Oracle® Application Express

Advanced Tutorials
Release 3.2
E13363-02

June 2009
Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials, Release 3.2

E13363-02

Copyright © 2003, 2009, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.

Primary Authors: Drue Baker, Anne Romano, Terri Jennings

Contributors: Carl Backstrom, Amitabh Chhibber, Sharon Kennedy, Jason Straub, and Rekha Vallam

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 Contents

Preface ................................................................................................................................................................. xi
Audience....................................................................................................................................................... xi
Documentation Accessibility ..................................................................................................................... xi
Related Documents .................................................................................................................................... xii
Conventions ............................................................................................................................................... xiii

1 About these Tutorials

What this Book Is Not ............................................................................................................................. 1-1
Tutorial Topics........................................................................................................................................... 1-1
About Loading Sample Objects ............................................................................................................ 1-2
Downloading OEHR Sample Objects ............................................................................................. 1-3
Importing and Installing OEHR Sample Objects .......................................................................... 1-3
Checking Available Space in Your Workspace ...................................................................... 1-4
Deleting the OEHR Sample Objects Application ................................................................... 1-4
Viewing Database Objects ................................................................................................................ 1-5
About Application Authentication ....................................................................................................... 1-6

2 How to Create a Tabular Form

Creating an Application .......................................................................................................................... 2-1
Creating a Tabular Form Using a Wizard ............................................................................................ 2-2
Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List ............................................................................... 2-4
Create a Named List of Values......................................................................................................... 2-5
Edit the Column to Display as a Select List.................................................................................... 2-5

3 How to Create a Parameterized Report

Introducing Application Express Reports ........................................................................................... 3-1
Overview of Report Types................................................................................................................ 3-1
Selecting the Appropriate Report Type .......................................................................................... 3-3
Creating an Application with Interactive Reports............................................................................. 3-3
Create and Populate the Database Objects..................................................................................... 3-4
Create the Application....................................................................................................................... 3-4
Preview the Application.................................................................................................................... 3-6
Add Columns of Data from Other Tables ........................................................................................... 3-8
Using an Interactive Report................................................................................................................. 3-10
Introducing Interactive Report Components .............................................................................. 3-10

iii
 Adding a Filter to a Report ............................................................................................................ 3-12
Saving Report Settings and Selecting Columns.......................................................................... 3-14
Resetting to the Default Report Settings...................................................................................... 3-16
Related Documentation ....................................................................................................................... 3-16

4 Using Advanced Report Techniques

Create the Basic Application .................................................................................................................. 4-1
Create and Populate the Database Objects..................................................................................... 4-1
Create the Application....................................................................................................................... 4-2
Run the Application........................................................................................................................... 4-3
Display People and Project Names ...................................................................................................... 4-4
Change the Query to Retrieve Values from Other Tables............................................................ 4-5
Add Name Value Columns to the Display..................................................................................... 4-5
Add a Dashboard Page ............................................................................................................................ 4-6
Create a Dashboard Page ................................................................................................................. 4-7
Add a Link on the Home Page to the Dashboard ......................................................................... 4-7
Add an Overdue Issues Report Region to the Dashboard........................................................... 4-8
Create an Overdue Issues Report Region................................................................................ 4-8
Add a Link Column and Create a Declarative Filter on an Interactive Report ................ 4-9
Run the Application ................................................................................................................ 4-10
Add an Open Issues by Project Pie Chart.................................................................................... 4-10
Create a Pie Chart Region that Links to the Issues Report ............................................... 4-11
Run the Dashboard and Link to the Issues Report ............................................................. 4-11
Related Documentation ....................................................................................................................... 4-13

5 How to Control Form Layout

Creating a Table and Data Input Form................................................................................................. 5-2
Create the HT_EMP Table ................................................................................................................ 5-2
Create a New Application................................................................................................................. 5-3
Create a New Page Containing an Input Form ............................................................................. 5-4
Run the Page ....................................................................................................................................... 5-5
Changing the Appearance of a Page by Altering Region Attributes ............................................. 5-6
Edit the Region Title .......................................................................................................................... 5-6
Change the Display Point and Template........................................................................................ 5-7
Change the Region Attributes Back to the Original Selections .................................................. 5-8
Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout................................................................ 5-8
Edit Item Attributes ........................................................................................................................... 5-9
Fix Item Alignment ......................................................................................................................... 5-10
Add a Stop and Start HTML Table Item............................................................................... 5-11
Edit the Special Information Item.......................................................................................... 5-13
Change a Region to Display-only ................................................................................................. 5-14
Change Items to Display-only................................................................................................ 5-14
Create a New Region............................................................................................................... 5-15
Move Audit Items to the New Region .................................................................................. 5-15
Change the Region Template to Hide/Show Region ......................................................... 5-15
Adding a Region Header and Footer ................................................................................................. 5-16
Making a Region Conditional ............................................................................................................ 5-17

iv
 Adding a Region to Contain Hint Text.............................................................................................. 5-17
Changing Item Types ........................................................................................................................... 5-18
Change an Item to a Radio Group ................................................................................................ 5-18
Change an Item to a Select List ..................................................................................................... 5-19
Change an Item to a Check Box .................................................................................................... 5-20
About Label Templates ........................................................................................................................ 5-21
Changing Buttons.................................................................................................................................. 5-22
Running the Page for Update ............................................................................................................. 5-22
Making Data Bold ................................................................................................................................ 5-23

6 How to Work with Check Boxes

Creating an Application .......................................................................................................................... 6-1
Run the Application........................................................................................................................... 6-3
Editing the Update Form......................................................................................................................... 6-3
Hide the Warranty Period Field....................................................................................................... 6-4
Add a New Checkbox........................................................................................................................ 6-4
Add a New Item.......................................................................................................................... 6-4
Create a Process........................................................................................................................... 6-5
Edit the Item to Display as a Check Box.................................................................................. 6-6
Change the Report Display .................................................................................................................... 6-7
Create Multi Value Check Boxes to Filter Content ............................................................................ 6-8
Change the Search Field to a Multi Value Check Box .................................................................. 6-9
Edit the Report Region Definition ................................................................................................... 6-9
Change the Default Check Box Behavior..................................................................................... 6-10
Change the Check Boxes to Display in Bold ............................................................................... 6-10
Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report ............................................................................ 6-11
Call APEX_ITEM.CHECKBOX ..................................................................................................... 6-11
Add a Button to Submit Check Box Array Values ..................................................................... 6-12
Add a Process .................................................................................................................................. 6-13

7 How to Implement a Web Service

About Creating Web Service References ............................................................................................. 7-2
Creating a New Application................................................................................................................... 7-2
Specifying an Application Proxy Server Address.............................................................................. 7-2
Creating a Web Service Reference from a WSDL .............................................................................. 7-3
Create a Form and Report................................................................................................................. 7-3
Creating a Web Service Reference Manually...................................................................................... 7-5
Create a Web Service Reference Manually..................................................................................... 7-5
Test the Web Service ......................................................................................................................... 7-7
Create a Page to Call the Manual Web Service.............................................................................. 7-8
Create a Submit Button ..................................................................................................................... 7-8
Create Items for ZIP Code and Radius ........................................................................................... 7-9
Create a Process to Call the Manually Created Web Reference .................................................. 7-9
Create a Report on the Web Service Result ................................................................................. 7-10

v
8 How to Create a Stacked Bar Chart
About the Syntax for Creating Chart Queries .................................................................................... 8-1
Creating an Application .......................................................................................................................... 8-2
Creating a New Page................................................................................................................................ 8-3
Adding Additional Series....................................................................................................................... 8-4
Updating the Sample Data ..................................................................................................................... 8-6
Viewing the Chart .................................................................................................................................... 8-6
Editing Chart Attributes ......................................................................................................................... 8-7

9 How to Upload and Download Files in an Application

Creating an Application .......................................................................................................................... 9-1
Creating an Upload Form ....................................................................................................................... 9-2
Create an HTML Region ................................................................................................................... 9-2
Create an Upload Item ...................................................................................................................... 9-3
Create a Button ................................................................................................................................... 9-3
Creating a Report with Download Links ............................................................................................ 9-4
Create a Report on APEX_APPLICATION_FILES ....................................................................... 9-4
Add Link to Download Documents ................................................................................................ 9-5
Storing Additional Attributes About the Document ....................................................................... 9-6
Create a Table to Store Document Attributes ................................................................................ 9-7
Create an Item to Capture the Document Subject ......................................................................... 9-7
Create a Process to Insert Information ............................................................................................ 9-8
Show Additional Attributes in the Report Region........................................................................ 9-8
Storing the Document in a Custom Table ........................................................................................... 9-9
Downloading Documents from the Custom Table ........................................................................ 9-10
Create a Procedure to Download Documents ............................................................................ 9-10
Edit the Uploaded Files Region ................................................................................................... 9-12
Change the Download Link to Use the New Procedure ........................................................... 9-12
Create Download Page for Embedded PL/SQL Gateway........................................................ 9-12
Security Issues to Consider ................................................................................................................. 9-14

10 How to Incorporate JavaScript into an Application

Understanding How to Incorporate JavaScript Functions ............................................................ 10-1
Incorporating JavaScript in the HTML Header Attribute......................................................... 10-2
Including JavaScript in a .js File Referenced by the Page Template ........................................ 10-2
About Referencing Items Using JavaScript ..................................................................................... 10-3
Calling JavaScript from a Button ....................................................................................................... 10-3
Changing the Value of Form Elements ............................................................................................. 10-4
Creating a Client Side JavaScript Validation................................................................................... 10-4
Create an Application on the OEHR_EMPLOYEES Table........................................................ 10-5
Add a Function to the HTML Header Attribute ........................................................................ 10-6
Edit an Item to Call the Function .................................................................................................. 10-7
Test the Validation by Running the Page .................................................................................... 10-7
Enabling and Disabling Form Elements........................................................................................... 10-8
Add a Function to the HTML Header Attribute ........................................................................ 10-8
Edit an Item to Call the Function .................................................................................................. 10-9

vi
 Change the Item to a Select List .................................................................................................... 10-9
Create a Call to the disFormItems Function.............................................................................. 10-10

11 How to Build an Access Control Page

How Access Control Administration Works.................................................................................... 11-1
Creating an Application ....................................................................................................................... 11-2
Download Spreadsheet Data ......................................................................................................... 11-2
Create an Application Based on Spreadsheet Data.................................................................... 11-2
Run the Application........................................................................................................................ 11-3
Creating an Access Control Administration Page........................................................................... 11-4
Create an Access Control Page...................................................................................................... 11-4
View the Page ................................................................................................................................. 11-5
Add Users to the Access Control List .......................................................................................... 11-5
Creating an Authentication Function................................................................................................ 11-6
Updating the Current Authentication Scheme................................................................................ 11-7
Applying Authorization Schemes to Components......................................................................... 11-7
Associate an Authorization Scheme with the Application ....................................................... 11-7
Associate Edit Privileges with the ID Column ........................................................................... 11-8
Associate Edit Privileges with the Create Button....................................................................... 11-8
Associate Edit Privileges with Page 2 .......................................................................................... 11-9
Restrict Access to Page 8 ................................................................................................................ 11-9
Specify an Authorization Scheme for Page 8 ....................................................................... 11-9
Specify an Authorization Scheme for the Administration Tab ......................................... 11-9
Testing the Application ........................................................................................................................ 11-9
Log In with View Privileges ........................................................................................................ 11-10
Log In with Edit Privileges .......................................................................................................... 11-10
Log In with Administrator Privileges ........................................................................................ 11-11

12 How to Review a Packaged Application

What Is a Packaged Application? ....................................................................................................... 12-1
About the Supporting Object Utility ................................................................................................ 12-2
Accessing the Supporting Objects Page....................................................................................... 12-2
About Supporting Objects Installation ............................................................................................ 12-3
Welcome Message ........................................................................................................................... 12-4
Prerequisites..................................................................................................................................... 12-4
License Acceptance ......................................................................................................................... 12-7
Application Substitution Strings................................................................................................... 12-7
Add Substitution Stings .......................................................................................................... 12-7
Review Substitution Strings ................................................................................................... 12-8
Build Options................................................................................................................................... 12-8
Review the Build Options Page ............................................................................................. 12-8
Pre-Installation Validations ........................................................................................................... 12-9
Review the Validation Page ................................................................................................... 12-9
Pre-Installation Confirmation Message ..................................................................................... 12-10
Installation Scripts......................................................................................................................... 12-10
View Installation Scripts ....................................................................................................... 12-10

vii
 Review an Existing Installation Script ................................................................................ 12-11
About Creating Installation Scripts from Files .................................................................. 12-12
About Creating Scripts to Install Files ................................................................................ 12-13
Success Message ............................................................................................................................ 12-14
About Supporting Objects Deinstallation ..................................................................................... 12-14
View the Deinstallation Confirmation Message....................................................................... 12-14
Review the Deinstallation Script................................................................................................. 12-15
View the Deinstallation Success Message ................................................................................. 12-15
About Supporting Objects Export ................................................................................................... 12-15
Review the Supporting Objects Export Setting ........................................................................ 12-15
Where the Export Default Appears When Exporting.............................................................. 12-15
About Creating Upgrade Scripts ...................................................................................................... 12-16
Utilizing Upgrade Messages ....................................................................................................... 12-16
About Refining Your Installation Scripts....................................................................................... 12-17
Downloading Public Packaged Applications and Sample Code............................................... 12-17

13 How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report

About Oracle BI Publisher Licensing Requirements..................................................................... 13-2
Viewing a Hosted Version of the Application ............................................................................ 13-2
Loading the Required Objects ............................................................................................................ 13-2
Download the Packaged Application ......................................................................................... 13-2
Import and Install the Packaged Application ............................................................................. 13-3
About Checking the Available Space in Your Workspace................................................. 13-3
About Deleting the Packaged Application........................................................................... 13-4
Creating a Master Detail Form............................................................................................................ 13-4
View the Report............................................................................................................................... 13-5
Creating the Report Query .................................................................................................................. 13-6
Creating the RTF Template.................................................................................................................. 13-7
Download Oracle BI Publisher Desktop...................................................................................... 13-8
Load the XML Details..................................................................................................................... 13-8
Insert the Fields ............................................................................................................................... 13-8
Include Line Items........................................................................................................................... 13-8
About Including Variables in Your RTF............................................................................... 13-9
Creating the Report Layout ............................................................................................................... 13-10
Create a Report Layout ................................................................................................................ 13-10
Associate the Report Layout and Report Query....................................................................... 13-10
Linking the PDF Report to the Application ................................................................................... 13-10
Create a Button .............................................................................................................................. 13-11
Run the Page .................................................................................................................................. 13-12
About Creating One PDF Containing All Orders......................................................................... 13-12

14 How to Design an Issue Tracking Application

Planning and Project Analysis............................................................................................................ 14-1
Planning and Project Analysis ...................................................................................................... 14-2
Gather the Necessary Data ..................................................................................................... 14-2
Define Security Requirements................................................................................................ 14-2
Select Data Management Functions ...................................................................................... 14-3

viii
 Select Data Presentation Functions ....................................................................................... 14-3
Define Special Function Requirements................................................................................. 14-3
Designing the Database Objects ........................................................................................................ 14-4
About the Projects Table ................................................................................................................ 14-4
About the People Table .................................................................................................................. 14-5
About the Issues Table ................................................................................................................... 14-6
Implementing Database Objects........................................................................................................ 14-7
Additional Database Objects Needed .......................................................................................... 14-7
About Building Database Objects ................................................................................................. 14-8
Create and Run a Script to Build Database Objects ................................................................... 14-8
View the Created Database Objects.............................................................................................. 14-9
Loading Demonstration Data............................................................................................................ 14-10

15 How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application

Issue Tracker Application Overview ................................................................................................. 15-1
Issue Tracker User Interface .......................................................................................................... 15-2
Issue Tracker Architecture............................................................................................................. 15-2
Building a Basic User Interface .......................................................................................................... 15-4
Create the Basic Application ......................................................................................................... 15-5
Create the Application ............................................................................................................ 15-5
Add a Logo to the Application .............................................................................................. 15-5
Run the Application................................................................................................................. 15-6
Add Navigation Image List to Home Page ................................................................................. 15-7
Create a List of Images ............................................................................................................ 15-7
Create a Region to Contain the List of Images .................................................................... 15-8
Add Pages to Maintain Projects ................................................................................................... 15-9
Overview of Project Pages .................................................................................................... 15-10
Create a Tab Set for this Application .................................................................................. 15-12
Create Pages for Maintaining Projects ................................................................................ 15-12
Refine the Appearance of the Projects Report Page.......................................................... 15-13
Refine the Project Details Page............................................................................................. 15-14
Run Project Page and Project Details Page......................................................................... 15-16
Add Pages to Track Users ............................................................................................................ 15-17
Overview of User Pages........................................................................................................ 15-17
Create Pages for Maintaining Users.................................................................................... 15-19
Modify Appearance of the Users Page ............................................................................... 15-21
Refine the Appearance of the User Information Page ...................................................... 15-23
Run Users Page and User Information Page...................................................................... 15-26
Add Pages to Track Issues ........................................................................................................... 15-28
Overview of Issues Pages ..................................................................................................... 15-28
Create a Report for Issues ..................................................................................................... 15-31
Refine the Issue Details ......................................................................................................... 15-33
Refine the Issues Report........................................................................................................ 15-46
Run Issues Page and Issue Details Page ............................................................................. 15-48
Add Pages for Summary Reports ............................................................................................... 15-51
Overview of Summary Reports Pages ................................................................................ 15-52
Add a Summary Reports Page............................................................................................. 15-53

ix
 Add an Assign Open Issues Report Page .......................................................................... 15-56
Add an Issue Summary by Project Report Page................................................................ 15-60
Add Resolved by Month Identified Report Page.............................................................. 15-66
Add a Calendar to Display Target Resolution Dates ....................................................... 15-67
Add a Bar Chart to Display Average Days to Resolve..................................................... 15-72
Add a Dashboard Page................................................................................................................. 15-74
Overview of Dashboard Page .............................................................................................. 15-74
Create Dashboard Page ........................................................................................................ 15-75
Add An Overdue Issues Report........................................................................................... 15-76
Add an Unassigned Issues Report ...................................................................................... 15-78
Add a Recently Opened Issues Report ............................................................................... 15-79
Add an Open Issues by Project Pie Chart .......................................................................... 15-81
Adding Advanced Features ............................................................................................................... 15-82
Add Support for Email Notification........................................................................................... 15-82
How Email Notification Works ........................................................................................... 15-83
Add Notification of New Assignments .............................................................................. 15-83
Add Notification for Overdue Issues.................................................................................. 15-85
Add Application Security ............................................................................................................ 15-88
Restrict Project and People Definition ................................................................................ 15-88
Restrict Issue Modification ................................................................................................... 15-91
Deploying Your Application ............................................................................................................. 15-95
Move the Application Definition ................................................................................................ 15-95
Export the Application Definition ....................................................................................... 15-95
Create the Required Objects to Support the Application................................................. 15-96
Import the Application Definition into the Production Instance.................................... 15-96
Load the Data ......................................................................................................................... 15-97
Alternate Authentication Mechanisms to Consider................................................................. 15-97
Create Users ................................................................................................................................... 15-98
Publish the URL............................................................................................................................. 15-98

A DDLs and Scripts

Creating Application Database Objects DDL ................................................................................... A-1
Creating Issues Script............................................................................................................................. A-7

x
 Preface

Oracle Database Application Express Advanced Tutorials contains tutorials with

step-by-step instructions that explain how to create a variety of application
components and entire applications using the Oracle Application Express
development environment.
Topics in this section include:
■ Audience
■ Documentation Accessibility
■ Related Documents
■ Conventions

Audience
Oracle Database Application Express Advanced Tutorials is intended for application
developers who wish to learn how to build database-centric Web applications using
Oracle Application Express. To use this guide, you need to have a general
understanding of relational database concepts, the operating system environment
under which you are running the Oracle Application Express, and Application
Builder.
What is Application Builder? A component of Oracle Application Express, Application
Builder is a powerful tool that enables you to quickly assemble an HTML interface (or
application) on top of database objects such as tables and procedures. Prior to
completing these tutorials, please review Oracle Database 2 Day + Application Express
Developer's Guide.

See Also: "About these Tutorials" on page 1-1

Documentation Accessibility
Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation
accessible to all users, including users that are disabled. To that end, our
documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive
technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to
facilitate access by the disabled community. Accessibility standards will continue to
evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading
technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be
accessible to all of our customers. For more information, visit the Oracle Accessibility
Program Web site at http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/.

xi
 Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation
Screen readers may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The
conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an
otherwise empty line; however, some screen readers may not always read a line of text
that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or
organizations that Oracle does not own or control. Oracle neither evaluates nor makes
any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Access to Oracle Support Services

To reach Oracle Support Services, use a telecommunications relay service (TRS) to call
Oracle Support at 1.800.223.1711. An Oracle Support Services engineer will handle
technical issues and provide customer support according to the Oracle service request
process. Information about TRS is available at
http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/trs.html, and a list of phone numbers is
available at http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/dro/trsphonebk.html.

Related Documents
For more information, see these Oracle resources:
■ Oracle Database Application Express Installation Guide
■ Oracle Database Application Express Release Notes
■ Oracle Database 2 Day + Application Express Developer's Guide
■ Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide
■ Oracle Database Concepts
■ Oracle Database Application Developer's Guide - Fundamentals
■ Oracle Database Administrator's Guide
■ Oracle Database SQL Reference
■ SQL*Plus User's Guide and Reference

For additional documentation available on Oracle’s Technology Network, please visit

the Oracle Application Express web site located at
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_express/

For additional application examples, please visit the Oracle by Examples (OBEs)
Application Express page, located on Oracle’s Technology Network. The OBEs
provide step-by-step examples with screenshots on how to perform various tasks
within Application Express.
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_express/html/obes.html

For information about Oracle error messages, see Oracle Database Error Messages.
Oracle error message documentation is available only in HTML. If you have access to
the Oracle Database Documentation Library, you can browse the error messages by
range. Once you find the specific range, use your browser's "find in page" feature to
locate the specific message. When connected to the Internet, you can search for a
specific error message using the error message search feature of the Oracle online
documentation.

xii
 Many books in the documentation set use the sample schemas of the seed database,
which is installed by default when you install Oracle. Refer to Oracle Database Sample
Schemas for information on how these schemas were created and how you can use
them yourself.
Printed documentation is available for sale in the Oracle Store at
http://oraclestore.oracle.com/
To download free release notes, installation documentation, white papers, or other
collateral, please visit the Oracle Technology Network (OTN). You must register
online before using OTN; registration is free and can be done at
http://www.oracle.com/technology/membership/
If you already have a user name and password for OTN, then you can go directly to
the documentation section of the OTN Web site at
http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/

Conventions
The following text conventions are used in this document:

Convention Meaning
boldface Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated
with an action, or terms defined in text or the glossary.
italic Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for
which you supply particular values.
monospace Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code
in examples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.

xiii
xiv
 1
About these Tutorials

Oracle Database Application Express Advanced Tutorials contains a series of tutorials that
explain how to use Oracle Application Express to create applications and application
components. The goal of this book is to help you understand how to use Oracle
Application Express through hands-on experience.
This section contains the following topics:
■ What this Book Is Not
■ Tutorial Topics
■ About Loading Sample Objects
■ About Application Authentication

What this Book Is Not

Oracle Database Application Express Advanced Tutorials is a collection of tutorials with
step-by-step instructions. The objective of these tutorials is to demonstrate how to
build a particular type of application or application component using the Oracle
Application Express development environment.
Where appropriate, this book describes concepts relevant to understanding or
completing a task. However, this book is not intended to be a complete discussion of
Oracle Application Express concepts. For this type of information, see Oracle
Application Express online Help or Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
If you are new to Oracle Application Express, please review the Oracle Database 2 Day
+ Application Express Developer's Guide. This guide introduces you to application
development using Oracle Application Express. It leads your through the process of
setting up your development environment and walks you through building an initial
application.

