5Build ing an Ap plication ..........................................................................................................2-6Defin ition s .................................................................................................................................2-7Getting Started on Your Application .....................................................................................2-8Registe r Your Ap p lication .....................................................................................................2-10Application Directory Structure ...........................................................................................2-12Define You r Ap plication Basep ath ......................................................................................2-17Overv iew of Oracle Ap plication s Schem as ........................................................................2-19Users, Responsibilities, and Data .........................................................................................2-21Registe r You r O racle User (Schem a) ....................................................................................2-22Add Your Application to a Data Group ..............................................................................2-25Create a Resp onsibility ..........................................................................................................2-27Create an Ap p lication User ...................................................................................................2-28Registe r Your Tables ..............................................................................................................2-29

3 Overview of the User Interface StandardsObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................3-3Goa ls of the User Interface .............................................................................................................3-4

Designing an Applications Interface ............................................................................................3-5Field-Level Valid ation Mod el ........................................................................................................3-6Element s o f th e In terface ................................................................................................................3-7Hybrid Form ats ..............................................................................................................................3-10Wind ow a nd Block Relationships ...............................................................................................3-12Master and Detail Block Coordination .......................................................................................3-13Presen tat ion Mod els ......................................................................................................................3-15Dyna mic Layou ts ...........................................................................................................................3-18Retrievin g Record s ........................................................................................................................3-19Ind icatin g Att ribu tes .....................................................................................................................3-23Navigation and Function Invocation ..........................................................................................3-24

Exercise ............................................................................................................................................3-26


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Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents v

4 Overview of Coding StandardsObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................4-3Benefits of Follow ing Cod ing Standards .....................................................................................4-4Goals of the Coding Standards ......................................................................................................4-5Run time Env ironm ent ....................................................................................................................4-6Property Cla sses: Defin ition ..........................................................................................................4-7Libraries Provide Useful Routines ................................................................................................4-8Ensu re Your Form Works on the Web .........................................................................................4-9Build Form s Based on View s .......................................................................................................4-10

5 The Template FormObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................5-3Cop y TEMPLATE to Start N ew Form s ........................................................................................5-4TEMPLATE Inherits Object Groups from APPSTAND .............................................................5-7Property Classes ..............................................................................................................................5-8Colors an d Visu al Att ributes .........................................................................................................5-9Toolbar and Pulldown Menu .......................................................................................................5-10TEMPLATE Inher its th e Calend ar ..............................................................................................5-11Special Trigger s in TEMPLATE ...................................................................................................5-13

6 Menus and Function SecurityObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................6-3Understand Function Security: Overview ...................................................................................6-4Fun ction Secur ity: Definitions .......................................................................................................6-5Relationship of Function Security to Responsibilities ................................................................6-7Setting Up Function Secu rity .........................................................................................................6-8Naming Standards in Function Security ....................................................................................6-11Building Your Form into Your Application ...............................................................................6-14Registe r a Form ..............................................................................................................................6-15Register Form Functions and Subfunctions ...............................................................................6-16Create a Menu of Fun ctions .........................................................................................................6-18Create / Tailor a Resp on sibility ....................................................................................................6-20Mod ify th e User Defin ition ..........................................................................................................6-21


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vi Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents

7 Container ObjectsObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................7-3Mod ules .............................................................................................................................................7-4Wind ow s ...........................................................................................................................................7-6Non-Mod al Win dow s .....................................................................................................................7-8Mod al Win dow s ...............................................................................................................................7-9Can vases ..........................................................................................................................................7-10Blocks ...............................................................................................................................................7-15Region s ............................................................................................................................................7-22Nav igat ion ......................................................................................................................................7-27

8 WidgetsObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................8-3Gen era l Prop ert ies ...........................................................................................................................8-4Text Item s ..........................................................................................................................................8-5Disp lay Item s ....................................................................................................................................8-7Check Boxes ......................................................................................................................................8-9Buttons .............................................................................................................................................8-10Op tion Groups ...............................................................................................................................8-13Pop lists ............................................................................................................................................8-15LOVs ................................................................................................................................................8-17

Descr ip tive Flexfields ....................................................................................................................8-20Key Flexfields .................................................................................................................................8-21

9 LayoutObjectives ..........................................................................................................................................9-3The Layou t Process Chron ologically ............................................................................................9-4Gen era l Layo ut Settings ..................................................................................................................9-5Arranging Items and Translation ..................................................................................................9-6Cosmetics and Property Classes ....................................................................................................9-8Accessibility in Oracle Forms Applications .................................................................................9-9Prop ertie s of Block Titles ..............................................................................................................9-14Region s ............................................................................................................................................9-16Prop ertie s of Region Titles ...........................................................................................................9-19


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Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents vii

