April 7, 2023 1

Training Training on on

Oracle Forms Oracle Forms

By :-

Manoj Baghel

(Assistant Consultant)

TCS,New Delhi

April 7, 2023 2

AgendaAgenda What Is Oracle Form Builder? Forms Concepts - What is a Form? The Forms Application Display Forms Builder forms in a Web browser Use a data block form to view, insert, update, and

delete database data Create a data block form that displays a single

record at a time Use the Object Navigator to change form object

names

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Agenda (continued)Agenda (continued)

Use the Data Block and Layout Wizards to modify form properties

Create a tabular-style data block form that displays multiple records

References

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What Is Oracle Form Builder?What Is Oracle Form Builder?

Component of Oracle Developer/2000– Forms– Reports– Graphics

Application builderEvent-driven applications

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Forms - The Basic IdeaForms - The Basic Idea

A powerful ‘Graphical User Interface’. Are used to create applications to enter, access, change, or

delete data from an Oracle database in an online, form-based environment.

Forms provides many objects for developing an effective application module.

Coupled with the concept of user extensibility, Forms can be used to serve virtually every online need in an Oracle database environment.

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Components of Form BuilderComponents of Form Builder

Forms Builder

- Used to create a form.Forms Compiler

- Required to compile the file created in Forms Builder.Forms Runtime

- Used to run the compiled code created by Forms Compiler.

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Forms Concepts - The Big Forms Concepts - The Big Picture Picture

Triggersand/or

default processes

User actions Internal events

DatabaseApplication

State

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Client

What Is Forms Looking ForWhat Is Forms Looking For

FormsRuntime

FormsServer

(Compiled Objects)

Database

RegistryFORMS_PATH

Connect

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File TypesFile Types Forms Modules

– .FMB; Forms Source

– .FMX; Forms Executable

Menu Modules– .MMB; Menu Source

– .MMX; Menu Executable

Libraries– .PLL; PL/SQL Source and Executables

– .PLX; PL/SQL Executable Only.– .PLD; Documentation file

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The Forms Application The Forms Application What You SeeWhat You See

exitenter

File Edit View Query Block Record Insert Help Whatever

Are you really sure you want to do this?

Canvas

ViewControl Item

Base-TableItem

Menu

WindowYes No

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The Forms ApplicationThe Forms Application

What you see;– Window– Menu– Canvas/View– Items

Base-block items Control-block items

– Database records

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Highest Level of Hierarchy

- Forms- Menu- Libraries- Built-in Packages- Database Objects

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Windows

- Displays canvases.- Form can have multiple windows.- Modal; user must respond and dismiss window before doing anything in another window.- Modeless; user can move to another window.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Canvas-Views

- Visual element of Forms. This is how you display all those Items.- Canvas; Background on which text and items are placed.- View; Visible portion of canvas.- Form can have multiple canvases.- Canvases can be stacked, scrolled.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Blocks

- Base-Table Block corresponds to Database Table; set of items representing database table columns. An ‘instance’ of a Base-Table Block corresponds to a Database Record.- Control Block is usually a collection of control items (e.g. Buttons, Check-Boxes, Radio Groups), but can also be collection of Display Items (read-only text), Text Items (‘variables’), images, etc.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Block Properties

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Items

- Base-Table Items are text items that correspond to Database Columns. Forms creates them automatically.- Control Items can be Buttons, Check-Boxes, Radio Groups, Display Items (read-only text), Text Items (‘variables’), images, etc.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Item Properties

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Visual Attributes- Collection of display properties.- Refer to Named Visual Attribute in Items to standardise appearance. Change in NVA will affect all Items referring to it.

Property Classes- Collection of ANY properties.- When items refer to Property Class, only properties that make sense for that item will be used.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Triggers

- At Form, Block or Item level- Lower level triggers fire before higher level triggers- If same trigger-type occurs at different levels, only lowest will fire

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Forms ComponentForms Component

Alerts

- Modal Window that displays a message- Modal; User must respond- One, two or three buttons- Three types;

- Stop (stop sign)- Caution (exclamation)- Note

- Use SHOW_ALERT built-in function

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

LOVs

- Allows user to select from specific set of values.-Displays Record Group.-Use Built-in Show_Lov,List_Values functions

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Editors

- Editor; simple text-editor dialog box for entering lines of text into Text Item.- Can create editors with different appearances for different text fields.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Parameters

- Used as a Form variable. - Pass values between Forms.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Program Units

- PL/SQL Procedures, Functions and Packages etc.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Attached Libraries, Libraries & Built-in Packages

- PL/SQL procedures and functions.- Attached Library; Reference collected routines.- Library; Maintain and reference collected routines.- Built-in Packages; Oracle supplied procedure and functions.