Tutorial Topics
This document contains the following tutorials:

Title Description
How to Create a Tabular Form Illustrates how to create a tabular form within a new
application and how to change one of the updatable
columns from a text field to a select list.
How to Create a Parameterized Illustrates how to create an interactive report and explains
Report how a user can customize the report.

About these Tutorials 1-1

About Loading Sample Objects

Title Description
Using Advanced Report Highlights some of the more advanced reporting
Techniques techniques, such as linking from one interactive
report to another and creating declarative filters
within a URL.
How to Control Form Layout Explains how to create a data input form and then change
the form layout by editing the region and item attributes.
How to Work with Check Boxes Illustrates the different ways in which you can create and
process check boxes within an application.
How to Implement a Web Explains how to call a Web service from within an
Service application.
How to Create a Stacked Bar Explains how to create a stacked bar chart within an
Chart application.
How to Upload and Download Illustrates how to create a form and report with links for
Files in an Application file upload and download.
How to Incorporate JavaScript Describes some usage scenarios for JavaScript and includes
into an Application details about how to implement them in your application.
How to Build an Access Control Explains how to build an Access Control Administration to
Page restrict access to an application.
How to Review a Packaged Explores the OEHR Sample Objects packaged application.
Application By reviewing the supporting objects behind this
application, you can learn how the Supporting Object
Utility works so that you can create your own packaged
applications.
How to Create a Master Detail Explains how to create a master detail form, define a report
PDF Report query and RTF template, and then create a button to
expose the new report.
How to Design an Issue Tracking This tutorial describes how to plan, design and populate
Application data objects for an example Issue Tracking application.
How to Build and Deploy an Provides step-by-step instructions on how to create and
Issue Tracking Application deploy an application that tracks the assignment, status,
and progress of issues related to a project.

About Loading Sample Objects

In Oracle Application Express, users log in to a workspace. Think of each workspace
as a shared work area that separates your objects, data, and applications into a virtual
private database.
Before you can start these exercises, you need to create the appropriate sample objects
within your workspace. These sample objects are copies of the objects that are
typically installed in two schemas:
■ Human Resources (HR)
The HR schema contains information about the employees and the facilities where
they work. Each employee has an identification number, email address, job
identification code, salary, and manager. Employees are assigned to a department
and each department is associated with one location that has a full address.
including the street name, postal code, city, state or province, and country code.
■ Order Entry (OE)
The OE schema tracks product inventories and sales of a company's products,
including the product identification number, the product name, the associated

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 About Loading Sample Objects

associates product category, product descriptions, the weight group (for shipping
purposes), the warranty periods, the supplier, the status availability, and a
minimum price.
To create the objects locally in your workspace, you need to import the OEHR Sample
Objects application.
This section contains the following topics:
■ Downloading OEHR Sample Objects
■ Importing and Installing OEHR Sample Objects
■ Viewing Database Objects

Tip: In order to successfully import the objects associated with the

OEHR Sample Objects application, your Oracle database must include
Oracle Spatial. If your database instance does not include Oracle
Spatial, you can install it using Database Configuration Assistant. To
learn more, see the Oracle Database Installation Guide for your operating
environment.

Downloading OEHR Sample Objects

To import the OEHR Sample Objects application, you first need to download it from the
Oracle Technology Network (OTN):
1. In your Web browser go to:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_
express/packaged_apps/oehr_sample_objects.zip

2. Locate the OEHR Sample Objects application.

3. Download the oehr_sample_objects.zip file to your computer.
4. Unzip and extract the oehr_sample_objects_installer.sql file:
■ Microsoft Windows - Double-click the oehr_sample_objects.zip file
■ UNIX or Linux - Enter the following command:
$ unzip oehr_sample_objects.zip

Importing and Installing OEHR Sample Objects

After you download the OEHR Sample Objects application, you need to import it into
Oracle Application Express. During the import process, specify that you also want to
install both the application and the supporting objects. Installing the application
creates the objects and sample data needed to complete the exercises in Oracle
Application Express Advanced Tutorials.
To import and install the OEHR Sample Objects application:
1. Log in to Oracle Application Express. See "Logging In To Oracle Application
Express" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
2. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
The Application Builder home page appears.
3. Click the Import button.
4. For Specify File, specify the following:

About these Tutorials 1-3

About Loading Sample Objects

a. Import file - Click Browse and go to the oehr_sample_objects_

installer.sql file.
b. File Type - Select Application, Page, or Component Export.
c. Verify that File Character Set is correct.
d. Click Next.
Now that you have imported the file, you want to install it.
5. To install an imported file, click Next.
The Install Application Wizard appears.
6. In the Install Application Wizard, specify the following:
a. Parsing Schema - Select a schema.
b. Build Status - Select Run and Build Application.
c. Install As Application - Select Auto Assign New Application ID.
d. Click Install.
7. For Supporting Objects, select Yes and click Next.
8. Confirm your selections by clicking Install.
9. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page.
The Application Builder home page appears.

See Also: "Viewing Database Objects" on page 1-5

Checking Available Space in Your Workspace

If you experience problems installing the OEHR Sample Objects application, verify the
available space in your workspace. You many need to request additional storage
space.
If you are a workspace administrator, you can:
1. Determine if you need additional storage space. See "Viewing the Workspace
Overview Report" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
2. Request additional storage space. See "Requesting Additional Storage" in Oracle
Database Application Express User's Guide.

Deleting the OEHR Sample Objects Application

Deleting the OEHR Sample Objects application and selecting to deinstall the supporting
objects completely removes all associated objects and sample data.
To delete the OEHR Sample Objects application:
1. Log in to Oracle Application Express.
2. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
The Application Builder home page appears.
3. Select the OEHR Sample Objects application.
The Application home page appears.
4. On the Tasks list, click Delete this Application.
The Deinstall page appears.

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 About Loading Sample Objects

5. To remove all associated objects and sample data, select Remove Application
Definition and Deinstall Supporting Objects.
6. Click Deinstall.

Viewing Database Objects

Now, take a look at the objects you just created by going to Object Browser. Object
Browser enables you to browse, create, and edit objects in your database.
To view the objects:
1. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop.
2. Click Object Browser.
As shown in Figure 1–1 on page 1-5, Object Browser appears.

Figure 1–1 Object Browser

Object Browser is divided into two sections:

■ Object Selection pane displays on the left side of the Object Browser page and
lists database objects of a selected type within the current schema.
The list of objects that appears depends upon the available objects in the
current schema. Note that any object having a red bar adjacent to it is invalid.
■ Detail pane displays to the right of the page and displays detailed information
about the selected object.
3. From the Object Selection list, select Tables.
4. In the Object Selection pane, click OEHR_EMPLOYEES from the list.
The Detail pane shows details about the table.
5. Click the Data tab in the row at the top of the Details pane.
The data in the OEHR_EMPLOYEES table appears. Note that other tabs show
additional details about the object you select.

About these Tutorials 1-5

About Application Authentication

6. To search for an object name, enter a case insensitive term in the Search field.
7. To view all objects, leave the Search field blank.

See also: "Managing Database Objects with Object Browser" in

Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide

About Application Authentication

As you create new pages, you can view them by running the page individually or by
running an entire application. When you run a page or application, the Application
Express engine dynamically renders it into viewable HTML based on data stored in
the database.
By default, all the applications you create in these tutorials use Application Express
Authentication. Application Express Authentication is a built-in authentication scheme
that uses the same internal user accounts you use to log in to a workspace.
The first time you run a page in an application, you are prompted to enter a user name
and password. To continue, simply enter your workspace user name and password
and then click Login.
When you create your own applications, you can choose from a number of
preconfigured authentication schemes or build your own.

See Also: "Establishing User Identity Through Authentication" in

Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.

1-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 2
How to Create a Tabular Form

A tabular form enables users to update multiple rows in a table at once from a single
page. You can use the Tabular Form Wizard to create a tabular form that contains a
built-in multiple row update process. This built-in process performs optimistic locking
behind the scenes to maintain the data integrity.
This tutorial explains how to create a tabular form within a new application and then
how to change one of the updatable columns from a text field to a select list. Before
you begin, you need to import and install the OEHR Sample Objects application in
order to access the necessary sample database objects. See "About Loading Sample
Objects" on page 1-2.
This section contains the following topics:
■ Creating an Application
■ Creating a Tabular Form Using a Wizard
■ Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

For additional examples on this and related topics, please visit the following Oracle by
Examples (OBEs):
■ Oracle Application Express 3.0 - Building a Functional Application
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/obe30/apexdev30.htm

■ Using Some Additional New Features in Oracle Application Express 3.1

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31misc.htm

■ Adding Additional Components to your Existing Application

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_c/apex3.1.1_c_otn.htm

Creating an Application
First, you need to create an application using the Create Application Wizard.
To create an application using the Create Application Wizard:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. Select Create Application and click Next.
4. For Name:

How to Create a Tabular Form 2-1

Creating a Tabular Form Using a Wizard

a. Name - Enter Tabular Form.

b. Application - Accept the default.
c. Create Application - Select From scratch.
d. Schema - Select the schema where you installed the OEHR sample objects.
e. Click Next.
Next, you need to add a page. You have the option of adding a blank page, a
report, a form, a tabular form, or a report and form. For this exercise, you
create an application containing a blank page. Then, you create a tabular form.
5. Add a blank page:
a. Under Select Page Type, select Blank and click Add Page.
The new page appears in the list at the top of the page.
b. Click Next.
6. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and click Next.
7. For Copy Shared Components from Another Application, accept the default, No,
and click Next.
8. For Attributes, accept the defaults for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and click Next.
9. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and click Next.
A theme is collection of templates that define the layout and style of an
application. You can change a theme at any time.
10. Review your selections and click Create.
The Application home page appears.

See Also: "Managing Themes" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide

Creating a Tabular Form Using a Wizard

The Tabular Form Wizard creates a form to perform update, insert, and delete
operations on multiple rows in a database table. Additionally, the wizard creates a
multiple row update process that checks for MD5 checksum values before doing the
update to prevent lost updates. In the following exercise you create a tabular form on
the OEHR_EMPLOYEES table.
To create a tabular form using the Tabular Form Wizard:
1. On the Application home page, click Create Page.
2. For the page type, select Form and click Next.
3. Select Tabular Form and click Next.
4. For Table/View Owner:
a. Table/View Owner - Accept the default.
b. Allowed Operations - Accept the default, Update, Insert, and Delete.
c. Click Next.
5. For Table/View Name, select OEHR_EMPLOYEES and click Next.

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 Creating a Tabular Form Using a Wizard

6. For Displayed Columns:

a. For Select Columns, press Ctrl and select the following columns:
FIRST_NAME, LAST_NAME, HIRE_DATE, SALARY, DEPARTMENT_ID

Note: This exercise limits the number of columns to optimize the

display on-screen. For a real form, you would probably want to
include additional columns.

b. Click Next.
7. For Primary Key, accept the default, EMPLOYEE_ID (Number) and click Next.
8. For Source Type, accept the default, Existing trigger, and click Next.
9. For Updatable Columns, select all columns and click Next.
10. For Page and Region Attributes:

a. Page - Accept the default.

b. Page Name - Enter Tabular Form.
c. Region Title - Accept the default, Tabular Form.
d. Region Template and Report Template - Accept the defaults.
e. Breadcrumb - Accept the default.
f. Click Next.
11. For Tab, accept the default, Do not use tabs, and click Next.

12. For Button Labels, specify the following:

a. Submit button - Enter Apply Changes.

b. Cancel, Delete, and Add Row buttons - Accept the default label text.
c. Click Next.
13. For Branching, accept the defaults and click Next.
Branching tells the Web browser what page to display when the current page is
submitted for processing. In this case, you want the user to remain on the current
page.
14. Confirm your selections and click Finish.
Next, run the page to view your new form.
To run the page:
1. Click the Run Page icon as shown in Figure 2–1.

Figure 2–1 Run Page Icon

How to Create a Tabular Form 2-3

Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

2. If prompted to enter a user name and password, enter your workspace user name
and password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on
page 1-6.
The tabular form appears as shown in Figure 2–2 on page 2-4.

Figure 2–2 Tabular Form

As shown in Figure 2–2, note that the tabular form contains four buttons. Cancel,
Delete, and Apply Changes display in the upper right corner and Add Row displays
in the bottom right corner. Additionally, a check box appears to the left of each row to
enable the user to select the current row. Users can also select all rows at once by
selecting the check box to the left of the column headings. The same check box is also
used in conjunction with the Delete button to identify the rows to be deleted.
Note that the overall form layout (that is, the color scheme, button placement, region
header placement, and so on) are controlled by templates in the currently selected
theme.

See Also: "Managing Themes" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide

Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

When the Tabular Form Wizard creates a tabular form, updatable columns are
displayed, by default, as text fields. In the next exercise, you change the default
display of the Department Id column to a select list. To accomplish this, you create a
named list of values (LOV) and then edit the column attributes.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create a Named List of Values
■ Edit the Column to Display as a Select List

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 Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

See Also: "Creating Lists of Values" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

Create a Named List of Values

To create a named LOV for the Department Id:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar as shown in Figure 2–3.

Figure 2–3 Developer Toolbar

The Page Definition for page 2 appears.

2. Under List of Values, click the Create icon.

Figure 2–4 Create Icon

The Create List of Values Wizard appears.

3. For Source, select From Scratch and click Next.
4. For Name and Type:
a. Name - Enter DEPTID.
b. Type - Select Dynamic.
c. Click Next.
5. For Query or Static Values, replace the existing text with this:
SELECT DISTINCT department_id a, department_id b FROM oehr_employees

6. Click Create List of Values.

The Page Definition for page 2 appears. Note that the LOV does not yet appear on
the Page Definitions.

Edit the Column to Display as a Select List

To edit the column to display as a select list:
1. Under Regions, click the Report link.
The Report Attributes page appears as shown in Figure 2–5.

How to Create a Tabular Form 2-5

Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

Figure 2–5 Column Attributes on the Report Attributes Page

2. Under Column Attributes, click the Edit icon next to the DEPARTMENT_ID
column as shown in Figure 2–5. The Edit icon resembles a small page with a pencil
on top of it.
The Column Attributes page appears.
Next, change the default display of this column to a select list.
3. Scroll down to Tabular Form Element. From Display As, select Select List (named
LOV).
4. Scroll down to Lists of Values. From Named LOV, select DEPTID.
5. Scroll up to the top of the page and click Apply Changes.
6. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner of the page.
As shown in Figure 2–6 on page 2-7, notice the Department Id column now
displays as a select list.

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 Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

Figure 2–6 Tabular Form with Department Id Column Changed to a Select List

Note: Do not modify the select list of a SQL statement of a tabular

form after it has been generated. Doing so can result in a checksum
error when altering the data in the form and applying updates.
Consider the following example:
SELECT first_name FROM oehr_employees;

Note that this should not be altered to:

SELECT lower(first_name) FROM oehr_employees

How to Create a Tabular Form 2-7

Changing an Updatable Column to a Select List

2-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 3
How to Create a Parameterized Report

This tutorial provides an introduction to Application Express report types, illustrates

how to create a parameterized report, and demonstrates how the user can dynamically
manipulate the interactive report format.
This tutorial contains the following topics:
■ Introducing Application Express Reports
■ Creating an Application with Interactive Reports
■ Add Columns of Data from Other Tables
■ Using an Interactive Report
■ Related Documentation
In an Oracle Application Express application, a report is the formatted result of an
SQL query. A parameterized report is a dynamic report based on input from the
application user or another component in the application. The application user enters
search criteria which is used to generate the report. For example, the user may want to
see all issues assigned to a particular person. The user inputs the person’s name into
the Search Bar and requests the report. The report is generated based on the name
provided by the user.
In this tutorial, you create an interactive report page based on an SQL query of a table
of issues. A form page is also created and is used to modify, remove or create issues.
The interactive report features allow the user to customize the focus and formatting of
the report.

Introducing Application Express Reports

This section describes the basic Application Express report types, and explains how to
know which one is best for your application.
This section includes these topics:
■ Overview of Report Types
■ Selecting the Appropriate Report Type

Overview of Report Types

There are two basic types of reports, an interactive report and a classic report.
The interactive report is the default report type when creating an application,
converting forms, and creating pages. Interactive reports enable the user to perform a
variety of report customizations. Unless disabled by the developer, an interactive

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-1

Introducing Application Express Reports

report includes the ability to perform searching, filtering, sorting, column selection,
highlighting, and other data manipulations. For a complete list of capabilities and how
to use them, see "Using an Interactive Report" on page 3-10. See Figure 3–1 for an
example of an interactive report that queries the IT_PEOPLE table and was created
using the Create Page Wizard.

Figure 3–1 Interactive Report

Notice the automatically built in Search Bar, Column Heading Menu links, and Link
Column icons in the first column of each row. For a complete description of each of
these components, see Introducing Interactive Report Components on page 3-10.
A classic report does not by default include any of the interactive report customization
features. See Figure 3–2 for an example of a classic report that was built with the
Create Page Wizard and queries the same columns in the IT_PEOPLE table as the
interactive report in Figure 3–1 queries.

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 Creating an Application with Interactive Reports

Figure 3–2 Classic Report

Notice there is no search bar, no column heading links and no drill down capability.

Selecting the Appropriate Report Type

If you want user customization capability such as search, filtering and sort controls,
select an interactive report. You can tailor the customization options available to the
user by enabling and disabling the individual options. If your report does not need
such controls you should consider a classic report. Classic reports also have integrated
tabular form capabilities that allow declarative grid update.

Creating an Application with Interactive Reports

In this section, you create an application using the Create Application Wizard and
then run the application. When you finish this section, your application will have a
Home page, Issues report page, and a Issue Details form page similar to Figure 3–3,
"Home Page", Figure 3–4, "Issues Report", and Figure 3–5, "Issue Details Form".

Figure 3–3 Home Page

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-3

Creating an Application with Interactive Reports

Figure 3–4 Issues Report

Figure 3–5 Issue Details Form

This section contains the following topics:

■ Create and Populate the Database Objects
■ Create the Application
■ Preview the Application
■ Introducing Interactive Report Components

Create and Populate the Database Objects

Before you begin creating the application, you need to create the appropriate sample
objects within your workspace and load them with demonstration data.
To install the Issue Tracker sample objects:
1. Create the Issue Tracker data objects. Follow instructions outlined in "Create and
Run a Script to Build Database Objects" on page 14-8.
2. Load objects with demonstration data. Follow instructions described in "Loading
Demonstration Data" on page 14-10.
These sample objects are copies of the Issue Tracker application objects. For a
complete description of the Issue Tracker application see Chapter 14, "How to
Design an Issue Tracking Application" and Chapter 15, "How to Build and Deploy
an Issue Tracking Application".

Create the Application

The Create Application Wizard creates the Home page, Issues report page, and Issue
Details page. Because you are creating an interactive report, the wizard automatically
includes a Search Bar, Actions Menu, Column Heading Menu, and a link from the
Issues report page to the Issue Details form.

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 Creating an Application with Interactive Reports

See Also: For detailed information on how to use these interactive

report components refer to "Using an Interactive Report" on page 3-10.
For information on how to configure these components, see "Editing
Interactive Reports" in the Oracle Database Application Express User's
Guide, "Building Your Application" in the Oracle Database 2 Day +
Application Express Developer's Guide,

To create an application using the Create Application Wizard:

1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. Select Create Application and click Next.
4. For Name, specify the following:
a. Name - Enter Parameterized Report.
b. Application - Accept the default.
c. Create Application - Select From scratch.
d. Schema - Select the schema where you installed the OEHR sample objects.
e. Click Next.
Next, add a blank page.
5. Under Add Page, specify the following:
a. Select Page Type - Select Blank.
b. Page Name - Enter Home.
c. Click Add Page.
The new page appears in the list at the top of the page.
6. Under Add Page:
a. Select Page Type - Select Report and Form.
b. Subordinate to Page - Select Home (1).
c. Table Name - Select IT_ISSUES.
d. Implementation - Accept default of Interactive.
e. Click Add Page.
The It_Issues Report link and It_Issues Form link appear in the Create
Application region.
Next, you change the name of the report and form from the default names.
7. Click the It_Issues link next to Report at the top of the page.
8. Under Page Definition, enter Issues for Page Name.
9. Under Report Columns, for Show select No for these columns:
a. ISSUE_DESCRIPTION
b. RESOLUTION_SUMMARY
c. CREATED_ON

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-5

Creating an Application with Interactive Reports

d. CREATED_BY
e. MODIFIED_ON
f. MODIFIED_BY
10. Click Apply Changes.

11. Click It_Issues link next to Form.

12. Under Page Definition, enter Issue Details for Page Name.

13. Click Apply Changes.

The Issues Report link and Issue Details Form link appear in the Create
Application region.
14. Click Next.

15. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and click Next.

16. For Copy Shared Components from Another Application, accept the default, No,
and click Next.
17. For Attributes, accept all defaults and click Next.

18. For User Interface, select Theme 18 and click Next.

A theme is collection of templates that define the layout and style of an
application. You can change a theme at any time.

See Also: "Managing Themes" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide

19. Review your selections and click Create.

The Application home page appears.

Figure 3–6 Application Home Page

Preview the Application

Next, you run the application and navigate from the Home page to the Issues report
and then to the Issue Details form.
To run the application:
1. Click the Run Application icon.
2. Enter your workspace login information.

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 Creating an Application with Interactive Reports

The Home page appears.

3. Click the Issues link.
The Issues Report displays.

Figure 3–7 Issues Report

4. For the first row, click the Edit icon.

The Issue Details form appears as shown in Figure 3–8.

Figure 3–8 Issue Details Form

The Create Application Wizard configured the Issues interactive report Link
Column to target the Issue Details form. This is the default when the wizard
creates a page type of Report and Form.

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-7

Add Columns of Data from Other Tables

Tip: The Link Column can be reconfigured by going to the Report

Attributes page and changing the Link Column setting. See
Introducing Interactive Report Components on page 3-10.

5. Click Cancel to go back to the Issue Report.

6. Click the Create button.
An empty Issue Details form appears. This form enables you to add an issue to the
IT_ISSUES table. At this point, do not create a new issue.
7. Click the Application ID link on the Developer toolbar at the bottom of the page.