Arr an gin g Item s .............................................................................................................................9-21Setting the Prompt Properties of Widget Objects .....................................................................9-23Single-Record Item s ......................................................................................................................9-25Mu lti-Row Item Pro mpts ..............................................................................................................9-27Check Boxes ....................................................................................................................................9-35Butto ns ............................................................................................................................................9-37Op tion Grou ps ...............................................................................................................................9-38Descr ip tive Flexfields ....................................................................................................................9-39Properties of Dynamic Prompts and Titles ................................................................................9-40Con ven tion s ....................................................................................................................................9-41

10 Coding with PL/SQLObjectives ........................................................................................................................................10-3Overview of Coding with PL/ SQL .............................................................................................10-4Use Handlers to Organize Code ..................................................................................................10-5Item Handlers Validate Items ......................................................................................................10-6Event Handlers Control Events ...................................................................................................10-8Table Handlers Manipulate Tables .............................................................................................10-9Database Tier o r Ap plication Tier? ...........................................................................................10-10Follow Cod ing Standards ...........................................................................................................10-11Replacem ents for Oracle Forms Built-In s ................................................................................10-13

Cod ing Trigg ers ........................................................................................................................... 10-14Review : Trigger s in TEMPLATE ...............................................................................................10-16Record history (WHO): Track Data Changes ..........................................................................10-18Debugging You r Form s ..............................................................................................................10-20Using Examine to Debug Your Forms ......................................................................................10-21

11 Coding Window and Region BehaviorObjectives ........................................................................................................................................11-3Master an d Deta il Wind ow s ........................................................................................................11-4Con tro lling Your Win dow s ..........................................................................................................11-6Tabbed Regions: Three Degrees of Cod ing Difficulty .............................................................11-9

Man y Typ es of Tabbed Region s ................................................................................................11-10Character istics of Tabb ed Region s ............................................................................................11-15Creatin g Tab Can vases ...............................................................................................................11-17


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viii Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents

Tab Related Cod e .........................................................................................................................11-18Exam ple of Build ing a Tabbed Region (Fixed Field Case) ....................................................11-20

12 Coding Item BehaviorObjectives ........................................................................................................................................12-3Form att ing Cu rrency Fields .........................................................................................................12-4Calenda r - Let s Make a Date .......................................................................................................12-5Flexible Da tes .................................................................................................................................12-7Overv iew of Numbers .................................................................................................................12-11Cod ing Dep endencies Between Item s ......................................................................................12-14Dyna mic Item Prop ert ies ............................................................................................................12-24Item-level and Item-instance-level Properties .........................................................................12-26Gett ing Item Prop ert ies ...............................................................................................................12-27Usin g User P rofiles in Your Form .............................................................................................12-28FND: Override Directory Profile Op tion for Developers ..................................................12-31

13 Message DictionaryObjectives ........................................................................................................................................13-3Message Dict ionary Overv iew .....................................................................................................13-4Define Messages for Your Application .......................................................................................13-5Message Con ten t Standards .........................................................................................................13-7

Gen era te Message Files .................................................................................................................13-9Displaying Messages Is a Two-Phase Process .........................................................................13-10Set Up Messages in the Form .....................................................................................................13-11Display Your Message in the Form ...........................................................................................13-15Call Messages from the Serv er ...................................................................................................13-21Oth er Useful Message Routines ................................................................................................13-23

14 FlexfieldsObjectives ........................................................................................................................................14-3Benefits of Flexfields ......................................................................................................................14-4Look at a Flexfield ..........................................................................................................................14-5Wh en to Use A Flexfield ...............................................................................................................14-9Your End User s Per sp ective ......................................................................................................14-10


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Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents ix

Intelligen t Keys ............................................................................................................................14-11Key Flexfields in Oracle Ap plication s ......................................................................................14-13Create Key flexfield Com binations ...........................................................................................14-14Key Flexfield Com binatio ns Table ............................................................................................14-15Use Three Types of Key Flexfield Form s .................................................................................14-17Use Qu alifiers to Id entify Key Segments .................................................................................14-21Use Segment Qualifiers to Identify Values ..............................................................................14-25Create New Com binations Dyna mically .................................................................................14-27Descriptive Flexfields Table Structure ......................................................................................14-29Overview of Developing a Flexfield .........................................................................................14-30

Stage 1: Designing the Table Structure ..............................................................................14-31

Stage 2: Crea ting the Field s .................................................................................................14-35Stage 3: Callin g Flexfield Rou tines ....................................................................................14-37Stage 4: Regist ra tion .............................................................................................................14-44Stage 5: Defin ition ................................................................................................................14-51

Flexfield View Gen era tion ..........................................................................................................14-60

15 Query FindObjectives ........................................................................................................................................15-3Overv iew of Query Find ...............................................................................................................15-4Create a Row -LOV .........................................................................................................................15-7