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Forms ComponentsForms Components

Object Groups

- Package reusable objects for later copying or reference.- E.g. Your Form includes an alarm clock to wake the user after ten minutes inactivity. This includes Triggers, Procedures, a Window, some graphics, etc. You can package these objects together to conveniently include this functionality in other forms.

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Forms ConceptsForms Concepts

EventsProcessesTriggers

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Forms ConceptsForms ConceptsEvents

– Things that happen– External Events

User Interaction; Mouse, Keyboard, Menu

– Internal Events Timers Processing steps for which triggers can be set

– Initiate Processes No Events? No Processing!

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Forms ConceptsForms ConceptsProcesses

– Pre-programmed default behavior– What Forms DOES, for example;

Navigation Transaction Processing Validation Query Processing Master-Detail coordination

– Series of Internal Events

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Forms ConceptsForms ConceptsTriggers

– Fired when Internal/External events occur– Replace, supplement or initiate default

processing– Initiate “External” events, to make Forms

behave as if user performed action E.g. Simulate User key-press

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The Forms ApplicationThe Forms Application

Form Builder builds Forms, Menus and Libraries

Application consists of at least one Form

Can also include one or more Menu and Library modules

Oracle provides default Menu

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Data Block Wizard Table PageData Block Wizard Table Page

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Layout Editor WindowLayout Editor Window

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The Layout EditorThe Layout Editor

Graphical display of form canvasDraw and proportion form itemsBoilerplate objects

– Static imported image

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Using a Data Block FormUsing a Data Block Form

Block – Group of related form items

Data block – Corresponds to specific database table– Contains objects that display values from table’s data

fields Text items Form menu

– Contains selections to manipulate form

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Using a Data Block Form Using a Data Block Form (continued)(continued)

Modes:– Normal– Enter query– Query

Message line

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Using a Form to View Table Using a Form to View Table RecordsRecords

Click Enter Query buttonType search expressionClick Execute Query buttonTo retrieve all records

– Do not enter search expression Inexact search

– Use comparison and wildcard operators in search fields

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Using a Form to Insert, Update, Using a Form to Insert, Update, and Delete Recordsand Delete Records

Insert – Enter data in blank form– Click Save button

Update– Modify existing record using form– Click Save button

Delete– Click Remove Record button– Click Save button

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Viewing and Interpreting Form Viewing and Interpreting Form ErrorsErrors

When error occurs– Error code and message displayed in message

line

Errors generated by– Form– DBMS

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Creating a Data Block FormCreating a Data Block Form

Forms Builder – Automatically generates text items and labels

for data fields in table – Provides code for inserting, modifying,

deleting, and viewing data records

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Multiple Record FormMultiple Record Form

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TriggersTriggersForms Trigger

– Fires in response to Forms Events

Database Trigger– Fires in response to Database Events

THESE ARE COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT OF EACH OTHER!!!

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TriggersTriggers

Can be coded at Form, Block, and/or Item Level

Some Triggers apply to multiple levels of hierarchy, others are specific– When creating new trigger, List of Values

presents list of appropriate triggersEach Trigger-type executes only onceLowest level Triggers fired first

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Types of Form TriggersTypes of Form Triggers

Interface Triggers

- Triggers associated with user interface objects.

Navigational Triggers

- Fire in response to navigational events

Smart Triggers

- Triggers classified on the basis of the object

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Types of Interface TriggersTypes of Interface Triggers

Key Triggers - Key-Next-Item, Key-Commit etc.

Action Triggers associated with user objects - When-Button-Pressed, When-List-Changed,When-

Radio-Changed etc

Mouse Triggers - When-Mouse-Click, When-Mouse-Leave,When-

Mouse-Enter etc

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Types of Navigational TriggersTypes of Navigational Triggers

Pre- and Post- triggers - Fire when cursor navigates internally through different levels of

the object hierarchy. - e.g. Pre-Text-Item, Post-Text-Item etc When-New-Instance triggers - Fires after the form’s focus is positioned on given form,block or

item. - e.g. When-New-Form-Instance, When-New-Item-

Instance etc.

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Master-Detail Delete PropertiesMaster-Detail Delete Properties Non-Isolated

- A master record cannot be deleted if associated detail

records exist in the database. Isolated

- A master record can be deleted, but the associated

details records are not affected. Cascading

- Master record can be deleted, and any associated detail records are automatically deleted from the database.

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How Forms Builder Displays a How Forms Builder Displays a Form in a BrowserForm in a Browser

Java appletOC4J Instance

– Translates compiled .fmx file into Java applet – Downloads Java applet to Web browser

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ReferencesReferencesOn-line helpOracle Developer/2000 Handbook (2nd. Ed.)

– Robert J. Muller, Oracle PressOracle technology network

(http://TechNet.Oracle.Com)

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