Add Columns of Data from Other Tables

Next, you add columns of data from the IT_PEOPLE and IT_PROJECTS tables. When
you created the Issues report page with the Create Application Wizard, only data from
the IT_ISSUES table was included in the SQL query. To add data in this report from
tables other tables, you modify the Issues report SQL query and then use the Actions
menu to include the added columns in the report.
To change the SQL query:
1. Click the 2 - Issues page.
2. Under Regions, click Issues.
3. For Source, replace with the following SQL:
SELECT "IT_ISSUES"."ISSUE_ID" as "ISSUE_ID",
"IT_ISSUES"."ISSUE_SUMMARY" as "ISSUE_SUMMARY",
"IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_NAME" as "IDENTIFIED_BY",
"IT_ISSUES"."IDENTIFIED_DATE" as "IDENTIFIED_DATE",
"IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_NAME" as "PROJECT_NAME",
decode("IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_NAME",NULL,'Unassigned',
"IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_NAME") as "ASSIGNED_TO",
"IT_ISSUES"."STATUS" as "STATUS",
"IT_ISSUES"."PRIORITY" as "PRIORITY",
"IT_ISSUES"."TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE" as "TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE",
"IT_ISSUES"."PROGRESS" as "PROGRESS",
"IT_ISSUES"."ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE" as "ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE"
FROM "IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE_1",
"IT_PROJECTS" "IT_PROJECTS",
"IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE",
"IT_ISSUES" "IT_ISSUES"
WHERE "IT_ISSUES"."IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID"="IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_ID"
AND "IT_ISSUES"."ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID"="IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_ID"(+)
AND "IT_ISSUES"."RELATED_PROJECT_ID"="IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_ID"

4. Click Apply Changes.

5. Click Apply Changes to Confirm.
To display the new columns:
1. Click the Run Page 2 icon.
2. Click the Actions menu as shown in Figure 3–9.

3-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Add Columns of Data from Other Tables

Figure 3–9 Actions Menu Icon

3. Select the Select Columns option.

The Select Columns options appear showing the Identified By, Project Name and
Assigned To columns in the Do Note Display box. When you modify the query
and columns are added, they do not appear in the report automatically and need
to be added.

Figure 3–10 Select Columns Options

4. Use the Move All arrows (>>) to move all columns from the Do Not Display box
to the Display in Report box.
5. Select the Issue Id column in the Display in Report box and click the Remove
arrow (<) to move it to the Do Not Display box.
6. Using the up and down arrows to the right of the Display in Report box, reorder
the columns as follows:
a. Issue Summary
b. Identified By
c. Identified Date
d. Project Name
e. Assigned To
f. Status
g. Priority
h. Target Resolution Date
i. Progress

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-9

Using an Interactive Report

j. Actual Resolution Date

7. Click Apply.
The Issue report appears with the new columns.

Figure 3–11 Issues Report with Additional Columns

Using an Interactive Report

This section introduces the basic interactive report components then teaches you how
an application user can manipulate these components to customize an interactive
report. Only some of the most common customizations are shown in this section. For a
detailed description of how to use each feature, see "Editing Interactive Reports" in the
Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide .
Topics included in this section:
■ Introducing Interactive Report Components
■ Adding a Filter to a Report
■ Saving Report Settings and Selecting Columns
■ Resetting to the Default Report Settings

Introducing Interactive Report Components

This section provides a basic understanding of interactive report components and
terminology.
In Figure 3–12, the basic interactive report components are identified in red font:

Figure 3–12 Interactive Report Components

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 Using an Interactive Report

Unless disabled by the developer, the following components are by default included
on an interactive report page:
■ Search Bar - Displays at the top of each interactive report page. Provides the
following features:
– Select columns icon looks like a magnifying glass and enables you to identify
which column to search (or all).
– Text area enables you to enter case insensitive search criteria (wild card
characters are implied).
– Rows selects the number of records to display per page.
– Go button executes the search.
– Actions Menu icon displays the actions menu.
■ Actions Menu - Used to customize the display of your interactive report. Provides
the following options:
– Select Columns specifies which columns to display and in what order.
– Filter focuses the report by adding or modifying the WHERE clause on the
query.
– Sort specifies which columns to sort on and whether the order is ascending or
descending.
– Control Break creates a break group on one or several columns.
– Highlight enables you to define a filter and highlight the rows that meet the
filter criteria.
– Compute enables you to add computed columns to your report.
– Aggregate enables users to perform mathematical computations against a
column.
– Chart adds a chart to your interactive report.
– Flashback performs a flashback query enabling you to view the data as it
existed at a previous point in time.
– Save Report saves the current customized report settings so they can be used
in the future.
– Reset enables you to reset the report back to the default report settings.
– Help provides detailed descriptions of how to use the interactive report
components to customize your reports.
– Download enables the current result set to be downloaded.
■ Column Heading Menu - Clicking on any column heading exposes a column
heading menu that enables you to change the sort order, hide columns, create
break groups on a column, view help text about the column and create a filter.
■ Report Settings - If you customize your interactive report, the report settings are
displayed below the Search Bar and above the report. If you save customized
reports, they are shown as tabs.
■ Link Column - This column links to a Single Row View or to a Custom Target. In
this particular interactive report, shown in Figure 3–12, "Interactive Report
Components", the link column is a Custom Target, displayed as an Edit icon, that
links to the Issue Details form enabling the user to view and modify the selected
issue information.

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-11

Using an Interactive Report

The Link Column is specified by the interactive report’s Link Column setting on
the Report Attributes page. There are three possible selections for this setting:
– Link to Single Row:
This option enables the user to view details for a single row. The Single Row
View enables the user to view data, not modify it. Link to Single Row is the
default setting when creating an interactive report of page type Report. See the
Issues interactive report page created in Chapter 4, "Using Advanced Report
Techniques" for an example.
– Link to Custom Target:
This option enables the user to go to another page in the application or to a
URL, depending on which target was specified by the developer. Link to
Custom Target is the default setting when creating an interactive report of
page type Report and Form. The target defaults to the form page where the
user can modify data for that row. The Issues interactive report in this
application is an example of this type of link.
– Exclude Link Column:
This option removes the Link Column from the interactive report.
Next, you examine some of these features to customize the appearance of your report
and specify what data to include.

Adding a Filter to a Report

In this section, you add a filter to the report from the Search Bar. The filter displays all
issues assigned to Carla. Keep in mind, however, that there are other ways to add a
filter to your report. You can add a filter by using the:
■ Search Bar
■ Column Heading Menu
■ Actions Menu
To add a filter to the report from the Search Bar:
1. Make sure page 2 is still running and click the Select Columns icon in the Search
Bar (the icon looks like a magnifying glass).
A list of report columns appears.

Figure 3–13 List of Columns for Search

2. Select Assigned To.

The Assigned To column appears in the Search Bar.

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 Using an Interactive Report

Figure 3–14 Assigned To in the Search Bar

3. Enter carla in the text area and click Go.

The Issues report is displayed showing issues assigned to anyone with "carla" in
their first or last name. The search criteria is not case sensitive.

Figure 3–15 Filter for Issues Assigned to Carla

Notice the filter Assigned To contains 'carla' has been added to the Report Settings
area above the report. You can edit, disable or delete the filter.
Next, you disable then enable the filter.
4. Click the Enable/Disable check box next to Assigned To contains 'carla' to
disable the filter (the check box is now unchecked).
The report is displayed showing all issues.
5. Click the Enable/Disable check box next to Assigned To contains 'carla' to once
again enable the filter (the check box is now checked).
The report is displayed showing issues assigned to Carla.
6. Click the Assigned To contains 'carla' link.
The Filter edit options are displayed.

Figure 3–16 Filter Edit Options

7. For Operator, select does not contain.

8. Click Apply.
The name of the filter is changed and the report shows issues assigned to everyone
with the exception of those assigned to Carla.
9. Next delete the filter. Click the Filter Delete icon to the right of the
Enable/Disable checkbox (it looks like a filter with an X over it).
The filter is removed from the report settings area and the report appears with all
issues displayed.

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-13

Using an Interactive Report

Saving Report Settings and Selecting Columns

In this exercise, you save the current report settings as the default and customize the
report to only show a few columns. You save the customized report settings for future
use.
To save the report settings as the default:
1. Click the Actions menu and select Save Report.
The Save Report options region appears.
2. For Save, select As Default Report Settings.
3. Click Apply.
The current report format is now the default. When the user resets the report,
these settings are applied. For reset instructions, see Resetting to the Default
Report Settings on page 3-16.
To customize the report to include only a few columns:
1. Click the Actions menu and select Select Columns.
The Select Columns options region appears.
2. In the Display in Report box hold down the control key and select Issue
Summary, Status, Priority, Target Resolution Date and Actual Resolution Date.
3. Click the Remove arrow (<) to add the selected columns to the Do Not Display
box.
4. Click Apply.
The report displays with only 5 columns.

Figure 3–17 Customized Report

To save customized report settings:

1. Click the Actions menu and select Save Report.
The Save Report options region appears.
2. For the Save Report options, make these changes:
a. Save - Select As Named Report
b. Name - Enter Report 1

3-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Using an Interactive Report

c. Description - Enter Only show 5 columns.

3. Click Apply.
The report appears with report tabs at the top and Saved Report = "Report 1" in
the Report Settings area.

Figure 3–18 Save Customized Settings as Report 1

Notice there are two tabs, the Working Report and Report 1 tabs. The Report 1 tab
highlighted in orange is the current report being displayed. You can customize
this report further and save your changes, as shown in the proceeding steps, or
you can select the Working Report tab and make changes there. Changes made to
the Working Report do not affect any of the saved reports.
You can edit the saved report tab by clicking the Saved Report = "Report 1" link in
the report settings area and making changes to the Save Report options.

Note: Because the Named Report is only for the current user who is
logged in, the capability to create a Named Report is only available if
the application or page is not publilc and has some sort of
authentication. See "Editing Interactive Reports" in the Oracle Database
Application Express User's Guide for further information.

You can also remove the saved report. Follow these steps to delete the saved report:
1. Click the Delete Report icon (it looks like a report with an X over it) next to the
Saved Report = "Report 1" link in the report settings area.
2. Click Apply.
The customized report with 5 columns appears with the saved report tabs
removed.

How to Create a Parameterized Report 3-15

Related Documentation

Resetting to the Default Report Settings

In this section, you reset the report back to the default settings saved at the beginning
of "Saving Report Settings and Selecting Columns" on page 3-14.
To reset the report:
1. Click the Actions menu and select Reset.
2. Click Apply.
The report appears with the default report settings applied.

Figure 3–19 Reset Report

Congratulations, you now understand the Application Express reporting basics and
are ready to try Chapter 4, "Using Advanced Report Techniques".

Related Documentation
For additional information on this and related topics:
■ Interactive Report Online Help
■ Oracle Database Application Express Advanced Tutorials
"Using Advanced Report Techniques"
"How to Design an Issue Tracking Application"
"How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application"
■ Oracle Database 2 Day + Application Express Developer's Guide
"Building the Application"
■ Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide
"Editing Interactive Reports"
■ Using Interactive Report Regions (OBE)
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apex31nf/apexusr31/apexusr31_otn.htm

■ Building and Customizing an Interactive Report (OBE)

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apex31nf/apex31nf/apex31irr_otn.htm

■ Utilizing Advanced Interactive Report Region Techniques (OBE)

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apex31nf/apex31nf/apex31advirr_otn.htm

3-16 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 4
Using Advanced Report Techniques

In this tutorial, you create an application that highlights some of the more advanced
interactive reporting techniques.
The following procedures are described:
■ Augmenting the report to include data from other tables.
■ Adding a navigation link from the home page to an interactive report. S
■ Creating a column link from one interactive report to another.
■ Passing column values from one interactive report to another.
■ Querying an interactive report for column values.
This tutorial contains the following topics:
■ Create the Basic Application
■ Display People and Project Names
■ Add a Dashboard Page
■ Related Documentation

Create the Basic Application

In this section, you create the database objects, load them with sample data and create
the basic application. The Create Application Wizard is used to build the application
containing a Home page and an Issues report page. The Issues report page enables
users to view issues stored in the IT_ISSUES table.
This section includes the following topics:
■ Create and Populate the Database Objects
■ Create the Application
■ Run the Application

Create and Populate the Database Objects

Before you begin creating the application, you need to create the appropriate sample
objects within your workspace and load them with demonstration data.
To install the Issue Tracker sample objects:
1. Create the Issue Tracker data objects. Follow instructions outlined in "Create and
Run a Script to Build Database Objects" on page 14-8.

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-1

Create the Basic Application

2. Load objects with demonstration data. Follow instructions described in "Loading

Demonstration Data" on page 14-10.
These sample objects are copies of the Issue Tracker application objects. For a
complete description of the Issue Tracker application see Chapter 14, "How to
Design an Issue Tracking Application" and Chapter 15, "How to Build and Deploy
an Issue Tracking Application".

Create the Application

Now, you create an application using the Create Application Wizard.
To create an application with a Home page and an Issues Report page:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
2. Click Create.
3. For Method, select Create Application and click Next.
4. For Name, make these changes:
a. Name - Enter Advanced Reports.
b. Create Application - Select From scratch.
c. Schema - Select schema containing loaded IT data objects.
d. Click Next.
5. Under Add Page, make these changes:
a. Select Page Type - Select Blank.
b. Page Name - Enter Home.
c. Click Add Page.
6. Under Add Page, make these changes:
a. Select Page Type - Select Report.
b. Subordinate to Page - Select Home (1).
c. Page Source - Select Table.
d. Table Name - Select IT_ISSUES.
e. Implementation - Select Interactive.
f. Click Add Page.
7. Under Create Application, click the It_Issues link.
The New Page Definition window appears.
8. Under Page Definition, for Page Name, enter Issues.
9. Under Report Columns, for Show select No for each of the following columns then
click Apply Changes:
■ ISSUE_DESCRIPTION
■ TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE
■ PROGRESS
■ ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE
■ RESOLUTION_SUMMARY

4-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Create the Basic Application

■ CRETATED_ON
■ CREATED_BY
■ MODIFIED_ON
■ MODIFIED_BY
10. Click Next.

11. For Tabs, select No Tabs and click Next.

12. For Shared Components, accept the default, No, and click Next.

13. For Attributes, accept all defaults and click Next.

14. For User Interface, select Theme 20 and click Next.

15. Review application attributes and click Create.

Run the Application

Now, run the Advanced Reports application and view the Home page, Issues Reports
page and Single Row View.
To run the application:
1. Click the Run Application icon.
2. When prompted, enter your workspace user name, your password and click
Login.
This authentication is part of the default security of any newly created application.
See "About Application Authentication" on page 1-6.
As shown in Figure 4–1, the home page appears.

Figure 4–1 Initial Home Page

3. Click the Issues link.

The Issue report page displays as shown in Figure 4–2, "Initial Issues Report".

Figure 4–2 Initial Issues Report

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-3

Display People and Project Names

4. Locate the Link Column icon for Issue Id 1 as shown in Figure 4–3, "Single Row
View Icon".

Figure 4–3 Single Row View Icon

5. Click the Link Column icon for Issue Id 1.

The Single Row View for the first issue appears as shown in Figure 4–4, "Single
Row View of the First Issue".

Figure 4–4 Single Row View of the First Issue

The Create Application Wizard configured the Issues interactive report Link
Column to display the Single Row View. This is the default when the wizard
creates a page type of Report.

Tip: The Link Column can be reconfigured by going to the Report

Attributes page and changing the Link Column setting. See
Introducing Interactive Report Components on page 3-10.

6. Click the Application ID link on the Developer toolbar at the bottom of the page
to return to the Application home page.
Notice that the Create Application Wizard also created a Login page.

Display People and Project Names

In this section, you replace columns containing person Ids and project Ids with
columns containing actual name values. Because the IT_ISSUES table does not contain
person names or project names, the query is modified to join with tables that have this
information. After modifying the query, you run the page and use the Select Columns
action to add the name value columns to the display.
Topics in this section include:
■ Change the Query to Retrieve Values from Other Tables
■ Add Name Value Columns to the Display

4-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Display People and Project Names

Change the Query to Retrieve Values from Other Tables

There are four columns in the Issues report that display Ids rather than person and
project names. In this section, you replace three of those columns, the Issues Id column
remains, with columns containing actual person and project names.
In order to accomplish this, you edit the query to include a join of the IT_PEOPLE and
IT_PROJECTS tables. The following Id columns are replaced with name value columns
as described here:
■ Identified By Person Id is replaced with Identified By
■ Related Project Id is replaced with Project Name
■ Assigned to Person Id is replaced with Assigned To
To change the SQL query:
1. Select 2 - Issues page.
2. Under Regions, select Issues.
3. Scroll down to Source and replace Region Source with this SQL:
SELECT "IT_ISSUES"."ISSUE_SUMMARY" as "ISSUE_SUMMARY",
"IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_NAME" as "IDENTIFIED_BY",
"IT_ISSUES"."IDENTIFIED_DATE" as "IDENTIFIED_DATE",
"IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_NAME" as "PROJECT_NAME",
decode("IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_NAME",NULL,'Unassigned',
"IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_NAME")
as "ASSIGNED_TO",
"IT_ISSUES"."STATUS" as "STATUS",
"IT_ISSUES"."PRIORITY" as "PRIORITY",
"IT_ISSUES"."TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE" as "TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE",
"IT_ISSUES"."PROGRESS" as "PROGRESS",
"IT_ISSUES"."ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE" as "ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE",
"IT_ISSUES"."ISSUE_ID" as "ISSUE_ID",
"IT_ISSUES"."RELATED_PROJECT_ID" as "PROJECT_ID"
FROM "IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE_1",
"IT_PROJECTS" "IT_PROJECTS",
"IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE",
"IT_ISSUES" "IT_ISSUES"
WHERE "IT_ISSUES"."IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID"="IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_ID"
AND "IT_ISSUES"."ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID"="IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_ID"(+)
AND "IT_ISSUES"."RELATED_PROJECT_ID"="IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_ID"

4. Click Apply Changes.

5. Click Apply Changes to confirm.

Add Name Value Columns to the Display

Next, run the Issues interactive report page and use the Select Columns action to
include the three additional name value columns to the display.
To add columns to the display:
1. Click the Run Page 2 icon at the top right corner of the page.
2. Click the Actions menu to the right of the Go button as shown in Figure 4–5.

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-5

Add a Dashboard Page

Figure 4–5 Action Icon

3. Select the Select Columns action.

Your page should look similar to Figure 4–6.

Figure 4–6 Select Columns Action Options Page

4. Highlight Identified By in the Do Not Display box and click the Move icon (>).
5. Repeat the previous step for Project Name, and Assigned To.
The only column left in the Do Not Display box is Project Id. All other columns
appear in the Display in Report list.
6. Click Apply at the bottom right of the Select Columns area.
Your Issues page should now look like Figure 4–7.

Figure 4–7 Issues Report with Person and Project Names

Add a Dashboard Page

The Dashboard provides a quick snapshot of important issue tracking statistics.
Regions displayed on the Dashboard include:
■ Overdue Issues Report
■ Open Issues by Project Pie Chart
Upon completion of this section, the application will have a Dashboard page similar to
the one shown in Figure 4–8, "Dashboard".

4-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Add a Dashboard Page

Figure 4–8 Dashboard

Topics in this section include:

■ Create a Dashboard Page
■ Add an Overdue Issues Report Region to the Dashboard
■ Add an Open Issues by Project Pie Chart

Create a Dashboard Page

First, you add a blank page to the application and name it Dashboard.
To add the Dashboard page:
1. Click the Application ID link on the Developer Toolbar.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Blank Page and click Next.
4. For Page Number, enter 3 and click Next.
5. For Create Page, make these changes:
a. Name - Enter Dashboard.
b. Title - Enter Dashboard.
c. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
d. Entry Name - Enter Dashboard.
e. Parent Entry - Select the Home link.
f. Click Next.
6. For Tabs, select No and click Next.
7. Review selections and click Finish.

Add a Link on the Home Page to the Dashboard

Next, you add a link on the Home page to take users to the Dashboard. This link
appears in the Navigation region on the left side of the Home page.
To add a link on the Home page to the Dashboard:
1. Navigate to the Page Definition for the Home page, page 1:

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-7

Add a Dashboard Page

a. Click the Application home breadcrumb.

b. On the Application home page, click 1 - Home.
2. Under Regions, click the List link (next to Navigation).
3. On the List Entries page, click the Create List Entry button on the right side of the
page.
4. On the Create/Edit List Entry page, edit the following:
a. Sequence - Enter 20.
b. List Entry Label - Enter Dashboard.
c. Page - Enter 3.
5. Click Create.
6. Click the Application breadcrumb.
7. Click Run Application.

Figure 4–9 Navigation Links

Notice that your Home page now includes a link to Dashboard.

8. Click Dashboard to test the link.
The blank Dashboard page appears.

Add an Overdue Issues Report Region to the Dashboard

Next, you add a report region to the Dashboard page that displays overdue issues and
then add a link from the report to the Issues interactive report.

Create an Overdue Issues Report Region

The query for this report retrieves all unclosed issues with a past target resolution
date.
To add a report region:
1. Click Edit Page 3 on the Developer Toolbar.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. Select Report and click Next.
4. For Report Implementation, select SQL Report and click Next.
5. For Display Attributes:
■ Title - Enter Overdue Issues.
■ Region Template - Select Reports Region, Alternative 1.
■ Sequence - Enter 5.
■ Click Next.
6. For Source, enter the following in Enter SQL Query:

4-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Add a Dashboard Page

SELECT i.issue_id, i.priority, i.issue_summary,

p.person_name assignee, i.target_resolution_date, r.project_name
FROM it_issues i, it_people p, it_projects r
WHERE i.assigned_to_person_id = p.person_id (+)
AND i.related_project_id = r.project_id
AND i.target_resolution_date < sysdate
AND i.status != 'Closed'

The outer join is necessary because the assignment is optional.

7. Click Create Region.

Add a Link Column and Create a Declarative Filter on an Interactive Report

The following steps show you how to create a link column from the Overdue Issues
Report to the Issues interactive report and how to define a declarative filter by passing
filter criteria using the URL item values.
To add a link from the Project Name column to the Issues interactive report:
1. Under Regions, click the Report link.
2. Click the Edit icon to the left of PROJECT_NAME.
3. Scroll down to Column Link:
a. For Link Text, Select [PROJECT_NAME]
b. For Link Attributes, enter:
title="Click to see all issues for this project."
This setting defines the item help text for the link column.
c. For Page, select 2.
d. For Clear Cache, enter:
CIR,2

This link column includes a Clear Interactive Report command, CIR, to clear
the Issues interactive report of any filters, control breaks, highlights,
aggregates, computed columns, chart settings and flashback settings.The 2
clears the cache for the Issues report (page 2).

Note: If you want to reset the interactive report, replace CIR with
RIR (Reset Interactive Report). The RIR command resets the report to
the last saved default report settings.

e. For Item 1, enter the Name:

IR_PROJECT_NAME

f. For Item 1, enter the Value:

#PROJECT_NAME#

The Name and Value settings create a declarative filter for the Issues
interactive report. The Project Name link passes the value of the Project Name
column to the Issues report. When the link is clicked by the user, the Issues
report displays all issues for that project, regardless of whether or not the issue
is overdue.

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-9

Add a Dashboard Page

4. Click Apply Changes.

Run the Application

To run the application:
1. Navigate to the Application home page and click the Run Application icon.
The Application home page displays.
2. Click the Dashboard link.
You should see the Dashboard page with the Overdue Issues region added as
shown in Figure 4–10, "Dashboard with Overdue Issues Region Added". Notice
the Project Names are displayed as links.