Create a Fin d Window ..................................................................................................................15-8

16 Menus and Advanced Function SecurityObjectives ........................................................................................................................................16-3Unders tan d Fun ction Security : Review .....................................................................................16-4Review: Subfunction Naming Standards ...................................................................................16-5Register Form Functions and Subfunctions ...............................................................................16-6Create a Menu of Fun ctions .........................................................................................................16-7Ad vanced Function Secu rity ........................................................................................................16-8Cod e the Form to Test a Sub fun ction .........................................................................................16-9Op en Form s from Form Logic ...................................................................................................16-10

Ad d Cho ices to the Special Menus ...........................................................................................16-12Examp le: Using the Special Men u with FND_FUNCTION.TEST ........................................16-16Right Mouse Button Menus (Popup Menus) ...........................................................................16-17


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Cod ing Cu stom Right Mou se But ton Menu Entr ies ...............................................................16-18

17 AttachmentsObjectives ........................................................................................................................................17-3Overview of the Attachments Feature ........................................................................................17-4Defin ition s .......................................................................................................................................17-5Plan the Attachm ents Featu re for You r Ap plication ................................................................17-7Define the At tach ment s Featu re ...................................................................................................17-9Set Up Ent ities ..............................................................................................................................17-10Set Up Docu ment Ca tegor ies .....................................................................................................17-11Set Up Att achment Funct ions ....................................................................................................17-12Add and View Attachments from Your Form .........................................................................17-16

A - Order Entry WorkshopYour Order Entry Workshop Project ...........................................................................................A-3Order Form Specification s .............................................................................................................A-4Order Form Inquiry Features ........................................................................................................A-8Tables an d Predefined Data: Salesp eop le .................................................................................A-10Tables and Predefined Data: Customers ...................................................................................A-14Tables an d Pred efined Data: Prod ucts ......................................................................................A-17Tables and Predefined Data: Orders ..........................................................................................A-21

Tables and Predefined Data: Order Lines .................................................................................A-29Register Flexfield Tables ..............................................................................................................A-34

B - PracticesLogin Information B-3

Lab 1: Arch itectu re .................................................................................................................. B-4Lab 2: Men us and Funct ion Security .................................................................................... B-5Lab 3: Cont ainer Ob jects ......................................................................................................... B-7Lab 4: Wid get s ........................................................................................................................ B-12Lab 5: Layo u t ..........................................................................................................................B-18Lab 6: Enh an ce Item s: Crea te LOVs .................................................................................... B-20Lab 7: Cod ing with PL/ SQL ................................................................................................ B-22Lab 8: Con trolling Window s ................................................................................................ B-26


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Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents xi

Lab 9: Tab bed Region s .......................................................................................................... B-28Lab 10: Cu rrency Fields ........................................................................................................ B-31Lab 11: Runt ime Behav ior .................................................................................................... B-32Lab 12: Con d ition ally Dep endent Items ............................................................................ B-33Lab 13: Messa ge Dictiona ry ................................................................................................. B-34Lab 14: Flexfields ................................................................................................................... B-35Lab 15: Q uery Find ................................................................................................................ B-36Lab 16: Ad vanced Funct ion Secur ity .................................................................................. B-37Lab 17: Sett ing Up Att achment s .......................................................................................... B-39Lab 18: Test ing a nd Review ing Your Form ....................................................................... B-41

C - Practices and SolutionsLogin Infor ma tion .......................................................................................................................... C-3

Lab 1: Ar chitectu re .................................................................................................................. C-4Lab 2: Men us and Funct ion Secur ity .................................................................................... C-5Lab 3: Con tain er Objects ......................................................................................................... C-8Lab 4: Widgets ....................................................................................................................... C-15Lab 5: Layo ut .......................................................................................................................... C-21Lab 6: Enh ance Item s: Crea te LO Vs ....................................................................................C-24Lab 7: Cod ing with PL/ SQL ................................................................................................ C-28Lab 8: Con tro lling Window s ................................................................................................C-35

Lab 9: Tabb ed Region s ..........................................................................................................C -40Lab 10: Currency Fields ........................................................................................................ C-48Lab 11: Runtim e Beha vior .................................................................................................... C-51Lab 12: Con d ition ally Dependent Item s ............................................................................ C-53Lab 13: Message Dictionary .................................................................................................C-57Lab 14: Flexfields ...................................................................................................................C -59Lab 15: Qu ery Find ................................................................................................................C-63Lab 16: Advanced Function Security ..................................................................................C-65Lab 17: Setting Up Attachments ..........................................................................................C-68Lab 18: Testing and Reviewing Your Form .......................................................................C-70


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xii Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Table of Contents


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................................