Figure 4–10 Dashboard with Overdue Issues Region Added

3. Click the New Payroll Rollout project name.

The Issues interactive report displays showing all issues categorized under the
New Payroll Rollout project name.

Figure 4–11 Issues for New Payroll Rollout

Notice the 'New Payroll Rollout' filter at the top of the report. The filter was
created when the user clicked the Project Name link column.

Add an Open Issues by Project Pie Chart

Next, add a pie chart that displays Open Issues by Project and links to the Issues
report. The pie chart query gets the number of open issues for each project name from
the Issues interactive report. The project names, displayed on the pie chart, link to the
Issues report where all issues for the selected project appear.

4-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Add a Dashboard Page

Create a Pie Chart Region that Links to the Issues Report

To create a region containing a pie chart:
1. Click the Application ID link on the Developer Toolbar.
2. Click 3 - Dashboard.
3. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
4. Select Chart and click Next.
5. Select Flash Chart and click Next.
6. For Display Attributes, make these changes:
■ Title - Enter Open Issues by Project.
■ Region Template - Select Chart Region.
■ Sequence - Enter 10.
■ Column - Select 2.
■ Click Next.
7. For Chart Preview, make these edits:
■ Chart Type - Select 3D Pie.
■ Click Next.
8. For Source, enter the following in SQL:
SELECT
'f?p=&APP_ID.:2:&SESSION.:::CIR:IREQ_STATUS,IREQ_PROJECT_
ID:Open,'||r.project_id LINK,
NVL(r.project_name,'No Project') label,
COUNT(r.project_name) value
FROM it_issues i, it_projects r
WHERE i.status = 'Open' AND i.related_project_id = r.project_id
GROUP BY NULL, r.project_name, r.project_id
ORDER BY r.project_name, r.project_id

Notice the SELECT statement is sending a request to the Issues interactive report
page 2 asking for the number of issues that belong to a particular project name and
that have a status of Open. The CIR command is used to Clear the Interactive
Report to make sure all of the requested values are included in the query and have
not been filtered out or set as a column to not display.
9. For When No Data Found Message, enter No open issues.
10. Click Create Region.

Run the Dashboard and Link to the Issues Report

Next, you run the Dashboard page to view the added pie chart region and select one
of the project names to link to the Issues report.
To view the revised Dashboard page:
1. Click the Run Page 3 icon.
The Dashboard displays with the added pie chart region.

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-11

Add a Dashboard Page

Figure 4–12 Final Dashboard with Both regions Added

2. On the pie chart, locate the Employee Satisfaction Survey project link as shown in
Figure 4–13.

Figure 4–13 Dashboard Open Issues by Project Pie Chart

3. Click the Employee Satisfaction Survey project link.

The Issues report for all Employee Satisfaction Survey issues with a status of Open
appears as shown in Figure 4–14.

Figure 4–14 Issues Report for Open Employee Satisfaction Survey Issues

Notice the filters in the report settings section. The Issues report has been filtered
by project and by status.

4-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Related Documentation

Related Documentation
For additional information on this and related topics:
■ Interactive Report Online Help
■ Oracle Database Application Express Advanced Tutorials
"Using Advanced Report Techniques"
"How to Design an Issue Tracking Application"
"How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application"
■ Oracle Database 2 Day + Application Express Developer's Guide
"Building the Application"
■ Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide
"Editing Interactive Reports"
■ Using Interactive Report Regions (OBE)
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apex31nf/apexusr31/apexusr31_otn.htm

■ Building and Customizing an Interactive Report (OBE)

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apex31nf/apex31nf/apex31irr_otn.htm

■ Utilizing Advanced Interactive Report Region Techniques (OBE)

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apex31nf/apex31nf/apex31advirr_otn.htm

Using Advanced Report Techniques 4-13

Related Documentation

4-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 5
How to Control Form Layout

Data and form elements in an Oracle Application Express application are placed on a
page using containers called regions. There are several attributes that control the
placement and positioning of regions on pages. In turn, you control the placement and
style of form elements (called items) inside of regions using item attributes.
In this tutorial, you create the underlying data objects for a data input form by running
a script. Then, you create a data input form and learn how to change the form layout
by altering region and item attributes.
This section contains the following topics:
■ Creating a Table and Data Input Form
■ Changing the Appearance of a Page by Altering Region Attributes
■ Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout
■ Adding a Region Header and Footer
■ Making a Region Conditional
■ Adding a Region to Contain Hint Text
■ Changing Item Types
■ About Label Templates
■ Changing Buttons
■ Running the Page for Update
■ Making Data Bold

For additional examples on this and related topics, please visit the following Oracle by
Examples (OBEs):
■ Creating and Running an Application
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_b/apex3.1.1_b_otn.htm

■ Using Some Additional New Features in Oracle Application Express 3.1

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31misc.htm

■ Adding Additional Components to your Existing Application

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_c/apex3.1.1_c_otn.htm

How to Control Form Layout 5-1

Creating a Table and Data Input Form

Creating a Table and Data Input Form

The first step in creating a data input form is to create the underlying data objects. In
this exercise, you create a table named HT_EMP and then use a wizard to create a new
page.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create the HT_EMP Table
■ Create a New Application
■ Create a New Page Containing an Input Form
■ Run the Page

Create the HT_EMP Table

First, you create a new table by running a script in SQL Scripts.
To create the HT_EMP table and the appropriate associated objects:
1. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL Scripts.
The SQL Scripts home page appears.
2. Click Create.
The Script Editor appears.
3. In Script Name, enter HT_EMP.
4. In the Script Editor, enter the following data definition language (DDL):
CREATE TABLE ht_emp (
emp_id NUMBER primary key,
emp_first_name VARCHAR2(30) not null,
emp_middle_initial VARCHAR2(1),
emp_last_name VARCHAR2(45) not null,
emp_part_or_full_time VARCHAR2(1) not null check (emp_part_or_full_time in
('P','F')),
emp_salary NUMBER,
emp_dept VARCHAR2(20) check (emp_dept in
('SALES','ACCOUNTING',

'MANUFACTURING','HR')),
emp_hiredate DATE,
emp_manager NUMBER references ht_emp,
emp_special_info VARCHAR2(2000),
emp_telecommute VARCHAR2(1) check (emp_telecommute in ('Y')),
rec_create_date DATE not null,
rec_update_date date)
/

INSERT INTO ht_emp

(emp_id, emp_first_name, emp_middle_initial, emp_last_name, emp_part_or_
full_time, emp_salary, emp_dept, emp_hiredate, emp_manager, emp_special_info,
emp_telecommute, rec_create_date)
VALUES
(1,'Scott','R','Tiger','F',
100000,'SALES',sysdate,null,'cell phone number is xxx.xxx.xxxx
home phone is yyy.yyy.yyyy','Y',
SYSDATE)
/

5-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Table and Data Input Form

CREATE SEQUENCE ht_emp_seq

start with 2
/

CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER bi_ht_emp

BEFORE INSERT ON ht_emp
FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
SELECT ht_emp_seq.nextval
INTO :new.emp_id
FROM DUAL;
:new.rec_create_date := SYSDATE;
END;
/

CREATE OR REPLACE TRIGGER bu_ht_emp

BEFORE UPDATE ON ht_emp
FOR EACH ROW
BEGIN
:new.rec_update_date := SYSDATE;
END;
/

5. Click Save.
The script appears in the SQL Scripts Repository.
6. Run the HT_EMP script:
a. Click the HT_EMP script.
b. Click Run.
c. On the Run Script page, click Run again.
7. From the View list, select Details and click Go.

Figure 5–1 Details View in the Manage Script Results Page

8. Click the View Results icon to access the Results page.

Red text indicates errors while executing the file.

See Also: "Using SQL Scripts" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide.

Create a New Application

Next, create a new application.
To create an application:
1. Return to the Workspace home page. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top
of the page.
2. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.

How to Control Form Layout 5-3

Creating a Table and Data Input Form

3. Click Create.
4. Select Create Application and click Next.
5. For Name, specify the following:
a. Name - Enter Form Layout.
b. Application - Accept the default.
c. Create Application - Accept the default, From scratch.
d. Schema - Select the schema where you installed the OEHR sample objects.
e. Click Next.
Next, you need to add pages. You have the option of adding a blank page, a
report, a form, a tabular form, or a report and form. For this exercise, you add
two blank pages.
6. Add a blank page:
a. Under Select Page Type, accept the default, Blank.
b. Click Add Page.
The blank page appears at the top of the page.
7. Click Next.
8. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and then click Next.
9. For Copy Shared Components from Another Application, accept the default, No,
and click Next.
10. For Attributes, accept the defaults for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and then click Next.
11. For User Interface, select Theme 12 and then click Next.

12. Review your selections and click Create.

The Application home page appears. Note that your application contains two
pages.

Create a New Page Containing an Input Form

Next, create a new form using the Form on a Table or View Wizard.
To create a data input form:
1. On the Application home page, click Create Page.
2. For Page, select Form and click Next.
3. On Create Page, select Form on a Table or View and click Next.
4. For Table/View Owner, accept the default and click Next.
5. For Table/View Name, select the HT_EMP table and click Next.
6. For Page and Region Attributes:
a. Page Number - Enter 2.
b. Page Name - Enter Form Layout.
c. Region Title - Enter Form Layout.
d. Region Template - Accept the default.

5-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Table and Data Input Form

e. Breadcrumb - Accept the default.

f. Click Next.
7. For Tab, accept the default, Do not use tabs, and click Next.
8. For Primary Key, accept the default and click Next.
Note that the wizard reads the primary key from the database definition.
9. For Source Type, accept the default Existing Trigger and click Next.
10. For Select Columns, select all the columns. Press SHIFT, select the first column
and then the last one. Then, click Next.
11. For Process Options, accept the defaults and click Next.

12. For Branching, enter 2 (the page you are creating) in both fields and click Next.
Since this page is just for demonstration, you will not be utilizing branching.
13. Click Finish.
14. Click the Edit Page icon.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.
15. Delete the following validation:

■ Under Page Processing, Validations, select P2_REC_CREATE_DATE not null.

■ Click Delete.
You are removing this validation because the value of this column is set using a
trigger. The item will have no value in the form for a new record. This validation
was automatically created because the underlying database column is not null.

Run the Page

Once you create a new input form, the next step is to run the page.
To run the page from the Page Definition:
1. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner as shown in Figure 5–2.

Figure 5–2 Run Page Icon

2. If prompted for a user name and password, enter your workspace user name and
password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on page 1-6.
The application appears.
As shown in Figure 5–3 on page 5-6, the new form appears. Note that the form
contains basic employee details and includes select lists, text areas, and display only
items.

How to Control Form Layout 5-5

Changing the Appearance of a Page by Altering Region Attributes

Figure 5–3 Employee Info Form

By default, the Primary Key column does not display since it is assumed that the
primary key is system generated. In reality, the primary key is included in the page,
but appears as a hidden item.
Notice that the page defaults with one item for each row and labels display to the left
of the items. The item labels default to the column names with initial capitalization
and with the underscores (_) replaced with spaces. You can override this default
behavior by configuring user interface defaults for the table.

See Also: "Managing User Interface Defaults" in the Oracle Database

Application Express User's Guide.

Also notice that items based on date columns default to include a date picker. Lastly,
notice that the Emp Special Info item was created as a text area because of the size of
the base column. This item type is a better choice for large text items since it allows the
input text to wrap.

Changing the Appearance of a Page by Altering Region Attributes

A region is an area on a page that serves as a container for content. You can alter the
appearance of a page by changing the region attributes.
Topics in this section include:
■ Edit the Region Title
■ Change the Display Point and Template
■ Change the Region Attributes Back to the Original Selections

Edit the Region Title

To edit the region title and other region level attributes:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Regions, click Form Layout.

5-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Changing the Appearance of a Page by Altering Region Attributes

The Region Definition appears.

3. Change the Title to Employee Info.
4. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.
5. From the Page Definition, click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
Note the new region title.

Change the Display Point and Template

To change other region attributes:
1. Return to the Page Definition. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Regions, click Employee Info.
The Region Definition appears.
3. Scroll down to User Interface.
You can control the position of a region within a page template by changing the
page template.
4. From Display Point, select Page Template Region Position 3.
In this instance, your selection moves the region to the right side of the page. The
region display points are determined by the page level template. If you do not
select a page level template, Oracle Application Express uses the default page level
template defined in the current theme. You can view specific positions by selecting
the flashlight icon to the right of the Display Point list.
Next, temporarily change the region template.
5. From Template, select Borderless Region.
6. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.
7. From the Page Definition, click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
The form appears as shown in Figure 5–4.

How to Control Form Layout 5-7

Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

Figure 5–4 Employee Info Form with New Display Point and Template

Note the changes in the appearance of the form. The form title displays in a dark color
on a white background and has a rule beneath it. Also, note that there is no longer a
border around the form.

Change the Region Attributes Back to the Original Selections

To return to the region template and display point to the original selections:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Regions, select Employee Info.
3. Scroll down to User Interface.
4. From the Template list, select Form Region.
5. From the Display Point List, select Page Template Body (3. Items above region
content).
6. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

An item is part of an HTML form. An item can be a text field, text area, password,
select list, check box, and so on. Item attributes control the display of items on a page.
Item attributes determine where a label displays, how large an item will be as well as
whether the item displays next to or below a previous item. You can change multiple
item labels at once on the Page Items summary page.
Topics in this section include:
■ Edit Item Attributes
■ Fix Item Alignment
■ Change a Region to Display-only

5-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

See Also: "Creating Items" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide.

Edit Item Attributes

To edit all item attributes:
1. On the Page Definition for page 2, locate the Items section.
2. Under Items, click the Edit All icon.
The Edit All icon resembles a small grid with a pencil on top of it as shown in
Figure 5–5.

Figure 5–5 Edit All Icon

The Page Items summary page appears.

You change how a page appears by editing the item attributes. Common item
attribute changes include:
■ Changing item labels by editing the Prompt field.
■ Placing more than one item in certain rows to group like items together. For
example, you could group all items that make up an employee's name.
■ Changing the item width. Many items display better when they have a width
that is less than the maximum. To change the item width, enter a new value in
the Width field.
■ Reordering the items. The initial order of items is based on the order of the
columns in the table on which the region is based. To reorder items, enter a
new value in the Sequence field.
3. To see the how item attributes affect page layout, make the following changes:
a. Change the values in the Prompt, New Line, and Width fields to match those
in Table 5–1:

Table 5–1 New Prompt, New Line, and Width Field Values
Prompt Field New Line Width
Emp ID Yes 30
First Name Yes 15
Middle Initial No 2
Last Name No 15
Part or Full Time Yes 2
Salary Yes 10
Department Yes 15
Hire Date Yes 10

How to Control Form Layout 5-9

Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

Table 5–1 (Cont.) New Prompt, New Line, and Width Field Values
Prompt Field New Line Width
Manager No 15
Special Information Yes 60
Telecommute Yes 2
Record Create Date Yes 10
Record Update Date Yes 10

b. Click Apply Changes.

c. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner of the page.

Figure 5–6 Employee Info Form After Editing the Prompt, New Line, Width Attributes

As shown in Figure 5–6, note that some items are pushed too far to the right
because of the width of the Special Information item. Oracle Application Express
lays out regions as tables, and the width of each column is determined by the
largest display width of the items in that column.

Fix Item Alignment

There are several approaches to fixing item alignment:
■ For the items Middle Initial, Last Name and Manager items, set New Field to
equal No.
This places the items directly after the items they follow, but in the same column.
This approach is best used for positioning embedded buttons next to items. Note
that this setting can make text items appear squashed.
■ Change the Column Span field of the Special Information item.
For example, setting the Column Span for the Special Information item to 5 would
enable multiple items to display above and below it. This change causes five items
to display above Special Information (First Name, Middle Initial, and Last Name).
Be aware, however, that using Column Span to fix the display of the name does
not result in a consistent layout. The Manager item would still be in the same

5-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

column as Middle Initial. Because the Manager item is larger than Middle Initial,
Last Name would still be pushed too far to the right. To fix this, you could change
the Column Span of the Manager item to 3 so it displays above Special
Information.
■ Reset the column width in the middle of the region by adding an item of type Stop
and Start HTML Table. This forces the close of an HTML table using the
</table> tag and starts a new HTML table. Inserting a Stop and Start HTML
Table item just after the Last Name item results in an even layout. Note that a Stop
and Start HTML Table item only displays its label. You can prevent the label from
displaying at all by setting it to null. To do this, you simply remove the defaulted
label.

Add a Stop and Start HTML Table Item

You can use the Drag and Drop Layout page to interactively reorder items within a
given region, change select item attributes, create new items, or delete existing items.
For this exercise, you will reorder two items.
To add a Stop and Start HTML Table item:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Items, click the Drag and drop icon as shown in Figure 5–7.

Figure 5–7 Drag and Drop Icon

The Drag and Drop Layout page appears. This page is divided into the Item
palette on the left and the Layout region on the right.

How to Control Form Layout 5-11

Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

Figure 5–8 Drag and Drop Layout Page

3. In the Item palette, select the Stop and start table icon and drop it after the row
containing the P2_EMP_ID item:
a. Move your mouse over the icons in the Item palette and locate the Stop and
start table. Note that when you position the cursor over an item type, a tooltip
appears.

Figure 5–9 Stop and Start Table Item Type

b. Click the Stop and start table icon and drag it beneath of P2_EMP_ID.
c. Click Next.
A report appears. Note that the new Stop and Start HTML Table appears
beneath P2_EMP_ID.

5-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

Figure 5–10 Revised Drag and Drop Layout Page

4. Click Apply Changes.

Edit the Special Information Item

Items are laid out in HTML tables. Next, you need to edit the Column Span attribute
for the Special Information item. The Column Span attribute defines the value to be
used for the COLSPAN attribute in the table cell.
To edit the Special Information item:
1. Under Items, click the Reorder Region Items icon.
The Reorder Region Items icon resembles a light green down and up arrow as
shown in Figure 5–11.

Figure 5–11 Reorder Region Items Icon

The Reorder Region Items page appears in a separate window.

Items on a page are laid out in tables. You can edit the position of an item by
selecting values for the New Line, New Field, Column Span, and Label Alignment
attributes. You can change the order in which items display by clicking the up and
down arrows in the far right column. Also notice that a graphical representation of
how the items display appears at the bottom of the page.
2. For Special Information, change the Column Span to 3 and click Apply Changes.
3. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner. The form appears as shown in
Figure 5–12.

How to Control Form Layout 5-13

Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

Figure 5–12 Employee Info Form with Corrected Item Alignment

Change a Region to Display-only

There are two columns in the HT_EMP table for auditing, Record Create Date and
Record Update Date. Because the values of these columns are set with triggers, these
columns should not be updatable by users. This exercise demonstrates how to make
items display-only and then how to add them to their own region.
Topics in this section include:
■ Change Items to Display-only
■ Create a New Region
■ Move Audit Items to the New Region
■ Change the Region Template to Hide/Show Region

Change Items to Display-only

To make the item P2_REC_CREATE_DATE display-only:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Items, select the item P2_REC_CREATE_DATE.
3. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Text Field (Disabled, saves
state).
4. Click Apply Changes.
To make the item P2_REC_UPDATE_DATE display-only:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Items, select the item P2_REC_UPDATE_DATE.
3. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Text Field (Disabled, saves
state).
4. Click Apply Changes.
Next, create a new region and move the display-only items to the new region.

5-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Understanding How Item Attributes Affect Page Layout

Create a New Region

To create a new region:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. For Region:
a. Identify the type of region to add to this page - Accept the default, HTML, and
click Next.
b. Select the type of HTML region container you wish to create - Accept the
default, HTML, and click Next.
4. For Display Attributes, enter Audit Information in the Title field, accept the
remaining defaults, and click Next.
5. Click Create Region.

Move Audit Items to the New Region

To move the items to the new region:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Items, click the Edit All icon. The Edit All icon resembles a small grid with
a pencil on top of it.
The Page Items summary page appears.
3. For P2_REC_CREATE_DATE and P2_REC_UPDATE_DATE:
a. In the Prompt column, add a colon to the end of the label name.
b. In the Region column, select Audit Information.
c. Click Apply Changes.
4. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
Figure 5–13 on page 5-15 demonstrates how these items would display in a
running page.

Figure 5–13 Audit Information Region

Change the Region Template to Hide/Show Region

The Hide/Show Region template enables the user to click a plus (+) sign to expand the
contents of the region or click a minus (-) sign to hide the contents. By changing the
region template to Hide/Show Region, users can decide whether they want to see the
Audit Information region.
To change the region template to Hide/Show Region:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Regions, click Audit Information.

How to Control Form Layout 5-15

Adding a Region Header and Footer

3. Under User Interface, select Hide and Show Region from the Template list.
4. Click Apply Changes.
5. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
Figure 5–14 demonstrates how Audit Information displays as a Hide/Show
region. You can hide the region by clicking the icon to the right of the region title.

Figure 5–14 Audit Information as a Hide/Show Region

Adding a Region Header and Footer

Regions can have headers and footers. Headers and footers typically contain text or
HTML that displays at either the top or bottom of the region.
To add a region footer:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Regions, select Audit Information.
3. Scroll down to Header and Footer.
4. Enter the following in Region Footer:
<i>The Record Create Date is the date that the record was initially entered in
to the system. <br/>The Record Update Date is the date that the
record was last updated.</i>

5. Click Apply Changes.

6. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
7. Click the arrow next to Audit Information to display the two date fields and new
footer text as shown in Figure 5–15.

Figure 5–15 Audit Information Region with Footer

As shown in Figure 5–15 on page 5-16, the text of the footer is wrapped with the italic
HTML tag and there is an imbedded break. Without the manual break, the text would
take up the entire width of the region (as defined by region template).

5-16 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Adding a Region to Contain Hint Text

Making a Region Conditional

To make a region conditional, you create a display condition for the Audit Information
region so that it only displays if the Employee ID is not null. Since the Employee ID is
set by a trigger, it only exists for records retrieved from the database. You can control
the display of the Audit Information region by using a built-in condition that checks
for the presence of a value for the item containing the Employee ID (that is, P2_EMP_
ID)
To display the Audit Information region conditionally:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Regions, select Audit Information.
The Region Definition appears.
3. Scroll down to Conditional Display.
4. Under Conditional Display:
a. From Condition Type, select Value of Item in Expression 1 is NOT NULL.
b. In Expression 1, enter:
P2_EMP_ID

5. Click Apply Changes.

Adding a Region to Contain Hint Text

You have the option of displaying regions in columns as well as in rows. This exercise
explains how to create another region to display explanatory text (hints) for the user.
To create a region to display hint text:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. For Region:
a. Identify the type of region to add to this page - Accept the default, HTML, and
click Next.
b. Select the type of HTML region container you wish to create - Accept the
default, HTML, and click Next.
4. For Display Attributes:
a. Title - Enter Hint.
b. Region Template - Select Sidebar Region.
c. Display Point - Select Page Template Region Position 3.
d. Sequence - Accept the default.
e. Column - Select 3.
f. Click Next.
5. In Enter HTML Text Region Source, enter the following:
Use this page to enter and<br/>
maintain employee information.