Preface


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.....................................................................................................................................................I-2 R11i Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Preface

.....................................................................................................................................................Preface


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.....................................................................................................................................................R11i Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Preface I-3

.....................................................................................................................................................Objectives

ObjectivesAt the end of this course, you should be able to:

Describe the philosophy behind the Oracle Applications standards.

Describe the environments the standards are designed for.

Build a form conforming to the Oracle Applications User Interface and CodingStandards.

Define application menus and related features.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Preface

Before You Begin This CourseBefore you begin this course, you should have working experience with :

Oracle Forms Developer 6 i

Oracle8 i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6

PL/SQL 8

Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) such as Microsoft Windows

Applications Architecture Release 11 i (11.5.0 or greater)

Planning and Defining Oracle Applications Flexfields

Oracle Applications System Administration


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.....................................................................................................................................................Prerequisites

PrerequisitesThe required prerequisites for this course are:

Oracle Forms Developer 6 i: Build Internet Applications I or Oracle Developer 1.6(Forms 4.5) I

Introduction to Oracle SQL and PL/SQL (ILT)

PL/SQL Fundamentals (ILT)

Develop PL/SQL Program Units (41024, ILT)

The suggested prerequisites for this course are:

Oracle Forms Developer 6i: Build Internet Applications II or Oracle Developer 1.6

(Forms 4.5) II Defining Flexfields (ILT, either Release 11 or 11 i)

Oracle Applications System Administration (ILT, either Release 11 or 11 i)

This course assumes you are using the following development environment:

Oracle Forms Developer version 6 i (6.0.8 or greater)

Oracle Application Object Library Release 11 i (11.5.0 or greater)

Oracle8 i Enterprise Edition Release 8.1.6Instructor NoteMachine Requirements:

800 X 600 (using small fonts) or 1024 X 768 or better resolution screen

minimum 16Meg memory (which will be slow) but we suggest 128Meg or more

33 megahertz acceptablePictures in this course are a mixture of screenshots taken using Windows 98, NT, and UNIXenvironments, so any given shot may or may not look like it does in your classroomenvironment.Technical notes that say something like Applications Division refer to practices specificallyrequired of developers in the Oracle Applications Divisions


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.....................................................................................................................................................Preface

How This Course is OrganizedExtend Oracle Applications: Forms is an instructor-led course featuring lecture andhands-on exercises. Online demonstrations and written practice sessions reinforce theconcepts and skills introduced.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Other Sources of Information

Other Sources of InformationThis course is primarily based on information from the following Release 11 i OracleApplications manuals, and you can find further information in these manuals:

Oracle Applications Developers Guide

Oracle Applications User Interface Standards for Forms-Based Products

The following manuals provide additional information that you may find helpful fordoing custom development:

Oracle Applications System Administrators Guide

Oracle Applications Concepts

Installing Oracle Applications

Upgrading Oracle Applications

Oracle Applications Users Guide

These manuals are available in the Oracle Applications Documentation Library CD inAdobe Acrobat format and/or as online help. You may also purchase printed, Englishversions of the documentation online via the Oracle Store athttp://oraclestore.oracle.com.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Preface


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.................................

Internet ComputingArchitecture


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.....................................................................................................................................................1-2 R11i Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Internet Computing Architecture

.....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 1: Internet Computing Architecture

Instructor NoteTimings Topic

40 minutes Lecture40 minutes Total


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.....................................................................................................................................................R11i Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Internet Computing Architecture 1-3

.....................................................................................................................................................Objectives

ObjectivesAt the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Explain the Internet Computing architecture


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Architecture Objectives with Internet ComputingThe right architecture maximizes customers return on their applicationinvestment by making the best use of available administration, desktop, server,and network resources.

Oracle Applications Goals

Provide a highly capable, highly-responsive, fully graphical user interface

Reduce cost and complexity of installing and maintaining client software on eachdesktop

Minimize network traffic between client and server computers, allowingtransactions to execute in a few seconds in local area networks (LANs) and fastwide area networks (WANs)

Exploit the full processing power of high-end, scalable servers, including clusteredand massively-parallel servers

Make Optimal Use of Available Resources

Make the best use of server computers, while making the best use of a desktopclient

Processing cycle cost is not the issue, since servers are built with the samecommodity components as PCs

Avoid overloading the network that connects desktop client and server computers

Network performance has the most influence on users perceptions of application performance

Make the best use of scarce administration resources

Administrative labor cost influences long-term cost of ownership


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.....................................................................................................................................................The Internet Computing Architecture

The Internet Computing ArchitecturePlace most user interface processing on a Java-enabled desktop, forms processingon application servers, and all data-oriented processing on database servers.


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Maximize the use of client and server resources while minimizing administrationeffort and network use.