6. Click Create Region.

How to Control Form Layout 5-17

Changing Item Types

7. Click the Run Page icon. Figure 5–16 shows the new Hint region on the page.

Figure 5–16 Hint Region

Changing Item Types

This exercise describes how to change item types to make data entry easier for the
user. To change an item type, go to the Item attributes page and select another Display
As option.
Topics in this section include:
■ Change an Item to a Radio Group
■ Change an Item to a Select List
■ Change an Item to a Check Box

Tip: For simplicity, this tutorial has you alter items by editing item
attributes. As a best practice, however, you can also create named
LOVs and reference them.

See Also: "Creating Lists of Values" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

Change an Item to a Radio Group

Because the Part or Full-time item only has two valid choices, this item is a good
candidate for either a check box or a radio group.
To change the Part or Full-time item to a radio group:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Items, select P2_EMP_PART_OR_FULL_TIME.
The Edit Page Item page appears.
3. Locate the Name section. From the Display As list, select Radiogroup.
4. Locate the Label section. Specify the following:
a. Label - Remove the text in the Label field.
b. Template - Select No Label.
5. Under List of Values, create a static list of values. Specify the following:
a. Named LOV - Select Select Named LOV.
b. List of values definition - Enter:
STATIC:Full-time;F,Part-time;P

This definition will display as two radio buttons with the labels Full-time and
Part-time, but the value being inserted into the database will be either F or P.
6. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.

5-18 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Changing Item Types

7. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner. The modified form appears as
shown in Figure 5–17.

Figure 5–17 Part or Full-time item Changed to a Radio Group

Notice that Full-time and Part-time displays as a radio group that is stacked in one
column. You can have these buttons display side by side.
To display the Full-time and Part-time radio buttons side by side:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Items, select P2_EMP_PART_OR_FULL_TIME.
3. Scroll down to List of Values.
4. In Number of Columns, enter 2.
5. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.
6. Click the Run Page icon.
By changing this setting to match the number of valid values (that is, Full-time
and Part-time), the values display side by side as shown in Figure 5–18.

Figure 5–18 Part or Full-time Item Displayed Side by Side

Change an Item to a Select List

In the DDL you used to create the HT_EMP table, the Department is validated by a
check constraint. You can implement the Department as a radio group, a select list, or
a Popup LOV.
To change Department to a select list:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar

How to Control Form Layout 5-19

Changing Item Types

2. Under Items, select P2_EMP_DEPT.

3. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Select List.
The other Select List choices are for either redirecting the user to another page or
URL based on the selection, or submitting the current page which is used when
other information needs to be retrieved based upon the selection in the Select List.
4. Scroll down to List of Values.
5. Under List of Values, create a static list of values. Specify the following:
a. Named LOV - Select Select Named LOV
b. List of values definition - Enter:
STATIC:SALES,ACCOUNTING,MANUFACTURING,HR

c. From Display Null, select Yes.

d. In Null display value, enter:
- No Assignment -

The last two selections take into account that the EMP_DEPT column can
contain nulls. As a best practice, whenever you implement a select list and
have a column that can be null, you should set Display Null to Yes. Failure to
do so results in the item defaulting to the first item in the select list.
6. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.
7. Click the Run Page icon.
The revised form appears as shown in Figure 5–19.

Figure 5–19 Department Changed to a Select List

Change an Item to a Check Box

The item Telecommute is ideal for a check box. When you change the Display Type,
you can also move it up on the page and place it next to the Full-time and Part-time
radio group.
To change Telcommute to a check box:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Items, select P2_EMP_TELECOMMUTE.

5-20 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 About Label Templates

3. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Checkbox.

4. Under Displayed, specify the following:
a. Sequence - Enter 136.
b. Begin on New Line - Select Yes.
5. Scroll down to List of Values.
6. To have the label precede the check box, specify the following:
a. Named LOV - Select Select Named LOV.
b. List of values definition - Enter:
STATIC:;Y

This List of values definition displays the check box after the label, but will not
display a value associated with the check box. If the check box is checked, the
value passed to the database will be Y.
7. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.
8. Click the Run Page icon.
Note that the check box appears for Telecommute as shown in Figure 5–20.

Figure 5–20 Telecommute Field Changed to Check Box

About Label Templates

You can control the look of an item label by using a label template. You can view the
templates associated with the current theme on the Page Definition.
To view templates associated with the current theme:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Locate the Shared Components area and note the Theme section as shown in
Figure 5–21 on page 5-21.

Figure 5–21 Templates and Theme

How to Control Form Layout 5-21

Changing Buttons

The current theme is Blue. In the Templates section, note that this theme includes
two Label templates: Optional Label with Help and Required Label with Help.
The Required with Help label template prepends a yellow asterisk to the left of the
item label. You can change the appearance of an item by selecting another
template.
To change to a different label template:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Items, select an item.
3. Scroll down to Label and make a selection from the Template list.
4. Click Apply Changes.
5. Run the page.

Changing Buttons
The wizard that created the form in this tutorial also created buttons. These buttons
display conditionally based upon whether the page is being used to create a new
record (that is, P2_EMP_ID equals null), or the page is being used to update an
existing record. These buttons were created as HTML buttons and positioned at the
top of the region.
You can also position buttons at the bottom of the region, to the left or right of the
page title, above the region, below the region, or in any button position defined in the
region template.
To change a button position:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Buttons, click the Edit All icon in the Buttons section. The Edit All icon
resembles a small grid with a pencil on top of it.
3. Make a new selection from the Position column.
4. Click Apply Changes.
5. Run the page.
Buttons can also have templates associated with them to refine how they look.

Running the Page for Update

You can run the page and provide it with an Employee ID to retrieve. Typically, this
would be done with a link from a report page; but for this example, run the page and
add P2_EMP_ID:1 to the end of the URL as shown in the following example:
http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=9659:2:1284393467360777225::::P2_EMP_ID:1

This will pass the value 1 to the item P2_EMP_ID. If you run the page, note that the
Delete and Apply Changes buttons now display as shown in Figure 5–22. The Create
button appeared previously because the page was expecting a new record to be
created. Also note that a value now appears in the Record Create Date field.

5-22 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Making Data Bold

Figure 5–22 Revised Update Form

See Also: "Understanding URL Syntax" in Oracle Database

Application Express User's Guide.

Making Data Bold

One way to make the information in a region easier to read is to make the labels (or
the data) more pronounced. You can accomplish this by changing the color, specifying
another font, or using bold. To make a label bold, you could bold the data manually,
or create a new label template. In the latter approach, you would create a new label
template that would wrap the HTML tag for bold around the label and then associate
that template with the items in the Audit Information region.
To make data bold manually:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Items, select an item name.
3. Scroll down to Element.
4. In HTML Form Element Attributes, enter:
class="fielddatabold"

This example references a class in the Cascading Style Sheet associated with this
application.
5. Click Apply Changes.
6. Run the page.

How to Control Form Layout 5-23

Making Data Bold

5-24 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 6
How to Work with Check Boxes

In Oracle Application Express, you can create check boxes as items, or you can create
check boxes in reports. Check boxes on a form work similarly to a list of values. When
you define an item to be a check box, you need to provide the check box value in the
List of Values section of the Item Attributes page. You define check boxes on a report
using the supplied function, APEX_ITEM.CHECKBOX.
This tutorial illustrates different ways in which you can create check boxes and
explains how to reference and process the values of checked boxes. Before you begin,
you need to import and install the OEHR Sample Objects application in order to access
the necessary sample database objects. See "About Loading Sample Objects" on
page 1-2.
This section contains the following topics:
■ Creating an Application
■ Editing the Update Form
■ Change the Report Display
■ Create Multi Value Check Boxes to Filter Content
■ Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report

For additional examples on this and related topics, please visit the following Oracle by
Examples (OBEs):
■ Creating and Running an Application
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_b/apex3.1.1_b_otn.htm

■ Using Some Additional New Features in Oracle Application Express 3.1

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31misc.htm

■ Adding Additional Components to your Existing Application

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_c/apex3.1.1_c_otn.htm

Creating an Application
First, you need to create an application using the Create Application Wizard.
To create an application using the Create Application Wizard:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-1

Creating an Application

2. Click Create.
3. Select Create Application and click Next.
4. For Name:
a. Name - Enter Check Boxes.
b. Application - Accept the default.
c. Create Application - Select From scratch.
d. Schema - Select the schema where you installed the OEHR sample objects.
e. Click Next.
Next, you need to add a page. For this exercise, you add a report and form.
5. To add a report and form:
a. Select Page Type -Select Report and Form.
b. Table Name - Select OEHR_PRODUCT_INFORMATION.
c. Click Add Page.
Two new pages appear in the list at the top of the page. Note that each page
has the same page name. Next, edit the page names to make them more
meaningful.
6. To edit the name of page 1:
a. Click OEHR_PRODUCT_INFORMATION next to page 1 at the top of the
page as shown in Figure 6–1.

Figure 6–1 Page Name in the Create Application Wizard

b. In Page Name, replace the existing text with Product Report.

c. Click Apply Changes.
7. To edit the name of page 2:
a. Click OEHR_PRODUCT_INFORMATION next to page 2 at the top of the
page as shown in Figure 6–1.
b. In Page Name, replace the existing text with Update Form.
c. Click Apply Changes.
8. Click Next.
9. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and click Next.
10. For Copy Shared Components from Another Application, accept the default, No,
and click Next.
11. For Attributes, accept the defaults for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and click Next.

6-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Editing the Update Form

12. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and click Next.

13. Review your selections and click Create.
The Application home page appears.

Run the Application

Next, review the application by running it.
To run the application:
1. Click Run Application as shown in Figure 6–2.

Figure 6–2 Run Application Icon

2. If prompted to enter a user name and password, enter your workspace user name
and password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on
page 1-6.
The application appears. Note that the report contains eleven columns displaying
product information. Users can link to an update form by clicking the Edit icon in
the far left column.
3. Click the Edit icon next to a specific product. As shown in Figure 6–3, an update
form appears.

Figure 6–3 Update Form

Editing the Update Form

Page 2 of your application is an update form. In this exercise, you modify this form by
hiding the Warranty Period field and creating a new check box.
Topics in this section include:
■ Hide the Warranty Period Field
■ Add a New Checkbox

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-3

Editing the Update Form

Hide the Warranty Period Field

First, hide the Warranty Period field by changing the Display As attribute.
To hide the Warranty Period field:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.
2. Scroll down to the Items section.
3. Under Items, select P2_WARRANTY_PERIOD.
4. From Display As in the Name section, select Hidden.
5. Click Apply Changes.

Add a New Checkbox

In this exercise you create a check box that automatically sets the minimum product
price to 75% of the list price.
Topics in this section include:
■ Add a New Item
■ Create a Process
■ Edit the Item to Display as a Check Box

Tip: For simplicity, this tutorial has you create a checkbox by editing
item attributes. As a best practice, however, you can also create a
named LOV and reference it.

See Also: "Creating Lists of Values" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

Add a New Item

First, you add a new item. Initially, you create this item to display as a radio group
and later change it to a check box.
To add an item that displays as a radio group:
1. On the Page Definition for page 2, scroll down to Items.
2. Under Items, click the Create icon as shown in Figure 6–4.

Figure 6–4 Create Icon

3. For Item Type, select Radio and click Next.

4. For Radio Group Control Type, select Radio group and click Next.
5. For Display Position and Name:
a. Item Name - Enter P2_SET_MIN_PRICE.
b. Sequence - Enter 9.5.

6-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Editing the Update Form

Note that this sequence positions the item below the P2_MIN_PRICE item (the
Minimum Price field).
c. Region - Select Update Form.
d. Click Next.
6. For List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select Select Named LOV.
b. Display Null Option - Select No.
c. List of Values Query - Enter:
STATIC:Yes;Y,No;N

d. Click Next.
7. For Item Attributes:
a. Label - Replace the existing text with Set Minimum Price.
b. Accept the remaining defaults.
c. Click Next.
8. For Source:
a. Item Source - Select SQL Query.
b. Item Source Value - Enter:
SELECT 'Y' FROM DUAL WHERE :P2_LIST_PRICE*0.75=:P2_MIN_PRICE

c. Accept the remaining defaults and click Create Item.

Create a Process
Next, you create a page process that sets the minimum price at a 25% discount of the
list price.
To create a page process:
1. On the Page Definition for page 2, locate the Page Processing area.
2. Under Processes, click the Create icon.
3. For Process Type, select PL/SQL and click Next.
4. For Process Attributes:
a. Name - Enter Update Min Price.
b. Sequence - Accept the default.
c. Point - Select OnSubmit - After Computations and Validataions.
d. Click Next.
5. For Process:
a. Enter the following:
UPDATE oehr_product_information
SET MIN_PRICE=(:P2_LIST_PRICE*0.75)
WHERE PRODUCT_ID=:P2_PRODUCT_ID;

b. Click Next.

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-5

Editing the Update Form

6. For Messages:
a. Success Message - Enter:
Product successfully updated.

b. Failure Message - Enter:

Unable to update this product. Contact your system administrator.

c. Click Next.
7. For Process Conditions:
a. Condition Type - Select Value of Item in Expression 1 = Expression 2.
b. Expression 1 - Enter:
P2_SET_MIN_PRICE

c. Expression 2 - Enter Y.
d. Click Create Process.

Run the Page To run the page:

1. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
2. If prompted to enter a user name and password, enter your workspace user name
and password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on
page 1-6.
The revised form appears as shown in Figure 6–5. Note that the Warranty Period
field no longer displays and a new Set Minimum Price radio group appears.

Figure 6–5 Update Form with Set Minimum Price Radio Group

Edit the Item to Display as a Check Box

Next, change the Set Minimum Price radio group (P2_SET_MIN_PRICE) to display as
a check box.
To edit P2_SET_MIN_PRICE:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.

6-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Change the Report Display

The Page Definition for Page 2 appears.

2. Under Items, click P2_SET_MIN_PRICE.
3. From Display As, select Checkbox.
4. Scroll down to Label. In Label, delete the existing text, Set Minimum Price.
5. Scroll down to Default. In Default Value, enter N.
6. Under Lists of Values:
a. Number of Columns - Enter 1.
b. List of values definition - Enter:
STATIC: <b> Set Minimum Price</b><br/> (25% Discount on List Price);Y

7. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

Run the Page To run the page, click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner. The
revised form appears as shown in Figure 6–6 on page 6-7. Note the new Set Minimum
Price check box.

Figure 6–6 Update Form with Set Minimum Price Check Box

Change the Report Display

You can alter how a report displays by editing report attributes. In the exercise, you
change the number of columns that display on page 1 and then change the format of
two columns to include a currency symbol.
To edit report attributes for page 1:
1. Click Application on the Developer toolbar.
The Application home page appears.
2. Click 1 - Product Report.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
3. Under Regions, click the Report link as shown in Figure 6–7 on page 6-8.

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-7

Create Multi Value Check Boxes to Filter Content

Figure 6–7 Report Link

The Report Attributes page appears. You can use this page to precisely control the
report layout. First, change the number of columns that display.
4. Deselect the Show check box for the following columns:
■ Weight Class
■ Warranty Period
■ Supplier ID
Next, edit List Price and Min Price columns to include a currency symbol.
5. Edit the List Price column:
a. Click the Edit icon next to List Price.
b. From Number / Date Format, select $5,234.10.
c. Click the Next (>) icon at the top of the page.
Clicking the Next icon submits your changes and then displays attributes for
the next column, Min Price.
6. Edit the Min Price column:
a. From Number / Date Format, select $5,234.10.
Note that you select a format by selecting an example. However, the value that
actually displays field is the Oracle number format.
b. Click Apply Changes.
7. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
The revised report appears. Notice the Weight Class, Warranty Period, and
Supplier ID no longer appear and the List Price and Min Price columns include a
currency symbol.

Create Multi Value Check Boxes to Filter Content

In the next exercise, you change the Search field (P1_REPORT_SEARCH) on the
Product Report page to a multi value check box. These check boxes enable users to
filter the report by product category (obsolete, orderable, planned, under
development).
Topics in this section include:
■ Change the Search Field to a Multi Value Check Box
■ Edit the Report Region Definition
■ Change the Default Check Box Behavior
■ Change the Check Boxes to Display in Bold

6-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Create Multi Value Check Boxes to Filter Content

Change the Search Field to a Multi Value Check Box

To change the search field to a check box:
1. Click Edit Page 1 on the Developer toolbar.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
2. Under Items, click P1_REPORT_SEARCH.
3. From Display As, select Checkbox.
4. Scroll down to Label. For Label, delete the existing text and replace with Product
Status.
5. Scroll down to Source. In Source Value or Expression, enter:
obsolete:orderable:planned:under development

6. Scroll down to List of Values. Specify the following:

a. Named LOV - Accept the default.
b. Number of Columns - Enter 4.
c. List of values definition - Enter:
SELECT DISTINCT product_status display_value, product_status return_value
FROM oehr_product_information
ORDER BY 1

Note: Note that to create a multi value check box, the List of Values
query must return more than one row.

7. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

The Page Definition for page 1 appears.

Edit the Report Region Definition

To edit the report region definition:
1. Under Regions, click Product Report.
The Region Definition appears.
2. Scroll down to Source.
3. In Source modify the WHERE clause to read as follows:
...
WHERE instr(':'||:P1_REPORT_SEARCH||':',product_status)> 0

4. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
5. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-9

Create Multi Value Check Boxes to Filter Content

Change the Default Check Box Behavior

Although the Product Status check boxes correctly filter the content on page 1, if you
deselect all the check boxes, notice the report returns all products. This behavior
results from the fact that if a check box has a NULL value (that is, it is deselected), then
it defaults to the default value Y. The default value of Y, in turn, enables the check box.
You can alter this behavior by adding a computation that remembers the state of the
check box.
To add a computation that tracks the state of the check box:
1. Under Page Processing, Computations, click the Create icon.
The Create Page Computation Wizard appears.
2. For Item Location, select Item on This Page and click Next.
3. For Item, specify the following:
a. Compute Item - Select P1_REPORT_SEARCH.
b. Sequence - Accept the default.
c. Computation Point - Select After Submit.
d. Computation Type - Select Static Assignment.
e. Click Next.
4. In Computation:
a. Enter:
none(bogus_value)

b. Click Next.
5. For Condition:
a. From Condition Type, select Value of Item in Expression 1 Is NULL.
b. In Expression 1, enter:
P1_REPORT_SEARCH

6. Click Create.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
7. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner. Note that the Product Status
check boxes display at the top of the page.

Change the Check Boxes to Display in Bold

Next, you edit the check box display values (or labels) so that they appear as bold text.
To edit check box display values (or labels) to appear in bold:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 1.
2. Under Items, click P1_REPORT_SEARCH.
3. Scroll down to Element.
4. In Form Element Option Attributes, enter:
class="fielddatabold"

6-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report

Form Element Option Attributes are used exclusively for check boxes and radio
buttons and control the way the Application Express engine renders individual
options.
5. Click Apply Changes.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.

Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report

In the next exercise, you add a delete check box to each row in the Product Report. To
accomplish this, you must edit the report query and make a call to the APEX_ITEM
package.
APEX_ITEM is a supplied package for generating certain items dynamically. In this
instance, you use APEX_ITEM.CHECKBOX to generate check boxes in the Product
report. When the page is submitted, the values of the check boxes are stored in global
package arrays. You can reference these values using the PL/SQL variables APEX_
APPLICATION.G_F01 to APEX_APPLICATION.G_F50 based on the p_idx
parameter value that was passed in.
Topics in this section include:
■ Call APEX_ITEM.CHECKBOX
■ Add a Button to Submit Check Box Array Values
■ Add a Process

See Also: "APEX_ITEM" in Oracle Database Application Express User's

Guide

Call APEX_ITEM.CHECKBOX
To edit the query to call APEX_ITEM.CHECKBOX:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 1.
2. Under Regions, click Product Report.
3. Scroll down to Source.
4. In Region Source, add the new line appearing in bold face to the query.
SELECT
"product_id",
apex_item.checkbox(1,product_id) del,
"product_name",
"product_description",
"category_id",
"weight_class",
"warranty_period",
"supplier_id",
"product_status",
"list_price",
"min_price",
"catalog_url"
FROM "oehr_product_information"
WHERE instr(':'||:p1_report_search||':',product_status)> 0

APEX_ITEM is an Oracle Application Express supplied package that you can use
to generate certain items dynamically. Note that the value passed in for p_idx in

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-11

Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report

the above example is 1. You reference the check box values using the global
variable APEX_APPLICATION.G_F01 later on.
Oracle Application Express automatically adds new columns to the end of the
column list. Next, you need to move the DEL column.
5. Scroll to the top of the page and select the Report Attributes tab.
6. Under Column Attributes, locate the Del column.
7. Click the Up arrow on the far right until the DEL column is directly below
PRODUCT_ID. (See Figure 6–8 on page 6-12).

Figure 6–8 Report Column Attributes Page

8. Click Apply Changes.

The Page Definition for page 1 appears.

Add a Button to Submit Check Box Array Values

To add a button to submit the check box array values:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 1.
2. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.
3. For Button Region, select Product Report (1) and click Next.
4. For Position, select Create a button in a region position and click Next.
5. For Button Attributes:
a. Button Name - Enter DELETE_PRODUCTS.
b. Label - Enter Delete Products.
c. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
6. In Button Template, accept the default selection and click Next.
7. For Display Properties:
a. Position - Select Top of Region.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
8. For Branching, select 1 Product Report and click Create Button.

6-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report

Add a Process
To add a process that executes when the user clicks the Delete Products button:
1. Under Page Processing, Processes, click the Create icon.
2. For Process Type, select PL/SQL and click Next.
3. For Process Attributes:
a. Name - Enter Delete Products.
b. Sequence - Accept the default.
c. For Point - Select On Submit - After Computations and Validations.
d. Click Next.
4. Enter the following PL/SQL process and then click Next:
FOR i in 1..APEX_APPLICATION.G_F01.count
LOOP
DELETE FROM oehr_product_information
WHERE product_id = APEX_APPLICATION.G_F01(i);
END LOOP;

APEX_ITEM is an Oracle Application Express supplied package that you can use
to generate certain items dynamically. When a page is submitted, the values of
each column are stored in global package arrays, which you can reference using
the PL/SQL variable APEX_APPLICATION.G_F01 to APEX_APPLICATION.G_
F50. In this exercise, the value passed in for product_id is 1, so you reference
the column values using the global variable APEX_APPLICATION.G_F01.
5. On Messages:
a. In Success Message, enter:
Product(s) deleted.

b. In Failure Message, enter:

Unable to delete product(s).

6. Click Create Process.

7. Run the page.
Notice that the Delete Products button appears above the report as shown in
Figure 6–9. To remove a product from the report, select the Del check box and
then click Delete Products.

How to Work with Check Boxes 6-13

Adding Check Boxes to Each Row in the Report

Figure 6–9 Product Report with Delete Products Check Box

6-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 7
How to Implement a Web Service

Web services enable applications to interact with one another over the Web in a
platform-neutral, language independent environment. In a typical Web services
scenario, a business application sends a request to a service at a given URL by using
the HTTP protocol. The service receives the request, processes it, and returns a
response. You can incorporate calls to external Web services in applications developed
in Oracle Application Express.
Web services in Oracle Application Express are based on SOAP (Simple Object Access
Protocol). SOAP is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) standard protocol for
sending and receiving requests and responses across the Internet. SOAP messages can
be sent back and forth between a service provider and a service user in SOAP
envelopes.
Web services are called from within an Oracle Application Express application by:
■ Using the Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) registry
■ Manually providing the WSDL URL
This tutorial illustrates the later method.

Topics in this section include:

■ About Creating Web Service References
■ Creating a New Application
■ Specifying an Application Proxy Server Address
■ Creating a Web Service Reference from a WSDL
■ Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

Note: The SOAP 1.1 specification is a W3C note. (The W3C XML
Protocol Working Group has been formed to create a standard that
will supersede SOAP.)
For information about Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) 1.1 see:
http://www.w3.org/TR/SOAP/

See Also: "Implementing Web Services" in Oracle Database

Application Express User's Guide

How to Implement a Web Service 7-1

About Creating Web Service References

About Creating Web Service References

To utilize Web services in Oracle Application Express, you create a Web service
reference using a wizard. When you create the Web reference, you can follow one of
these methods:
■ You supply the URL to a WSDL document. The wizard then analyzes the WSDL
and collects all the necessary information to create a valid SOAP message.
The wizard provides a step where you can locate a WSDL using the Universal
Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) registry. A UDDI registry is a
directory where businesses register their Web services. You search for the WSDL
by entering either a service or business name.
■ You supply the relevant information on how to interact with the Web reference,
including the SOAP request envelope, and create the Web reference manually.
This tutorial describes the second method, creating a Web service reference manually.

Creating a New Application

First, create a new application.
To create an application:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
2. On the Application Builder home page, click Create.
3. For Method, select Create Application, and click Next.
4. For Name:
a. For Name - Enter Web Services.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
5. Add a blank page:
a. Under Select Page Type, accept the default, Blank.
b. In Page Name, enter Web Services and then click Add Page.
The new page appears in the list at the top of the page.
c. Click Next.
6. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and click Next.
7. For Shared Components, accept the default, No, and click Next.
8. For Attributes, accept the default for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and click Next.
9. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and click Next.
10. Review your selections and click Create.
The Application home page appears.

Specifying an Application Proxy Server Address

If your environment requires a proxy server to access the Internet, you must specify a
proxy server address on the Application Attributes page before you can create a Web
service reference.

7-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Web Service Reference from a WSDL

To specify a proxy address:

1. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.
2. Under Application, click Definition.
3. Under Name, enter the proxy server in the Proxy Server field.
4. Click Apply Changes.
The Application home page appears.

Creating a Web Service Reference from a WSDL

In this exercise, you create a Web service by supplying the location of a WSDL
document to a Web service. You then create a form and report for displaying movie
theaters and locations.

Note: The following exercise is dependent upon the availability of

the specified Web service ultimately invoked. If the Web service is
unavailable, you may experience difficulties completing this exercise.

To create a new Web reference by supplying the WSDL location:

1. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.
The Shared Components page appears.
2. Under Logic, select Web Service References.
3. Click Create
4. When prompted whether to search a UDDI registry to find a WSDL, select No and
click Next.
a. In the WSDL Location field enter:
http://www.ignyte.com/webservices/ignyte.whatsshowing.webs
ervice/moviefunctions.asmx?wsdl
b. Click Next.
A summary page appears describing the selected Web service.
5. Click Create Reference.
The Create Web Service Reference page appears. The Web service reference for
MovieInformation is added to the Web Service References Repository.

Create a Form and Report

Next, you need to create a page that contains a form and report to use with your Web
Service Reference.
To create a form and report after creating a Web Service Reference:
1. On the Create Web Service Reference success page, select Create Form and Report
on Web Service.
2. For Choose Service and Operation:
a. Web Service Reference - Select MovieInformation.
b. Operation - Select GetTheatersAndMovies.

How to Implement a Web Service 7-3

Creating a Web Service Reference from a WSDL

c. Click Next.
3. For Page and Region Attributes:
a. Form Region Title - Change to Theater Information.
b. Accept the other defaults and click Next.
4. For Input Items:
a. For P2_ZIPCODE and P2_RADIUS, accept the default, Yes, in the Create
column.
b. For P2_ZIPCODE, change the Item Label default to ZIP Code.
c. Click Next.
5. For Web Service Results:
a. Temporary Result Set Name (Collection) - Accept the default.
b. Result Tree to Report On - Select Theater (tns:Theater).
c. Click Next.
6. For Result Parameters, select all the parameters and click Finish.
7. Click Run Page.
8. If prompted to log in, enter the user name and password for your workspace and
click Login.
A form and report resembling Figure 7–1 on page 7-4 appear. Notice that the
Theater Information Form at the top of the page contains a data entry field and a
submit button, but the Results Report does not contain any data.

Figure 7–1 Theater Information Form and Report without Data

9. To test the form, enter 43221 in the ZIP Code field and 5 in the Radius field. Then
click Submit.
The report at the bottom of the page should resemble Figure 7–2. The report lists
the names and addresses of movie theaters matching the entered ZIP code and
radius.

7-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

Figure 7–2 Theater Information Report Showing Resulting Data

Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

In this exercise, you create a Web reference by supplying information about the Web
service and using the manual facility. Manual Web references are created by visually
inspecting the WSDL document as well as using a tool to determine the SOAP
envelope for the Web service request.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create a Web Service Reference Manually
■ Test the Web Service
■ Create a Page to Call the Manual Web Service
■ Create a Submit Button
■ Create Items for ZIP Code and Radius
■ Create a Process to Call the Manually Created Web Reference
■ Create a Report on the Web Service Result

Create a Web Service Reference Manually

To create a Web reference manually, you will copy code from the WSDL for a service
called MovieInformation.
Please note the example settings provided in the following steps are based on the
MovieInformation service at the time this document was released.
To create a manual Web reference:
1. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.
2. Under Logic, click Web Service References.
3. Click Create.
4. For Search UDDI, select No and click Next.
5. From the Tasks list on the right, click the Create Web Reference Manually link.

How to Implement a Web Service 7-5

Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

The Create/Edit Web Service page appears.

6. In the Name field, enter Movie Info.
7. Locate the endpoint of the MovieInformation service:
a. Open the WSDL by going to:
http://www.ignyte.com/webservices/ignyte.whatsshowing.webservice
/moviefunctions.asmx?wsdl

b. In the WSDL, find the location attribute of the soap:address element,

which is a child of the port element. You can search for the following term
within the code: soap:address location.
At the time of this release, it was this attribute:
http://www.ignyte.com/webservices/ignyte.whatsshowing.webservice/moviefunct
ions.asmx

8. In the URL field on the Create/Edit Web Service page, enter the endpoint of the
MovieInformation service you located. For example:
http://www.ignyte.com/webservices/ignyte.whatsshowing.webserv
ice/moviefunctions.asmx
9. Locate the SOAP action for the GetTheatersAndMovies operation:
a. If necessary, open the WSDL again. See Step 7a.
b. In the WSDL, find the soapAction attribute of the soap:operation
element, which is a child of the operation element that has a name attribute of
GetTheatersAndMovies. You can search for the following term within the
code: soap:operation soapAction.
At the time of this release, it was this attribute:
http://www.ignyte.com/whatsshowing/GetTheatersAndMovies

10. In the Action field on the Create/Edit Web Service page, enter the SOAP action
you located. For example:
http://www.ignyte.com/whatsshowing/GetTheatersAndMovies
11. In the SOAP Envelope field on the Create/Edit Web Reference page, enter the xml
code representing the SOAP Request message. For example:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<soap:Envelope xmlns:soap="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/soap/envelope/"
xmlns:tns="http://www.ignyte.com/whatsshowing"
xmlns:xs="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema">
<soap:Body>
<tns:GetTheatersAndMovies>
<tns:zipCode>#ZIP#</tns:zipCode>
<tns:radius>#RADIUS#</tns:radius>
</tns:GetTheatersAndMovies>
</soap:Body>
</soap:Envelope>

You can use a SOAP message generating tool, such as MindReef, to construct a
valid SOAP Request for a given Web service.
12. In the Store Response in Collection field, enter MOVIE_RESULTS. This is where the
response from the Web service will be stored.
The Create/Edit Web Service page should resemble Figure 7–3.

7-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

Figure 7–3 Create/Edit Web Service Page

13. Click Create.

The Web Service References page appears, showing Movie Info in the list.

Test the Web Service

To test the Web service:
1. On the Web Service References page, click the Test icon next to the Movie Info
Web reference.
The Web Services Testing page appears.
Note View must be set to Details, otherwise the Test icon is not displayed.
2. In the SOAP Envelope field, replace #ZIP# with 43221 and #RADIUS# with 5.
3. Click Test.
4. Review the Result field and note the following about the response:
■ The base node in the return envelope is called:
GetTheatersAndMoviesResponse

■ The namespace for the message is:

http://www.ignyte.com/whatsshowing

■ The XPath to the interesting parts of the response under the result element is:
/GetTheatersAndMoviesResponse/GetTheatersAndMoviesResult/Theater/Movies/Mov

How to Implement a Web Service 7-7

Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

ie

■ The interesting elements in the results are called:

Name
Rating
RunningTime
ShowTimes

Create a Page to Call the Manual Web Service

Next, you want to create a page to call the manual Web Service.
To create a page to call the manual Web service:
1. Click the Application breadcrumb link.
2. On the Application home page, click Create Page.
3. For Page, select Blank Page and click Next.
4. Accept the default for the Page Number and click Next.
5. In Name, enter Find Movies and click Next.
6. For Tabs, accept the default, No, and click Next.
7. Click Finish.
8. On the Success page, click Edit Page.
9. On the Page Definition, locate the Regions section.
10. Click the Create icon.

11. For Region, select HTML and click Next.

12. Select HTML as the HTML region container and click Next.

13. In the Title field, enter Movie Information and click Next.

14. Click Create Region.

Create a Submit Button

Next, you want to add a Submit button to the region to initiate a search from the page.
To create a Submit button:
1. On the Page Definition, click the Create icon in the Buttons section.
2. For Button Region, accept the default, Movie Information, and click Next.
3. For Button Position, accept the default, Create a button in a region position, and
click Next.
4. For Button Attributes, enter SUBMIT in the Button Name and click Next.
5. For Button Template, accept the default, Button, and click Next.
6. For Display Properties, select Region Template Position #CREATE# from the
Position list and click Next.
7. In the Branch to Page field, select Find Movies from the list. The page number
appears in the field.
8. Click Create Button.

7-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

Create Items for ZIP Code and Radius

Next, you want to create two items where users can enter a search term.
To create the ZIP Code item:
1. On the Find Movies Page Definition, click the Create icon in the Items section.
2. For Item Type, select Text and click Next.
3. For Text Control Display Type, accept the default, Text Field, and click Next.
4. For Display Position and Name, specify the following:
a. Item Name - Enter ZIP.
The Movie Info Web Service Reference defines the zip code sent in the SOAP
Request as #ZIP#. Therefore, this Item Name must be ZIP in order for it’s
value to be substituted into the SOAP Request sent to the Web Service.
b. Region - Accept the default, Movie Information.
c. Click Next.
5. In the Label field, replace the existing text with ZIP Code and click Next.
6. Click Create Item.
To create the Radius item:
1. On the Find Movies Page Definition, click the Create icon in the Items section.
2. For Item Type, select Text and click Next.
3. For Text Control Display Type, accept the default, Text Field, and click Next.
4. For Display Position and Name, specify the following:
a. Item Name - Enter RADIUS.
The Movie Info Web Service Reference defines the radius sent in the SOAP
Request as #RADIUS#. Therefore, this Item Name must be RADIUS in order
for it’s value to be substituted into the SOAP Request sent to the Web Service.
b. Region - Accept the default, Movie Information.
c. Click Next.
5. In the Label field, enter Radius and click Next.
6. Click Create Item.

Create a Process to Call the Manually Created Web Reference

Next, you want to create a process that calls the manually created Web reference.
To create a process to call the manually created Web reference:
1. On the Find Movies Page Definition, click the Create icon in the Processes section.
2. For Process Type, select Web Services and click Next.
3. In the Name field, enter Call Movie Info and click Next.
4. From the Web Service Reference list, select Movie Info and click Next.
5. In the Success Message area, enter Called Movie Info.
6. In the Failure Message area, enter Error calling Movie Info and click Next.
7. From the When Button Pressed list, select SUBMIT and click Create Process.

How to Implement a Web Service 7-9

Creating a Web Service Reference Manually

Create a Report on the Web Service Result

Next, you want to add a report that displays the results of the called Web service.
To create a report on the Web service result:
1. On the Find Movies Page Definition, click the Create icon in the Regions section.
2. Select Report and click Next.
3. For Region, select Report on collection containing Web service result and click
Next.
4. In the Title field, enter Search Results and click Next.
5. For Web Reference Type, select Manually Created and click Next.
6. For Web Reference Information, specify the following:
a. Web Service Reference - Select Movie Info from the list.
b. SOAP Style - Select Document.
c. Message Format - Select Literal.
Note that these two attributes can be determined by manually inspecting the
WSDL document for the service.
d. Result Node Path - Enter:
/GetTheatersAndMoviesResponse/GetTheatersAndMoviesResult/Theater/Movies/Mov
ie

e. Message Namespace - Enter:

http://www.ignyte.com/whatsshowing

Note that you reviewed both the Result Node Path and Message Namespace
when testing the service.
f. Click Next.
7. In the first four Parameter Names, enter Name, Rating, RunningTime, and
ShowTimes, and click Create SQL Report.
8. To test the page:
a. Click Run Page. If prompted to log in, enter your workspace user name and
password. The Movie Information form appears, as shown in Figure 7–4.

Figure 7–4 Movie Information Form with No Data

b. In the ZIP Code and Radius fields, enter information and click Submit.
The results appear in the Search Results area.

7-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 8
How to Create a Stacked Bar Chart

A stacked bar chart displays the results of multiple queries stacked on top of one
another, either vertically or horizontally. Using a stacked bar chart is an effective way
to present the absolute values of data points represented by the segments of each bar,
as well as the total value represented by data points from each series stacked in a bar.
Although Application Builder includes built-in wizards for generating HTML,
Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG), and Flash charts, only SVG and Flash charts support
stacked bar charts.
This tutorial describes how to create a Flash stacked bar chart. Before you begin, you
need to import and install the OEHR Sample Objects application in order to access the
necessary sample database objects. See "About Loading Sample Objects" on page 1-2.
This section contains the following topics:
■ About the Syntax for Creating Chart Queries
■ Creating an Application
■ Creating a New Page
■ Adding Additional Series
■ Updating the Sample Data
■ Viewing the Chart
■ Editing Chart Attributes

See Also: "Creating Charts" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide

For additional examples on this and related topics, please visit the following Oracle by
Examples (OBEs):
■ Using Some Additional New Features in Oracle Application Express 3.1
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31misc.htm

■ Adding Additional Components to your Existing Application

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_c/apex3.1.1_c_otn.htm

About the Syntax for Creating Chart Queries

The syntax for the select statement of a chart is:
SELECT link, label, value
FROM ...

How to Create a Stacked Bar Chart 8-1

Creating an Application

Where:
■ link is a URL. This URL will be called if the user clicks on the that point on the
resulting chart.
■ label is the text that displays in the bar.
■ value is the numeric column that defines the bar size.
You must have all three items in your select statement. In the next example, the link is
defined as null because there is no appropriate page to link to.
For example:
SELECT null link,
last_name label,
salary value
FROM employees
WHERE DEPARTMENT_ID = :P101_DEPARTMENT_ID

See Also: "Creating Charts" in Oracle Database Application Express

User's Guide

Creating an Application
First, you create an application using the Create Application Wizard.
To create an application using the Create Application Wizard:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. Select Create Application and click Next.
4. For Name:
a. Name - Enter Bar Chart.
b. Application - Accept the default.
c. Create Application - Select From scratch.
d. Schema - Select the schema where you installed the OEHR sample objects.
e. Click Next.
Next, you need to add a page. You have the option of adding a blank page, a
report, a form, a tabular form, or a report and form. For this exercise, you add
a blank page.
5. Add a blank page:
a. Under Select Page Type, select Blank and click Add Page.
The new page appears in the list at the top of the page.
b. Click Next.
6. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and click Next.
7. For Copy Shared Components from Another Application, accept the default, No,
and click Next.

8-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a New Page

8. For Attributes, accept the defaults for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and click Next.
9. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and click Next.
10. Review your selections and click Create.
The Application home page appears.

Creating a New Page

To create your chart, you can either add a region to an existing page and define it as a
stacked bar chart, or you can create a new page. In this exercise, you create a new page
within the Bar Chart application you just created.
The chart will display the sum for sales by product category. It will contain sales for
the twelve months prior to the current month. In the following exercise, you use a
wizard to create the chart and the first query. Then, you add additional queries (or
series) for other product categories to make it stacked.

See Also: "About the Syntax for Creating Chart Queries" on page 8-1

To create a new page:

1. On the Application home page, click Create Page.
2. For page, select Chart and click Next.
3. Select Flash Chart and click Next.
4. For Page Attributes:
a. For Page Number, enter 2.
b. For Page Name, enter Revenue by Category.
c. For Region Template, accept the default.
d. For Region Name, enter Revenue by Category.
e. For Breadcrumb, accept the default.
f. Click Next.
5. For Tab Options, accept the default, Do not use Tabs, and then click Next.
The Chart Preview appears. Use Chart Preview to configure chart attributes. Click
Update to refresh the preview image.
6. On Chart Preview, specify the following:
a. Chart Type - Select Stacked 3D Column.
b. Show Legend - Select Right.
c. Click Update.
Notice the changes to the preview.
d. Click Next.
7. For Query:
a. Enter the following query:
SELECT NULL link,
sales_month value,
revenue "Hardware"

How to Create a Stacked Bar Chart 8-3

Adding Additional Series

FROM (
SELECT TO_CHAR(o.order_date,'Mon YY') sales_month,
SUM(oi.quantity * oi.unit_price) revenue,
TO_DATE(to_char(o.order_date,'Mon YY'),'Mon YY') sales_month_order
FROM OEHR_PRODUCT_INFORMATION p,
OEHR_ORDER_ITEMS oi,
OEHR_ORDERS o,
OEHR_CATEGORIES_TAB ct
WHERE o.order_date <= (trunc(sysdate,'MON')-1)
AND o.order_date > (trunc(sysdate-365,'MON'))
AND o.order_id = oi.order_id
AND oi.product_id = p.product_id
AND p.category_id = ct.category_id
AND ct.category_name like '%hardware%'
GROUP BY TO_CHAR(o.order_date,'Mon YY')
ORDER BY sales_month_order
)

The value label (in this instance, Hardware) is displayed in the legend of
stacked charts.

Tip: You can also create a chart query interactively by clicking the
Build Query button.

b. For When No Data Found Message, enter:

No orders found in the past 12 months.

c. Click Next.
8. Review your selections and click Finish.
The Success page appears.

Adding Additional Series

Now that you have created a page with a region defining the query, you need to add
additional series. In the following exercise, you add a series for the categories software
and office equipment.
To add additional series:
1. On the Success Page, click Edit Page.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.
2. Under Regions, click Flash Chart next to Revenue by Category.
The Flash Chart page appears with the Chart Attributes tab selected. Scroll down
to Chart Series. Note that only one series appears.
3. To change the name the existing series:
a. Click the Edit icon.
b. In Series Name, enter Hardware.
c. Click Apply Changes.
4. Add a chart series for software:
a. Scroll down to Chart Series and then click Add Series.
b. For Series Name, enter Software.

8-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Adding Additional Series

c. Scroll down to Series Query.

d. In SQL, enter:
SELECT NULL link,
sales_month value,
revenue "Software"
FROM (
SELECT TO_CHAR(o.order_date,'Mon YY') sales_month,
SUM(oi.quantity * oi.unit_price) revenue,
TO_DATE(to_char(o.order_date,'Mon YY'),'Mon YY') sales_month_order
FROM OEHR_PRODUCT_INFORMATION p,
OEHR_ORDER_ITEMS oi,
OEHR_ORDERS o,
OEHR_CATEGORIES_TAB ct
WHERE o.order_date <= (trunc(sysdate,'MON')-1)
AND o.order_date > (trunc(sysdate-365,'MON'))
AND o.order_id = oi.order_id
AND oi.product_id = p.product_id
AND p.category_id = ct.category_id
AND ct.category_name like '%software%'
GROUP BY TO_CHAR(o.order_date,'Mon YY')
ORDER BY sales_month_order
)

The value label (in this instance, Software) is displayed in the legend of
stacked charts. Note that this SQL matches the previous series. The only
difference is the category in the WHERE clause.
e. For When No Data Found Message, enter:
No orders found in the past 12 months.

f. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.

5. Add a chart series for office equipment:
a. Under Chart Series, click Add Series.
b. For Series Name, enter Office Equipment.
c. Scroll down to Series Query.
d. In SQL, enter:
SELECT NULL link,
sales_month value,
revenue "Office Equipment"
FROM (
SELECT TO_CHAR(o.order_date,'Mon YY') sales_month,
SUM(oi.quantity * oi.unit_price) revenue,
TO_DATE(to_char(o.order_date,'Mon YY'),'Mon YY') sales_month_order
FROM OEHR_PRODUCT_INFORMATION p,
OEHR_ORDER_ITEMS oi,
OEHR_ORDERS o,
OEHR_CATEGORIES_TAB ct
WHERE o.order_date <= (trunc(sysdate,'MON')-1)
AND o.order_date > (trunc(sysdate-365,'MON'))
AND o.order_id = oi.order_id
AND oi.product_id = p.product_id
AND p.category_id = ct.category_id
AND ct.category_name like '%office%'
GROUP BY TO_CHAR(o.order_date,'Mon YY')
ORDER BY sales_month_order

How to Create a Stacked Bar Chart 8-5

Updating the Sample Data

The value label (in this instance, Office Equipment) is displayed in the
legend of stacked charts.
e. For When No Data Found Message, enter:
No orders found in the past 12 months.

f. Scroll up to the top of the page and click Apply Changes.

Updating the Sample Data

The sample data that installed with the OEHR Sample Objects application is not current.
To make the data current, you need to update the dates in the sample data. You will
accomplish this by running an update statement in SQL Commands

See Also: "Using SQL Commands" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

To update the dates in the seed data:

1. Return to the Workspace home page. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top
of the page.
2. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL Commands.
The SQL Commands page appears.
3. Enter the following in the SQL editor pane:
DECLARE
l_date_offset number;
BEGIN

FOR c1 IN (SELECT TRUNC(max(order_date)) max_date

FROM oehr_orders)
LOOP
l_date_offset := round(sysdate - c1.max_date);
END LOOP;
UPDATE oehr_orders
set order_date = order_date + l_date_offset;
COMMIT;
END;
/

4. Click Run (Ctrl+Enter) to execute the command.

Viewing the Chart

Now that the chart is complete, you can view it.
To run the chart:
1. Return to page 2, Revenue by Category:
a. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page.
b. Click Application Builder and then click your Bar Chart application.
c. Click 2 - Revenue by Category.
2. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner of the page.

8-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Editing Chart Attributes

3. If prompted for a user name and password, enter your workspace user name and
password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on page 1-6.
Your bar chart should resemble Figure 8–1.