Desktop Client

Full graphical user interface, with user interface display handled by a standardJava-enabled browser running JInitiator

Oracle JInitiator is Oracle s version of JavaSoft s Java Plug-In. OracleJInitiator provides the ability to specify the use of a specific Java VirtualMachine (JVM) on Web clients instead of relying on a browser s default JVM

Closely integrated windows present an entire business flow

Deploy on any PC, network computer, or other desktop on which Java is available

Middle Tier (Forms Server)

User interface logic happens on the forms server

Key reference data cached locally (on the middle tier)

Few network calls to database server needed

Database Server

Remote Procedure Calls (RPCs) communicate with the database server whennecessary

Single RPC to stored procedures can initiate multiple database actions (SQLstatements)

Server handles data-oriented applications processing (for example, calculating taxon a sales order)

Stored procedures are in the database, so communications between storedprocedures and the database occur in memory, not across the network


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.....................................................................................................................................................The Oracle8i Database Server

The Oracle8 i Database ServerBenefits of the Oracle8 i Database Server:

Oracle Applications are Fully Scalable on all Oracle Servers

Use state-of-the-art Oracle Parallel Server technology

Parallelism at other layers of the architecture includes query processing, batchprocessing, transaction processing, and application module processing

Use Multiple Nodes to Achieve Higher Performance

Multiple database instances and their embedded applications servers aredistributed across multiple nodes of a cluster or a massively parallel (MPP) system

Having multiple nodes also provides better reliabilitySingle Database

Using only the Oracle 8 i database allows for optimization and use of all featuresrather than using the lowest common denominator

Stored Procedures for Applications Server Logic

Storing logic directly in the database allows access to data at RAM speeds ratherthan network speed

Modularity

Share stored procedures with multiple forms or reports processes


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Choosing Your Development Platform(s)Plan your custom form development environment with your deploymentenvironment.

These platforms may or may not be the same

Database server platform

Forms Server platform

Developer s desktop platform


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.....................................................................................................................................................Choosing Your Database Server Platform

Choosing Your Database Server Platform

Your database server platform can be any platform supported by the Oracle8 i

Server Your database server platform choice can be essentially independent of your

choices for the other tiers, because the database server is typically a separatemachine


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Choosing Your Forms Server PlatformYour choice of the deployment platform for the Forms Server affects yourdevelopment environment choices.

Choose Unix or Windows NT

You can have your deployment Forms Server either on a Microsoft Windows NTserver or on a Unix server.

Match Development and Deployment Platforms

Oracle recommends that you have your development Forms Server on the sameplatform as the deployment Forms Server

Development and deployment should be on different machines

Maintain exactly the same set of software patches on both environments to allowsmooth testing and migration of your custom application

Oracle Applications software includes user exit code whose executable filesare platform specific and cannot simply be moved from one platform toanother


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.....................................................................................................................................................Choosing Your Forms Server Platform

If Development and Deployment Forms Server Platforms Do Not Match

If the two environments are on different platforms, you will have to keep the patchlevels synchronized and obtain any patches for both platforms

You can maintain a third environment, with exactly the same platform and patchlevel as your deployment environment, for testing your customizations beforedeployment

Consider a Source-Control System

Having the Forms Server on a centrally-administered server machine facilitatesusing a source control system

A source control system is helpful in managing shared development where youhave many developers

Make your source-control system choice, if any, when you choose your FormsServer


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Choosing Your Developer Desktop PlatformOnce you have chosen your Forms Server platform for development, you haveseveral other choices for other parts of the development environment.

If Your Forms Server Platform Is NT 4.0

If your Forms Server platform is Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, having Windows 98or NT 4.0 as your developer desktop environment is the natural choice.

Typically you would set up your PC network to map the developer desktop drivesto the same application directory structures used by the Forms Server machine.

To lower the administration complexity of having Oracle Forms Developerinstalled on all of your PCs, you can use Windows Terminal Server or a similarproduct to manage a shared installation of Oracle Forms Developer.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Choosing Your Developer Desktop Platform

If Your Forms Server Platform Is UNIX

If your Forms Server platform is UNIX, you currently have these choices for thedeveloper desktop platform:

PCs with Microsoft Windows 98 or NT 4.0 running Oracle Forms Developer(Windows version) and the browser with JInitiator

PCs with Microsoft Windows 98 or NT 4.0 running the browser with JInitiatorand running UNIX emulation software that provides a UNIX version of OracleForms Developer

PCs with Microsoft Windows 98 or NT 4.0 running the browser, and UNIXworkstations running a UNIX version of Oracle Forms Developer

To test your forms with the browser with JInitiator, you need at least one PC foryour development environment


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Share Oracle Forms Developer Installations

To lower the administration complexity of having Oracle Forms Developerinstalled on all of your PCs, you can use Windows Terminal Server or similar

software to manage a shared installation of Oracle Forms Developer. If you are using Oracle Forms Developer on UNIX you typically use a shared

installation

Keep Your Options Open

You can use a mix of desktop platforms in the development environment. Forexample, some developers can develop forms using Microsoft Windows 98 butgenerate their forms using UNIX, while other developers can build and generatetheir forms on a UNIX desktop such as Sun Solaris.