Figure 8–1 Revenue by Category Stacked Bar Chart

The chart displays the revenue for each product category by month. A legend that
defines the color associated with each product appears at the top of the page. Note
that the text in X Axis is spaced too closely together. In the next section, you edit
the chart attributes to correct this issue.

Editing Chart Attributes

In this exercise, you change the appearance of your chart by editing chart attributes.
To edit chart attributes:
1. Click Edit Page 2 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Regions, click Flash Chart.
The Chart Attributes page appears.
3. Under Chart Settings, edit the chart width. In Chart Width, enter 800.
4. Scroll down to Display Settings. From Animation, select Dissolve.
5. Scroll down to Axes Settings. From Show Group Separator, select Yes.
6. Scroll down to Font Settings. For X Axis Title, select the Font Size 10.
7. Click Apply Changes to a the top of the page.
8. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner of the page.
You chart should resemble Figure 8–2.

How to Create a Stacked Bar Chart 8-7

Editing Chart Attributes

Figure 8–2 Revised Stacked Bar Chart

Note that the chart displays on-screen gradually using a dissolve and the X Axis
displays correctly.

8-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 9
How to Upload and Download Files in an
Application

Oracle Application Express applications support the ability to upload and download
files stored in the database. This tutorial illustrates how to create a form and report
with links for file upload and download, how to create and populate a table to store
additional attributes about the documents, and finally how to create the mechanism to
download the document in your custom table.
This section contains the following topics:
■ Creating an Application
■ Creating an Upload Form
■ Creating a Report with Download Links
■ Storing Additional Attributes About the Document
■ Storing the Document in a Custom Table
■ Downloading Documents from the Custom Table
■ Security Issues to Consider

For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Defining and Viewing BLOB Data in Oracle Application Express 3.1
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31blob.htm

Creating an Application
First, create a new application using the Create Application Wizard with the
assumption you will include an upload form on page 1.
To create an application using the Create Application Wizard:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. Select Create Application and then click Next.
4. For Name, specify the following:
a. For Name, enter Download App.

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-1

Creating an Upload Form

b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.

5. Add a blank page:
a. Under Select Page Type, select Blank and click Add Page.
The new page appears in the Create Application list at the top of the page.
b. Click Next.
6. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs, and click Next.
7. For Copy Shared Components from Another Application, accept the default, No,
and click Next.
8. For Attributes, accept the defaults for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and click Next.
9. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and then click Next.
10. Review your selections and click Create.
The Application home page appears.

Creating an Upload Form

Once you create an application, the next step is to create a form to upload documents.
In the following exercise, you create a form in an HTML region that contains a file
upload item and a button. The button submits the page and returns the user to the
same page.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create an HTML Region
■ Create an Upload Item
■ Create a Button

Create an HTML Region

First, you need to create a container to hold the form. In Application Builder, this
container is called a region.
To create an HTML region:
1. Click the Page 1 icon.
The Page Definition appears.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon as shown in Figure 9–1 on page 9-2.

Figure 9–1 Create Icon

3. For Region:
a. Identify the type of region to add to this page - Accept the default, HTML, and
click Next.

9-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating an Upload Form

b. Select the type of HTML region container you wish to create - Accept the
default, HTML, and click Next.
4. For Display Attributes:
a. Title - Enter Submit File.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
5. Accept the remaining defaults and click Create Region.
The Page Definition appears.

Create an Upload Item

Next, you need to create a text field or item. In Application Builder, an item is part of
an HTML form. An item can be a text field, text area, password, select list, check box,
and so on. In this exercise, you will create a File Browse item. When you create a File
Browse item, files you upload are stored in a table named wwv_flow_file_
objects$.
To create a file upload item:
1. Under Items on the Page Definition for page 1, click the Create icon.
2. For Item Type, select File Browse and then click Next.
3. For Display Position and Name:
a. Item Name - Enter P1_FILE_NAME.
b. For Sequence, accept the default.
c. For Region, select Submit File.
d. Click Next.
4. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
5. Click Create Item.
The Page Definition appears.

Create a Button
Next, you need to create a button to submit the file.
To create a button:
1. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.
2. For Button Region, select Submit File (1) 1 and click Next.
3. For Button Position, select Create a button in a region position and then click
Next.
4. On Button Attributes:
a. Button Name - Enter Submit.
b. Accept the remaining defaults.
c. Click Next.
5. For Button Template, accept the default and click Next.
6. For Display Properties, accept the defaults and click Next.
7. For Branching:

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-3

Creating a Report with Download Links

a. Branch to Page - Select Page 1.

This selection causes the page to call itself on submit rather than navigate to
another page.
b. Click Create Button.
8. Run the page by clicking the Run Page icon as shown in Figure 9–2.

Figure 9–2 Run Page Icon

9. If prompted to enter a user name and password, enter your workspace user name
and password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on
page 1-6.
When you run the page, it should look similar to Figure 9–3.

Figure 9–3 Submit File Form

Creating a Report with Download Links

Once you create the form to upload documents, the next step is to create a report on
the document table that contains links to the uploaded documents. When you use a
File Browse item, the files you upload are stored in a table called wwv_flow_file_
objects$. Every workspace has access to this table through a view called APEX_
APPLICATION_FILES.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create a Report on APEX_APPLICATION_FILES
■ Add Link to Download Documents

Create a Report on APEX_APPLICATION_FILES

To create a report on APEX_APPLICATION_FILES:
1. Click Edit Page 1 on the Developer toolbar at the bottom of the page.
The Page Definition appears.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. For Region, select Report and then click Next.
4. For Report Implementation, select SQL Report and then click Next.
5. For Display Attributes:
a. Title - Enter Uploaded Files.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
6. For Source, enter the following SQL query:

9-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Report with Download Links

SELECT id,name FROM APEX_APPLICATION_FILES

7. Click Create Region.

8. Run the page.
Your report should resemble Figure 9–4. Note that your display may differ slightly
depending on what files you have uploaded.

Figure 9–4 Uploaded Files Report

Add Link to Download Documents

Next, you need to provide a link to download each document.
To provide a link to download the documents in the report:
1. Click Edit Page 1 on the Developer toolbar.
2. Under Regions, click Report next to Uploaded Files as shown in Figure 9–5.

Figure 9–5 Report Link

The Report Attributes page appears. You can add a link to the ID column by
editing Column Attributes.
3. Under Column Attributes, click the Edit icon in the ID row.
4. Scroll down to Column Link.

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-5

Storing Additional Attributes About the Document

5. Under Column Link:

a. Link Text - Select #ID#.
b. Target - Select URL.
c. In the URL field, enter the following:
p?n=#ID#

#ID# parses the value contained in the column where ID is the column alias.
6. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.
7. Run the page.
When you run the page, it should look similar to Figure 9–6.

Figure 9–6 Uploaded Files Report with Download Links

8. To test the links, click an ID.

A File Download dialog box appears.
9. Click Edit Page 1 on the Developer toolbar to return to the Page Definition.

Storing Additional Attributes About the Document

Next, you create another table to store additional information about the documents
that are uploaded. In this exercise, you:
■ Add an item to the upload form to capture the information
■ Add a process to insert this information along with the name of the file
■ Alter the SQL Report of uploaded files to join to the table containing the additional
information
Topics in this section include:
■ Create a Table to Store Document Attributes

9-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Storing Additional Attributes About the Document

■ Create an Item to Capture the Document Subject

■ Create a Process to Insert Information
■ Show Additional Attributes in the Report Region

Create a Table to Store Document Attributes

First, you create a table in SQL Commands.

See Also: "Using SQL Commands" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

To create the table to store additional information about uploaded files:

1. Go to SQL Commands:
a. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page as shown in
Figure 9–7.

Figure 9–7 Breadcrumb Menu

The Workspace home page appears.

b. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL
Commands.
The SQL Commands page appears.
2. In the top section, enter:
CREATE TABLE oehr_file_subject
(name VARCHAR2(4000) primary key,
subject VARCHAR2(4000));

3. Click Run.
The message Table created appears in the Results section.
4. Click the Home breadcrumb link.
The Workspace home page appears.

Create an Item to Capture the Document Subject

To create an item to capture the subject of the document:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 1:
a. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
b. On the Application Builder home page, click Download App.
c. On the Application home page, click the Page 1 icon.
The Page Definition for Page 1 appears.
2. Under Items, click the Create icon.
3. For Item Type, select Text and click Next.
4. For Text Control Display Type, select Text Field and click Next.

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-7

Storing Additional Attributes About the Document

5. For Display Position and Name:

a. For Item Name - Enter P1_SUBJECT.
b. Sequence - Accept the default.
c. Region - Select Uploaded Files.
d. Click Next.
6. For Item Attributes:
a. Label field - Enter Subject.
b. Accept the remaining defaults.
c. Click Next.
7. Click Create Item.

Create a Process to Insert Information

Next, you need to create a process to insert the subject information into the new table.
To create a process:
1. Under Page Processing, Processes, click the Create icon.
2. For Process Type, select PL/SQL and then click Next.
3. For Process Attributes:
a. Name - Enter Insert file description.
b. Sequence- Accept the default.
c. From Point - Select On Submit - After Computations and Validations.
d. Click Next.
4. In Enter PL/SQL Page Process, enter the following:
INSERT INTO oehr_file_subject(name, subject) VALUES(:P1_FILE_NAME,:P1_SUBJECT);

5. Click Next.
6. For Messages:
a. Success Message - Enter:
Subject inserted

b. Failure Message - Enter:

Error inserting subject

c. Click Next.
7. For Process Conditions:
a. When Button Pressed - Select SUBMIT.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Create Process.

Show Additional Attributes in the Report Region

Finally, you need to alter the SQL Report region to join it to the additional attributes
table. To accomplish this, you edit the Region Source attribute on the Region
Definition page.

9-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Storing the Document in a Custom Table

To edit the Region Source:

1. Under Regions, click Uploaded Files.
The Region Definition appears.
2. Scroll down to Source.
3. Replace the Region Source with the following:
SELECT w.id,w.name,s.subject
FROM APEX_APPLICATION_FILES w,oehr_file_subject s
WHERE w.name = s.name

4. Click Apply Changes.

5. Run the page.
6. Click Browse, locate a file to upload, and click Submit.
As shown in Figure 9–8, the Uploaded Files report now contains a Subject column.

Figure 9–8 Uploaded Files Report with Subject Column

7. Click Edit Page 1 on the Developer toolbar to return to the Page Definition.

Storing the Document in a Custom Table

In certain cases, you may want to store uploaded documents in a table owned by your
schema. For example, if you want to create an Oracle Text index on uploaded
documents, you need to store the documents in a custom table.
To store documents in your custom table:
■ Add a column of type BLOB to hold the document
■ Alter the process to insert documents into the custom table
To add a BLOB column to the oehr_file_subject table:
1. Go to SQL Commands:
a. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page.
The Workspace home page appears.
b. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL
Commands.

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-9

Downloading Documents from the Custom Table

The SQL Commands page appears.

2. In the top section, enter the following SQL statement:
ALTER TABLE oehr_file_subject ADD(id number,blob_content BLOB,mime_type
varchar2(4000) );

3. Click Run.
The message Table Altered appears.
4. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page.
To alter the process to insert documents into the oehr_file_subject table:
1. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
2. Click Download App.
3. Click Page 1.
4. Under Processes, click the Insert file description link.
5. Scroll down to Source.
6. Under Source, replace the process with the following:
IF ( :P1_FILE_NAME is not null ) THEN
INSERT INTO oehr_file_subject(id,NAME, SUBJECT, BLOB_CONTENT, MIME_TYPE)
SELECT ID,:P1_FILE_NAME,:P1_SUBJECT,blob_content,mime_type
FROM APEX_APPLICATION_FILES
WHERE name = :P1_FILE_NAME;
DELETE from APEX_APPLICATION_FILES WHERE name = :P1_FILE_NAME;
END IF;

7. Click Apply Changes.

Downloading Documents from the Custom Table

Now that documents are being stored in a custom table, you need to provide a way to
download them. You do this by creating a procedure and granting execute on that
procedure to the pseudo user APEX_PUBLIC_USER.
To accomplish this you need to change:
■ The SQL report region to no longer join to the APEX_APPLICATION_FILES view
■ The URL supplied for the ID column in the SQL report to execute the new
procedure instead of executing the previous procedure
Topics in this section include:
■ Create a Procedure to Download Documents
■ Edit the Uploaded Files Region
■ Change the Download Link to Use the New Procedure

Create a Procedure to Download Documents

To create a procedure to download documents from the oehr_file_subject table
and grant execute to public:
1. Go to SQL Commands:
a. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page.

9-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Downloading Documents from the Custom Table

The Workspace home page appears.

b. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL
Commands.
The SQL Commands page appears.
2. Enter the following SQL statement:
CREATE OR REPLACE PROCEDURE download_my_file(p_file in number) AS
v_mime VARCHAR2(48);
v_length NUMBER;
v_file_name VARCHAR2(2000);
Lob_loc BLOB;
BEGIN
SELECT MIME_TYPE, BLOB_CONTENT, name,DBMS_LOB.GETLENGTH(blob_content)
INTO v_mime,lob_loc,v_file_name,v_length
FROM oehr_file_subject
WHERE id = p_file;
--
-- set up HTTP header
--
-- use an NVL around the mime type and
-- if it is a null set it to application/octect
-- application/octect may launch a download window from
windows
owa_util.mime_header( nvl(v_mime,'application/octet'),
FALSE );

-- set the size so the browser knows how much to download

htp.p('Content-length: ' || v_length);
-- the filename will be used by the browser if the users does a
save as
htp.p('Content-Disposition: attachment;
filename="'||replace(replace(substr(v_file_name,instr(v_file_
name,'/')+1),chr(10),null),chr(13),null)|| '"');
-- close the headers
owa_util.http_header_close;
-- download the BLOB
wpg_docload.download_file( Lob_loc );
end download_my_file;
/

3. Click Run.
The message Procedure Created appears.
Next, you want to run another SQL statement.
4. Click the SQL Workshop breadcrumb link and then click SQL Commands.
The SQL Commands page appears.
5. In the top section, replace the existing SQL statement with the following:
GRANT EXECUTE ON download_my_file TO PUBLIC
/

6. Click Run.
The message Statement processed appears.
7. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page to return to the Workspace
home page.

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-11

Downloading Documents from the Custom Table

Edit the Uploaded Files Region

To change the SQL report region to no longer join with the APEX_APPLICATION_
FILES view:
1. Go to the Page Definition of page 1:
a. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
b. On the Application Builder home page, click Download App.
c. On the Application home page, click Page 1.
2. Under Regions, click Uploaded Files.
3. Scroll down to Source.
4. Replace the Region Source with the following:
SELECT s.id,s.name,s.subject FROM oehr_file_subject s

5. Click Apply Changes.

The Page Definition appears.

Change the Download Link to Use the New Procedure

Next you need to change the download link to call the PL/SQL download_my_file
procedure.

Note: If you are using Application Express in Database 11g, instead

of calling the PL/SQL procedure as described in this section, please
follow the steps outlined in the following section Create Download
Page for Embedded PL/SQL Gateway.

To change the download link to use the new download procedure:

1. Under Regions, click Report next to Uploaded Files.
2. In the ID row, click the Edit icon.
3. Scroll down to the Column Link section.
4. In the URL field, replace the existing URL with the following:
#OWNER#.download_my_file?p_file=#ID#

In this URL:
– #OWNER# is the parsing schema of the current application.
– download_my_file is the new procedure you just created.
– You are passing in the value of the column ID to the parameter p_file.
5. Click Apply Changes.
The Page Definition appears.

Create Download Page for Embedded PL/SQL Gateway

The Oracle XML DB HTTP Server with the embedded PL/SQL Gateway is typically
used for Application Express in Oracle Database 11g. Calling a PL/SQL procedure

9-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Downloading Documents from the Custom Table

directly from a URL that is not known in a list of allowed procedures, as shown in
Change the Download Link to Use the New Procedure, results in an error message.
To avoid this situation, there are a couple of available options. The first option is to
modify the PL/SQL function WWV_FLOW_EPG_INCLUDE_MOD_LOCAL to include the
PL/SQL download_my_file procedure and then recompile. The second, described
below, is to create a page in the application that has a before header branch to the
PL/SQL download_my_file procedure. You then create a hidden item on that page
for the document ID of the document to be downloaded.
To accomplish the second option you need to:
■ Create a page with a before header branch to the PL/SQL procedure download_
my_file
■ Change the download link to use the new page to display the file

To create a page with a before header branch to the PL/SQL procedure download_
my_file:
1. On the Application Home page, click Create Page.
2. Select Blank Page and click Next.
3. For Page Number, enter 2 and click Next.
4. For Name, enter Download File and click Next.
5. For Tabs, select No and click Next.
6. Click Finish.
The Success page appears.
7. Click Edit Page icon.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.
8. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
9. For Region:
a. Identify the type of region to add to this page - Accept the default, HTML, and
click Next.
b. Select the type of HTML region container you wish to create - Accept the
default, HTML, and click Next.
10. For Display Attributes, specify the following:

a. For Title - Enter Display Document.

b. Accept the remaining default values.
c. Click Next.
11. Click Create Region.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears. A confirmation message displays at the
top of the page: Region created.
12. Under Items on the Page Definition for page 2, click Create icon.

13. For Item Type, select Hidden and then click Next.

14. For Hidden Item Type, select Hidden and Protected and then click Next.

15. For Item Name, enter P2_DOC_ID and then click Next.

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-13

Security Issues to Consider

16. For Source, accept all defaults and then click Create Item.
The Page Definition for Page 2 appears.
17. Under Branches, click the Create icon.

18. For the Branch Point list, select On Load: Before Header.

19. For the Branch Type, select Branch to PL/SQL Procedure and then click Next.

20. For the Identify PL/SQL procedure to call text box, enter download_my_
file(:P2_DOC_ID).
21. For Branch Conditions, accept defaults and click Create Branch.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.

Change the download link to display to the Download Display page:

1. Click the Page 1 icon.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
2. Under Regions, click Report next to Uploaded Files.
The Report Attributes page appears.
3. Under Column Attributes, click the Edit icon in the ID row.
4. Scroll down to Column Link
5. Under Column Link:
a. Target - select Page in this Application
b. Page - enter 2
c. Item 1 Name - P2_DOC_ID
d. Item 1 Value - #ID#
6. Click Apply Changes.
7. Run the application.

Security Issues to Consider

The application you built in this tutorial provides download links that invoke the
procedure download_my_file. Note that this approach has security implications
that you need to be aware of.
To invoke your procedure, a user can click the links you provide, or a user can enter
similar URLs in the Web browser's Address (or Location) field. Be aware that a curious
or malicious user could experiment with your download_my_file procedure,
passing in any file ID as the p_file argument. A hacker could determine what file
IDs exist in your table by legitimate or illicit means. Worse yet, in a mechanized attack,
a hacker could submit successive IDs until an ID matches a file in your table at which
time your procedure would download the file to the hacker.
The measures you take to protect your data from unauthorized access depend upon:
■ Your assessment of the degree of harm that would result if a hacker were able to
download a file.
■ The likelihood of such an attack balanced against the cost and difficulty of
providing controls.

9-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Security Issues to Consider

One technique you can use to protect an application is to call one of the Oracle
Application Express security APIs from within the procedure in order to ensure that
the user has already been authenticated. For example, you could include a block of
code into the procedure so that it runs first. Consider the following example:
-- Assuming your application's numeric ID is 100, set g_flow_id to
-- that value, otherwise change the value as required.
--
APEX_APPLICATION.G_FLOW_ID := 100;

IF NOT wwv_flow_custom_auth_std.is_session_valid then

--
--
-- display this message or a custom message.
--
htp.p('Unauthorized access - file will not be retrieved.');
--
-- You can do whatever else you need to here to log the
-- unauthorized access attempt, get the requestor's
-- IP address, send email, etc.
--
RETURN;
END IF;

How to Upload and Download Files in an Application 9-15

Security Issues to Consider

9-16 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 10
How to Incorporate JavaScript into an
Application

Adding JavaScript to a Web application is a great way to add features that mimic those
found in client/server applications without sacrificing all of the benefits of Web
deployment. Oracle Application Express includes multiple built-in interfaces
especially designed for adding JavaScript.
Remember that JavaScript is not appropriate for data intensive validations. For
example, to verify that a name is contained within a large database table, you would
need to pull down every record to the client, creating a huge HTML document. In
general, complex operations are much better suited for server-side Oracle Application
Express validations instead of JavaScript.
This tutorial describes some usage scenarios for JavaScript and includes details about
how to implement them in your application.
This section contains the following topics:
■ Understanding How to Incorporate JavaScript Functions
■ About Referencing Items Using JavaScript
■ Calling JavaScript from a Button
■ Changing the Value of Form Elements
■ Creating a Client Side JavaScript Validation
■ Enabling and Disabling Form Elements

For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Incorporating JavaScript into Your Application
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexweb20/javascript_otn.htm

■ Using AJAX in your Application

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexweb20/ajax_otn.htm

Understanding How to Incorporate JavaScript Functions

There are two primary places to include JavaScript functions:
■ In the HTML Header attribute of a page
■ In a.js file referenced in the page template

How to Incorporate JavaScript into an Application 10-1

Understanding How to Incorporate JavaScript Functions

Topics in this section include:

■ Incorporating JavaScript in the HTML Header Attribute
■ Including JavaScript in a .js File Referenced by the Page Template

Incorporating JavaScript in the HTML Header Attribute

One way to include JavaScript into your application is to add it to the HTML Header
attribute of the page. This is a good approach for functions that are specific to a page
as well as a convenient way to test a function before you include it in a.js file.
You can add JavaScript functions to a page by entering the code in the HTML Header
attribute on the Page Attributes page.
To add JavaScript code in the HTML Header attribute:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
2. Select an application.
The Application home page appears, displaying its set of pages.
3. Click a page.
The Page Definition for that page appears.
4. In the Page section, click the Edit page attributes icon.
The Edit Page appears.
5. Scroll down to the HTML Header section.
6. Enter code into HTML Header and then click Apply Changes.
For example, adding the following code would test a function accessible from
anywhere on the current page.
<script type="text/javascript">
function test(){
window.alert('This is a test.');
}
</script>

Including JavaScript in a .js File Referenced by the Page Template

In Oracle Application Express you can reference a.js file in the page template. This
approach makes all the JavaScript in that file accessible to the application. This is the
most efficient approach because a.js file loads on the first page view of your
application, and is then cached by the browser.
The following code demonstrates how to include a .js file in the header section of a
page template. Note the line script src= that appears in bold.
<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
<html>
<head>
<title>#TITLE#</title>
#HEAD#
<script src="http://myserver.myport/my_images/custom.js"
type="text/javascript"></script>
</head>
<body #ONLOAD#>#FORM_OPEN#

10-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Calling JavaScript from a Button

See Also: "Customizing Templates" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

About Referencing Items Using JavaScript

When you reference an item, the best approach is to reference the item name as it is
defined within the page. Note that item name is different than the item label. The item
name displays on the Page Definition and the label displays on a running page. For
example, if you create an item with the name P1_FIRST_NAME and a label of First
Name, you would reference the item using P1_FIRST_NAME.
Referencing an item by the item name enables you to use the JavaScript method
getElementById() to get and set item attributes and values. The following example
demonstrates how to reference an item by ID and display its value in an alert box.
<script type="text/javascript">
function firstName(){
window.alert('First Name is ' + document.getElementById('P1_FIRST_NAME').value
);
}
// or a more generic version would be
function displayValue(id){
alert('The Value is ' + document.getElementById(id).value );
}
</script>

// Then add the following to the "Form Element Attributes" Attribute of the
item:
onchange="displayValue('P1_FIRST_NAME');"

Calling JavaScript from a Button

Calling a JavaScript from a button is a great way to confirm a request. Oracle
Application Express uses this technique for the delete operation of most objects. For
example, when you delete a button, a JavaScript message appears asking you to
confirm your request. Consider the following example:
<script type="text/javascript">
function deleteConfirm(msg)
{
var confDel = msg;
if(confDel ==null)
confDel= confirm("Would you like to perform this delete action?");
else
confDel= confirm(msg);

if (confDel== true)
doSubmit('Delete');
}
</script>

This example creates a function to confirm a delete action and then calls that function
from a button. Note that the function optionally submits the page and sets the value of
the internal variable :REQUEST to Delete, thus performing the delete using a process
that conditionally executes based on the value of request.
Note that when you create the button, you need to select Action Redirect to URL
without submitting page. Then, you specify a URL target, such as the following:

How to Incorporate JavaScript into an Application 10-3

Changing the Value of Form Elements

confirmDelete('Would you like to perform this delete action?');

Changing the Value of Form Elements

In the following example, there are four text boxes in a region. The fourth text box
contains the sum of the other three. To calculate this sum, you add a JavaScript
function to the HTML Header attribute and then call that function from the first three
items.
To add a function to the HTML Header attribute:
1. Go to the appropriate Page Definition.
2. In the Page section, click the Edit page attributes icon.
The Edit Page appears.
3. In the HTML Header section, enter the following:
<script type="text/javascript">
function sumItems(){
function getVal(item){
if(document.getElementById(item).value != "")
return parseFloat(document.getElementById(item).value);
else
return 0;
}
document.getElementById('P1_TOTAL').value =
getVal('P1_ONE') + getVal('P1_TWO') + getVal('P1_THREE');
}
</script>

4. Click Apply Changes.

To call the function from all three items:
1. Go to the appropriate Page Definition.
2. For each item:
a. Select the item name by clicking it.
b. Scroll down to Element.
c. In HTML Form Element Attributes, enter:
onchange="sumItems();"

d. Click Apply Changes.