The key point is that code generation occurs on the forms server platform.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Or Develop on a Single Machine

Or Develop on a Single Machine

In some circumstances, such as where you have only one developer, the

developer s desktop and the entire application server tier may be combined on asingle NT 4.0 machine.

This setup includes the Oracle Applications installation as well as the FormsServer software and Web server software.


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The Form Development ProcessAt its simplest, the form development process with Oracle Developer breaksdown to three main steps that take place on different parts of your InternetComputing setup.

Three Steps

Build

Generate

Run/Test


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.....................................................................................................................................................Building Your Form

Building Your FormYou build your form on the developer s desktop using the Oracle FormsDeveloper.

Access to Libraries and Referenced Forms

The developer s desktop machine must have access to any attached libraries (.pllfiles) and referenced forms necessary for opening the custom form in OracleForms Developer.

These files are usually a small subset of an Oracle Applications installation, andthey could be local copies on the desktop machine or shared files on a common fileserver such as the Forms Server.

For Release 11 i, you need at least the following libraries, and any others

attached to the form you are opening: APPCORE.pll, FNDSQF.pll,APPDAYPK.pll, CUSTOM.pll, VERT.pll, GLOBE.pll, JA.pll, JE.pll, JL.pll,GHR.pll, PSAC.pll, PQH_GEN.pll, OPM.pll

Many Oracle Applications forms also use APPFLDR.pll.

You also need (at least) APPSTAND.fmb

If your developer s desktop and form server machines are not connected by a fastnetwork, you may get significantly better performance by having local copies of the libraries and referenced forms.

Instructor Note

If libraries or referenced forms cannot be found, references and attachments willbe lost or form cannot be opened

On this page we re just talking about creating the .fmb file, not generating ortesting yet

A future version of Release 11 i may also require VERT1.pll, VERT2.pll,VERT3.pll, VERT4.pll, and VERT5.pll.


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Other Access

The FORMS60_PATH variable must be set on the desktop machine to find thelibraries and referenced forms during development.

On NT, FORMS60_PATH may need to be set by editing the Windows NTregistry

Developer needs access to database for creating blocks and compiling logic

Referenced Objects and the ORACLE_APPLICATIONS Variable

In Oracle Forms Developer 6 i, referenced objects can be modified

Do not modify any objects referenced from APPSTAND.fmb

For example, many blocks, triggers, canvases, and so on are referenced fromAPPSTAND.fmb

Before starting form development, create and set the environment variableORACLE_APPLICATIONS to TRUE before starting Oracle Forms Developer.This variable setting displays the R flags that indicate an object is referencedfrom another form.

On NT, the ORACLE_APPLICATIONS variable may need to be created byediting the Windows NT Registry (in the same location as theFORMS60_PATH setting)


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.....................................................................................................................................................Generating Your Form

Generating Your FormYou generate your form on the Forms Server.

Moving the File

The form file (.fmb) must be moved or copied to the middle tier machine forgeneration of the .fmx file

Typically the developer s desktop machine has drives mapped to the forms andlibraries directories on the Forms Server such that when the developer saves aform or library file, the file is saved directly to the Forms Server using third-party NFS software, for example

Otherwise, the developer uses third-party FTP software to transfer the file thethe Forms Server for generation

Generating the File

The developer then generates the form directly on the Forms Server using theForms Compiler (such as from the command line)

For example:

f60gen module=DEMXXEOR userid=APPS/APPS@TESTDB

Oracle Applications forms and libraries reside in an Oracle Applicationsinstallation on the Forms Server

Set the FORMS60_PATH variable on the Forms Server to find the libraries (.pllfiles) under AU_TOP/resource and referenced forms under AU_TOP/forms/ during generation


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Running Your Form for TestingAfter generation, the developer runs the form for testing using the browser withJInitiator on the desktop machine

It is desirable to test the form in the same type of environment that user will use

You cannot run your form from within the Oracle Forms Developer

Instructor Note

Your TEMPLATE-based form will not run correctly from within Oracle FormsDeveloper because the Java code that applies the Oracle Look and Feel, as well asOracle Applications objects and user exit code used in the TEMPLATE form, arenot available within Oracle Forms Developer.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Running Your Form on the Web

Running Your Form on the WebYou must run your form on the Web for testing during development.

Testing from Oracle Applications

Once you have registered your form and added it to a menu and responsibility (tobe covered later), you use the URL that points to the Signon window

Navigate to your form through Oracle Applications

To test newly-generated changes, close your form and navigate to it again (withoutexiting Oracle Applications)

Instructor NoteAvoid having a setup with a module variable in a production environment unless the database

connect string defaults to the APPSPUB schemaAllowing users to bypass the Signon window creates a security risk If they are modifying the CUSTOM library (covered later), or libraries attached to CUSTOM,they must exit Oracle Applications and sign on again


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DeploymentOnce the form has been successfully developed and tested, it can be deployed tothe user environment.

If the development middle tier operating system is the same as the deploymentmiddle tier operating system, the .fmx file can be copied from one to the other.

If the two middle tiers have different operating systems, the form must beregenerated on the target platform (the .fmb file must be copied to the targetplatform and regenerated to create the new .fmx file)


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.................................

Application Architecture


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.....................................................................................................................................................2-2 R11i Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Application Architecture

.....................................................................................................................................................Lesson 2: Application Architecture

Instructor NoteTimings Topic

40 minutes Lecture20 minutes Practice60 minutes Total


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.....................................................................................................................................................R11i Extend Oracle Applications: Forms - Application Architecture 2-3

.....................................................................................................................................................Objectives

ObjectivesAt the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

Understand the basic Oracle Applications development process

Understand the form development process within the Oracle Applicationsdevelopment process

Describe the application directory structures

Place custom files in the correct location

Register a custom application


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Overview of Application DevelopmentThis is the general process of creating an application that integrates with OracleApplications.

1 Register your custom application.

2 Register your custom Oracle schema.

3 Include your custom application and Oracle schema in data groups.

4 Create your application tables and views.

5 Integrate your tables and views with the Oracle Applications APPS schema.

6 Register your tables if necessary.

7 Build your application forms.

8 Build your application functions and menus.

9 Build your application responsibilities.

10 Assign responsibilities to users.

11 Build concurrent programs and reports.

12 Customize Oracle Applications using CUSTOM library if necessary.

Concurrent programs and customizing Oracle Applications using CUSTOM libraryare covered in two separate classes for Release 11 i.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Overview of Form Development Steps

Overview of Form Development StepsThis is the general process of building a form that integrates with OracleApplications.

1 Copy the form TEMPLATE and rename it.

2 Create your form objects and layout in adherence with the Oracle ApplicationsUser Interface Standards for Forms-Based Products .

3 Code your form logic using Oracle Applications Developer s Guide .

4 Register your form.

5 Create a form function for your form and register any subfunctions.

6Add your form function to a menu, or create a custom menu.

7 Assign your menu to a responsibility and assign your responsibility to a user.

8 Test your form from within Oracle Applications (especially if it uses features suchas user profiles or function security).

Instructor NoteThe order may vary, of course. For example, depending on your setup, you may be able to testyour form by itself.


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Building an ApplicationThere is more to building an application than just building forms. This is howsome of the components fit together.

Instructor Note

Each of these boxes correspond to AOL forms for defining the object

Flexfields are not included in this graphic because they are built into forms


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.....................................................................................................................................................Definitions

Definitions

ApplicationAn application is a functional grouping of forms, programs and code, such as OracleGeneral Ledger or Oracle Inventory. Custom applications group together site specificcomponents such as custom menus, forms, or concurrent programs.

Application Short NameAbbreviated form of your application that Oracle Applications uses to identify yourapplication.

Oracle SchemaDatabase username used by Oracle Applications to access the database. Also known as

Oracle ID (includes password) or Oracle user.

Application BasepathAn environment variable that denotes the directory path to your application-levelsubdirectories.

Environment VariableAn operating system variable that describes an aspect of the environment in whichyour application runs. For example, you can define an environment variable to specifya directory path.

$APPL_TOP: An environment variable that denotes the installation directory forOracle Application Object Library and your other Oracle applications.$APPL_TOP is usually one virtual directory level above each of the productdirectories (usually two virtual directory levels above counting the versionnumber).


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Getting Started on Your ApplicationComplete the following tasks when creating a new application.

Set Up Your Directory Structure

Create required directories and subdirectories

Create separate directory structures as needed on the forms server and theconcurrent processing server

Define environment variables so the applications recognize your directories

Register Your Application

Define your application s user-friendly name and short name

Using the environment variable, provide the base directory path for yourapplication

Register Your ORACLE Schema

Provide your application with a database password

Integrate your schema with Oracle Applications APPS schema

Register your tables with Oracle Applications

Add Your Application to a Data Group

Copy an existing data group to customize

Provide database access for forms and programs

Add your application to the new data group


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.....................................................................................................................................................Getting Started on Your Application

Set Up Concurrent Managers

Define concurrent managers to run your immediate programs


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Register Your ApplicationRegister a custom application that will own your forms, menus andresponsibilities.

ApplicationsSystem Administrator or Application Developer responsibility: Application Register


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.....................................................................................................................................................Register Your Application

Application Name

This user-friendly name appears in lists seen by application users

Short Name

Oracle Applications use the application short name when identifying forms,menus, concurrent programs and other application components

The short name is stored in hidden fields; users see the full application name

Your short name should not include spaces

Short names of custom applications should be four characters or longer, and beginwith the letters XX, to avoid conflicting with future Oracle Applications products

Basepath

Enter the name of an environment variable which translates into the top directoryof your application s directory tree (on the applications server)

Oracle Applications searches specific directories beneath the basepath for yourapplication s executable files and scripts when performing actions that reside inexternal files


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Application Directory StructureCreate a directory tree to store your application files. The location of subdirectories will depend on your configuration.

Subdirectories may be distributed or duplicated across tiers

Each forms server, web server, concurrent processing server, and administrationserver has an APPL_TOP directory with some, but not necessarily all, of thesubdirectories.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Application Directory Structure

TOP Directories

APPL_TOP, FND_TOP, and so on are environment variables that point to theapplication basepath (use of environment variables depends on your operating

system)

The actual directory for each application will vary according to your installation

bin

Contains executable code of your concurrent programs written in a programminglanguage such as C, Pro*C, Fortran, or an operating system script

lib

Contains compiled object code of your concurrent programs

resource

Contains PL/SQL libraries used with Oracle Forms, which must be copied toAU_TOP for forms generation

forms/[LANGUAGE]

The FORMS directory contains .fmx files (and .fmb files) under languagesubdirectories

sql

Contains concurrent programs written in SQL*Plus and PL/SQL scripts

reports

Contains concurrent programs written with Oracle Reports

May contain language subdirectories


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plsql

Contains PL/SQL libraries used with Oracle Reports

mesg

Holds your application message files for Message Dictionary

Messages files are generated by the Generate Messages program and reside in afile designated by language names (such as US.msb)

graph/[LANGUAGE]

Contains Oracle Graphics files under language subdirectories

log

Contains log files from concurrent programs

Your configuration may use one log directory shared across applications

out

Contains output files from concurrent programs

Your configuration may use one out directory shared across applications

admin

Contains any installation or upgrade scripts you may have

In Oracle Applications products, used for AutoInstall and AutoPatch


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.....................................................................................................................................................Application Directory Structure

Some Products Always Installed

Every installation must include Oracle Application Object Library and OracleApplications DBA (AD)

Language Subdirectories Contain Appropriate Files

Files that require translation are stored in subdirectories

These subdirectories use the Oracle NLS language name US for United StatesEnglish, D for German, and so on


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Your custom application may require files in the AU_TOP directory.

AU_TOP Directory Holds Shared Files

The Application Utilities directory contains a resource directory with PL/SQL

libraries If you have libraries for your custom application, put them in the AU_TOP/

resource directory

The forms/language subdirectories hold forms referenced by other forms atgeneration time (such as APPSTAND.fmb)

If you have referenced forms for your custom application, put them in theappropriate AU_TOP/forms/[language] directory

The DOCS directory contains help files

If you have help files for your custom application, put them in the appropriateAU_TOP/docs/[language] directory (or wherever you have installed the OracleApplications help)

Forms libraries are put in the product top and copied to the directoryAU_TOP/resources for code generation.


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.....................................................................................................................................................Define Your Application Basepath

Define Your Application BasepathVariables must be set on any server machine that holds Oracle Applications files.

Environment File Sets the Variables

An environment file that sets up Oracle Applications environment variables shouldbe run when you log on to your computer

This main environment file is usually named .env , where DBNAMEis the name of your database, and is located under APPL_TOP

for example, APPSTEST.env

The location of APPL_TOP may vary for different installations

FND_TOP, GL_TOP and other applications variables appear in .envor the NT Registry

Define Environment Variables for Custom Applications

adovars.env contains more environment variables

adovars.env is located under APPL_TOP/admin

Add PRODUCT_TOP (application basepath) variables for custom applications to

adovars.env (Unix) or adovars.cmd (NT)

Add Your Application to the Environment File

You may need to restart the forms server or other servers to recognize the newenvironment variables, or

See your installation manual for details

Technical Note.env is equivalent to APPLSYS.env file in earlier versions of OracleApplications


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Customers used to put their PRODUCT_TOP variables into the applsys.env file,which still works. However, we are now recommending that customers put theircustom variables into adovars.env because they already must edit adovars.env for theirinstallation and .env is overwritten by patches and other maintenance

activities (using adadmin)If your form is not being found, try restarting the forms server or other servers


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11i Instructor Vol1

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