Creating a Client Side JavaScript Validation

Client side validations give immediate feedback to users using a form. One very
common JavaScript validation is field not null. This type of validation works well in
the page header rather than in a.js because it is so specific to a page.
Before you begin, you need to import and install the OEHR Sample Objects application
in order to access the necessary sample database objects. See "About Loading Sample
Objects" on page 1-2.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create an Application on the OEHR_EMPLOYEES Table

10-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Client Side JavaScript Validation

■ Add a Function to the HTML Header Attribute

■ Edit an Item to Call the Function
■ Test the Validation by Running the Page

Create an Application on the OEHR_EMPLOYEES Table

To create a new application on the OEHR_EMPLOYEES table:
1. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
2. Click Create.
3. For Method, select Create Application and then click Next.
4. For Name, specify the following:
a. Name - Enter JavaScript Example.
b. Application - Accept the default.
c. Create Application - Select From scratch.
d. Schema - Select the schema where you installed the OEHR sample objects.
e. Click Next.
5. Add a page containing a report by specifying the following in the Add Page
section:
a. Select Page Type - Select Report and Form.
b. Table Name - Select OEHR_EMPLOYEES.
c. Click Add Page.
The new pages appear in the list at the top of the page. Next, change the name of
page 2 to Update Form.
6. To change the name of page 2:
a. Under Create Application at the top of the page, click the page name OEHR_
EMPLOYEES for page 2 as shown in Figure 10–1 on page 10-5.

Figure 10–1 Newly Created Pages

The Page Definition appears.

b. In Page Name, enter Update Form.
c. Click Apply Changes
d. Click Next.
7. For Tabs, accept the default, One Level of Tabs and then click Next.
8. For Shared Components, accept the default, No, and click Next.

How to Incorporate JavaScript into an Application 10-5

Creating a Client Side JavaScript Validation

9. For Attributes, accept the defaults for Authentication Scheme, Language, and User
Language Preference Derived From and click Next.
10. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and click Next.

11. Click Create.

The Application home page appears. Note the new application contains three
pages:
■ 1 - OEHR_EMPLOYEES
■ 2 - Update Form
■ 101 - Login
To view the application:
1. Click the Run Application icon as shown in Figure 10–2.

Figure 10–2 Run Application Icon

2. When prompted for a user name and password, enter your workspace user name
and password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on
page 1-6.
A standard report appears. To view the update form, click either the Create button
or Edit icon.
3. Click Application on the Developer toolbar to return to the Application home
page.

Add a Function to the HTML Header Attribute

Next, you need to add a function to the HTML Header attribute on page 2 that
displays a message when the Last Name field does not contain a value.
To add a function to the HTML Header attribute on page 2:
1. On the Application home page, click 2 - Update Form.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.
2. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon as shown in Figure 10–3.

Figure 10–3 Edit Page Attributes Icon

The Edit Page appears.

3. Scroll down to HTML Header.

10-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating a Client Side JavaScript Validation

Note that HTML Header already contains a script. When the user clicks the Delete
button, this script displays the following message.
Would you like to perform this delete action?

4. In HTML Header, scroll down and place your cursor after the last </script> tag.
5. After the last </script> tag, enter the following script:
<script type="text/javascript">
function notNull(object){
if(object.value=="")
alert('This field must contain a value.');
}
</script>

6. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.

The Page Definition for page 2 - Update Form appears.

Edit an Item to Call the Function

Next, you need to edit the P2_LAST_NAME item to call the function.
To edit the P2_LAST_NAME item to call the function:
1. Under Items, click P2_LAST_NAME.
2. Scroll down to Element.
3. In HTML Form Element Attributes, enter the following:
onblur="notNull(this);"

4. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.

The Page Definition appears. Next, run the page.

Test the Validation by Running the Page

Next, navigate to page 1 and run the page.
To test the validation:
1. Enter 1 in the Page field on the Page Definition and click Go.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
2. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
3. When the application appears, click Create.
The Update Form appears.
4. Position your cursor in the Last Name field and then click Create. The message
This field must contain a value appears as shown in Figure 10–4.

How to Incorporate JavaScript into an Application 10-7

Enabling and Disabling Form Elements

Figure 10–4 Update Form

Enabling and Disabling Form Elements

While Oracle Application Express enables you to conditionally display a page item, it
is important to note that a page must be submitted for any changes on the page to be
evaluated. The following example demonstrates how to use JavaScript to disable a
form element based on the value of another form element.
First, you write a function and place it in the HTML Header attribute of the page
containing your update form. Second, you call the function from an item on the page.
The following example demonstrates how to add a JavaScript function to prevent
users from adding commissions to employees who are not in the Sales Department
(P2_DEPARTMENT_ID = 80).
Topics in this section include:
■ Add a Function to the HTML Header Attribute
■ Edit an Item to Call the Function
■ Change the Item to a Select List
■ Create a Call to the disFormItems Function

Add a Function to the HTML Header Attribute

To add a function to the HTML Header attribute on page 2:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon.
The Edit Page appears.
3. Scroll down to HTML Header.
4. In HTML Header, scroll down and place your cursor after the last </script> tag.
5. After the last </script> tag, enter the following script:
<script language="JavaScript1.1" type="text/javascript">
function html_disableItem(nd,a){
var lEl = document.getElementById(nd);
if (lEl && lEl != false){
if(a){

10-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Enabling and Disabling Form Elements

lEl.disabled = false;
lEl.style.background = '#ffffff';
}else{
lEl.disabled = true;
lEl.style.background = '#cccccc';
}}
return true;}

function disFormItems(){
var lOptions = document.getElementById('P2_DEPARTMENT_ID').options
var lReturn;
for(var i=0;i<lOptions.length;i++){
if(lOptions[i].selected==true){lReturn = lOptions[i].value;}
}
var lTest = lReturn == '80';
html_disableItem('P2_COMMISSION_PCT',lTest); }

</script>

6. Click Apply Changes.

Edit an Item to Call the Function

The next step is to edit the P2_DEPARTMENT_ID item and add code to the HTML
Form Element Attributes attribute to call the function.
To edit the P2_DEPARTMENT_ID item to call the function:
1. Under Items, select P2_DEPARTMENT_ID.
2. Scroll down to Element.
3. In HTML Form Element Attributes, enter the following:
onchange="disFormItems()"

4. Click Apply Changes.

Change the Item to a Select List

To change the P2_DEPARTMENT_ID to display as a select list:
1. Under Items, select P2_DEPARTMENT_ID.
2. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Select List.
3. Scroll down to List of Values.
4. Under List of Values, specify the following:
a. From Display Null, select No.
b. In List of Values definition, enter:
SELECT department_name, department_id FROM oehr_departments

5. Click Apply Changes.

Tip: For simplicity, this tutorial has you create an item-level list of
values. As a best practice, however, consider creating a named LOV
and referencing it.

How to Incorporate JavaScript into an Application 10-9

Enabling and Disabling Form Elements

See Also: "Creating Lists of Values" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

Create a Call to the disFormItems Function

Finally, you need to create a call to the disFormItems function after the page is
rendered to disable P2_COMMISSION_PCT if the selected employee is not a Sales
representative. A good place to make this call would be from the Page HTML Body
Attribute.
To create a call to the disFormItems function:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 2.
2. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon.
The Edit Page appears.
3. Locate the Display Attributes section.
4. From Cursor Focus, select Do not focus cursor.
Selecting Do not focus cursor prevents conflicts between generated JavaScript and
custom JavaScript.
5. Scroll down to the HTML Body Attribute section.
6. In the Page HTML Body Attribute, enter the following:
onload="disFormItems(); first_field();"

7. Click Apply Changes.

8. Run the page.
Figure 10–5 on page 10-10 demonstrates the completed form. Note that Department ID
displays as a select list. Also notice that the Commission Pct field is unavailable since
the Department ID is Administration.

Figure 10–5 Revised Update Form

10-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 11
How to Build an Access Control Page

You can control access to an application, individual pages, or page components by

creating an Access Control Administration page. The page contains a list of
application modes and an Access Control List.
This tutorial explains how to build an Access Control Administration page and then
restrict access to an application so that only privileged users can perform specific
functions.
This section contains the following topics:
■ How Access Control Administration Works
■ Creating an Application
■ Creating an Access Control Administration Page
■ Creating an Authentication Function
■ Updating the Current Authentication Scheme
■ Applying Authorization Schemes to Components
■ Testing the Application

For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Adding Security to your Application
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_d/apex3.1.1_d_otn.htm

How Access Control Administration Works

You create an access control list by running the Access Control Wizard to create an
Access Control Administration page. This page contains a list of application modes
and an Access Control List. Once you create the Access Control Administration page,
you:
1. Run the Access Control Administration page.
2. Select an application mode:
– Full access to all, access control list not used.
– Restricted access. Only users defined in the access control list are allowed.
– Public read only. Edit and administrative privileges controlled by access
control list.

How to Build an Access Control Page 11-1

Creating an Application

– Administrative access only.

3. Add users to the Access Control List.
In addition to creating the Access Control Administration page, the Access Control
Wizard also creates:
■ two tables within the application’s default schema to manage access control
■ the authorization schemes that correspond to the application mode list options
■ the privileges available in the Access Control List
You can control access to a specific page or page component by selecting one of these
authorization schemes on the page or component attributes pages. Once you create an
Access Control, you can customize the page, tables and values to suit the specific
needs of your application.

Creating an Application
First, you need to create an application based on employee data in a spreadsheet.
Topics in this section include:
■ Download Spreadsheet Data
■ Create an Application Based on Spreadsheet Data
■ Run the Application

Download Spreadsheet Data

Download the following *.csv file to you local machine:
1. In your Web browser go to:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_
express/packaged_apps/acl_employees.zip

2. Download the acl_employees.zip file to your computer.

3. Unzip and extract the acl_employees.csv file:
– Microsoft Windows - Double-click the acl_employees.zip file
– UNIX or Linux - Enter the following command:
$ unzip acl_employees.zip

Create an Application Based on Spreadsheet Data

To create a new application based on spreadsheet data:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
The Application Builder home page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. Select Create from Spreadsheet and click Next.
4. Select Upload file, comma separated (*.csv) or tab delimited and click Next.
5. For Load Method:
a. Select Upload file, comma separated (*.csv) or tab delimited.

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 Creating an Application

b. Click Next.
6. For Data:
a. Text File - Click Browse and navigate to the acl_employees.csv file.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
7. For Table Properties:
a. Schema - Select the appropriate schema.
b. Table Name - Enter ACL_EMPLOYEES.
c. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
8. For User Interface Defaults:
a. Singular Name - Enter Employee.
b. Plural Names - Enter Employees.
c. Click Next.
9. For Summary Page:
a. Summary by Column - Select DEPARTMENT_ID and click Next.
b. Aggregate by Column - Do not make a selection and click Next.
10. For Application Options, accept the defaults and click Next.

11. For User Interface, select Theme 2 and click Next.

A theme is collection of templates that define the layout and style of an
application. You can change a theme at any time.
12. Click Create.
The Application home page appears.

Run the Application

To run the application:
1. Click the Run Application icon as shown in Figure 11–1.

Figure 11–1 Run Application Icon

2. If prompted to enter a user name and password, enter your workspace user name
and password and click Login. See "About Application Authentication" on
page 1-6.
The report appears as shown in Figure 11–2 on page 11-4.

How to Build an Access Control Page 11-3

Creating an Access Control Administration Page

Figure 11–2 ACL_EMPLOYEES Application

The ACL_EMPLOYEES application enables you to view and update employee data.
To update a specific record, click the Edit icon in the far left column. Clicking the
Analyze tab provides you with access to both a visual and tabular breakdown of
the number of employees in each department.

Creating an Access Control Administration Page

Next, you need to secure your application so that only privileged users can perform
certain operations. When you implement access control on an Oracle Application
Express application, the best approach is to use an authorization scheme defined at the
application level. The first step is to create an access control page by running the
Access Control Page Wizard.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create an Access Control Page
■ View the Page
■ Add Users to the Access Control List

Create an Access Control Page

To create an access control page:
1. Click Create on the Developer toolbar.
2. Select New page and click Next.
3. For Page, select Access Control and click Next.
The Access Control Wizard appears.
4. In Administration Page Number, enter 8 and click Next.
5. For Tabs:

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 Creating an Access Control Administration Page

a. Tab Options - Select Use an existing tab set and create a new tab within the
existing tab set.
b. Tab Set - Select TS1 (Employees, Analyze).
c. Tab Set Label - Enter Administration.
d. Click Next.
6. Review the confirmation page and click Finish.
A Success page appears.

View the Page

To run the page:
1. Click Run Page.
A new page appears as shown in Figure 11–3.

Figure 11–3 Access Control Administration Page

Notice the page is divided into two regions: Application Administration and
Access Control List. Also note that the default Application Mode is Full Access.
2. Under Application Mode, select Restricted access. Only users defined in the
access control list are allowed.
3. Click Set Application Mode.

Add Users to the Access Control List

Next, add three users to the Access Control List:
■ Luis Popp (LPOPP) will have View privileges.
■ Adam Fripp (AFRIPP) will have Edit privileges.
■ John Chen (JCHEN) will have Administrator privileges.
To add users to the Access Control List:
1. Under Access Control List, click Add User.
A new row appears.
2. Enter the first user:

How to Build an Access Control Page 11-5

Creating an Authentication Function

a. Username - Enter LPOPP.

b. Privilege - Select View.
c. Click Apply Changes.
d. Click Add User to add a blank row where you can enter the first user.
3. Enter the next user:
a. Username - Enter AFRIPP.
b. Privilege - Select Edit.
c. Click Apply Changes.
d. Click Add User to add a blank row where you can enter the next user.
4. Enter the next user:
a. Username - Enter JCHEN.
b. Privilege - Select Administrator.
c. Click Apply Changes.
5. Click Application on the Developer toolbar.
The Application home page appears.

Creating an Authentication Function

Next, you need to make employees in the ACL_EMPLOYEES table the users of the
application. To accomplish this, you create a simple authentication function in the
current authentication scheme. Note that the function checks for the userid and its
associated last name as a password.
To create the authentication function:
1. On the Application Builder home page, click the Home breadcrumb link.
The the Workspace home page appears.
2. Click SQL Workshop and then SQL Commands.
3. In the SQL editor pane:
a. Enter the following code:
CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION acl_custom_auth (
p_username IN VARCHAR2,
p_password IN VARCHAR2)
RETURN BOOLEAN IS
BEGIN
FOR c1 IN (SELECT 1
FROM acl_employees
WHERE upper(userid) = upper(p_username)
AND upper(last_name) = upper(p_password))
LOOP
RETURN TRUE;
END LOOP;
RETURN FALSE;
END;
/

b. Click Run.

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 Applying Authorization Schemes to Components

4. Click the Home breadcrumb link.

The Workspace home page appears.

Updating the Current Authentication Scheme

Next, you need to update the current authentication scheme to use the new function.
To update the current authentication scheme.
1. Click Application Builder and then click ACL Employees.
The Application home page appears.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Security, click Authentication Schemes.
The Authentication Schemes page appears.
4. Click the Application Express - Current icon.
5. Scroll down to Login Processing.
6. In Authentication Function, replace -BUILTIN- with the following:
return acl_custom_auth

7. Scroll back to the top of the page and click Apply Changes.

Applying Authorization Schemes to Components

Next you need to associate the authorization scheme with the appropriate application
components. As you may recall, you previously added three users to the Access
Control List:
■ LPOPP had View privileges.
■ AFRIPP had Edit privileges
■ JCHEN had Administrator privileges
In this exercise, you associate the View, Edit, and Administrator privileges with
specific application components to control which users are allowed to perform what
actions.
Topics in this section include:
■ Associate an Authorization Scheme with the Application
■ Associate Edit Privileges with the ID Column
■ Associate Edit Privileges with the Create Button
■ Associate Edit Privileges with Page 2
■ Restrict Access to Page 8

Associate an Authorization Scheme with the Application

First, you need to specify that users will only be able to access the application if they
have View privileges. To accomplish this, you associate the access control - view
authorization scheme with the application.
To associate an authorization scheme with your application:

How to Build an Access Control Page 11-7

Applying Authorization Schemes to Components

1. Click the Application ID breadcrumb link.

The Application home page appears.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Application, click Definition.
4. Click the Security tab.
5. Scroll down to Authorization.
6. From Authorization Scheme, select access control - view.
7. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

Associate Edit Privileges with the ID Column

For this exercise, only users with at least Edit privileges should be able to edit or delete
data. To accomplish this, you associate the access control - edit authorization scheme
with the ID column. This hides the Edit icon on page 1 for users with View privileges,
but displays it for users with Edit or Administrator privileges.
To associate edit privileges with the ID column:
1. Click the Application ID breadcrumb link.
The Application home page appears.
2. Click 1 - Report Page.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
3. Under Regions, click the Report link.
The Report Attributes page appears.
4. Click the Edit icon for ID. The Edit icon resembles a small page with a pencil on
top of it.
The Column Attributes page appears.
5. Scroll down to Authorization.
6. From Authorization Scheme, select access control - edit.
7. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

Associate Edit Privileges with the Create Button

Next, associate the access control - edit authorization scheme to the Create button.
This will hide the Edit icon for unprivileged users.
To associate edit privileges with the Create button:
1. Go to the Page Definition for Page 1. Click the Page 1 breadcrumb link.
The Page Definition for page 1 appears.
2. Under Buttons, click the Create link (not the icon).
3. Scroll down to Authorization.
4. From Authorization Scheme, select access control - edit.
5. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.
The Page Definition for Page 1 appears.

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 Testing the Application

Associate Edit Privileges with Page 2

Next, associate the access control - edit authorization scheme with page 2.
To specify an authorization scheme for page 2:
1. Go to page 2. In the Page field enter 2 and click Go.
The Page Definition for page 2 appears.
2. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon.
3. Scroll down to Security.
4. From Authorization Scheme, select access control - edit.
5. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.

Restrict Access to Page 8

Lastly, you need to restrict access to page 8, Access Control Administration. To
accomplish this, you specify the access control - administrator authorization scheme
with all of page 8 and with the Administration tab.

Specify an Authorization Scheme for Page 8

To specify an authorization scheme for page 8:
1. Go to page 8. In the Page field, enter 8 and click Go.
The Page Definition for page 8 appears.
2. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon.
3. Scroll down to Security.
4. From Authorization Scheme, select access control - administrator.
5. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.
The Page Definition for page 8 appears.

Specify an Authorization Scheme for the Administration Tab

To specify an authorization scheme for page 8:
1. Under Tabs, click the Administration link.
2. Scroll down to Authorization.
3. From Authorization Scheme, select access control - administrator.
4. Click Apply Changes at the top of the page.
The Page Definition for page 8 appears.

Testing the Application

At the beginning of this tutorial, you added three users to the Access Control List:
■ Luis Popp (LPOPP) has View privileges
■ Adam Fripp (AFRIPP) has Edit privileges
■ John Chen (JCHEN) has Administrator privileges
Next, test your application by logging in as each of these users.

How to Build an Access Control Page 11-9

Testing the Application

Topics in this section include:

■ Log In with View Privileges
■ Log In with Edit Privileges
■ Log In with Administrator Privileges

Log In with View Privileges

Luis Popp (LPOPP) has View privileges.
To log in as Luis Popp:
1. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner.
2. When prompted, specify the following:
a. Username - LPOPP.
b. Password - Popp.
c. Click Login.
The Employees Report page appears as shown in Figure 11–4.

Figure 11–4 Employees Report with View Privileges

Note that the Edit icon and the Administration tab no longer appear.
3. Click Logout in the upper right corner.

Log In with Edit Privileges

Adam Fripp (AFRIPP) has Edit privileges.
To log in as Adam Fripp:
1. When prompted, specify the following:
a. Username - AFRIPP.
b. Password - Fripp.
c. Click Login.
The Employees Report page appears as shown in Figure 11–5.

11-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Testing the Application

Figure 11–5 Employees Report with Edit Privileges

Note that the Edit icon now appears to the left of the Employee Id column, but the
Administration tab still does not appear.
2. Click Logout in the upper right corner.

Log In with Administrator Privileges

John Chen (JCHEN) has Administrator privileges.
To log in as John Chen:
1. When prompted, specify the following:
a. Username - JCHEN
b. Password - Chen
c. Click Login.
The Employees Report page appears as shown in Figure 11–6.

Figure 11–6 Employees Report with Administrator Privileges

2. Click Administrator tab.

How to Build an Access Control Page 11-11

Testing the Application

11-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 12
How to Review a Packaged Application

A packaged application is a fully functional application that you can view, use, and
customize. Each packaged application includes installation scripts that define the
application's supporting objects (including database objects, images, and seed data) as
well as any preinstallation validations. Packaged applications can also include a
de-installation script which can be used to remove all the application's supporting
objects.
This tutorial walks you through the OEHR Sample Objects packaged application. By
reviewing the supporting objects behind this application, you can learn how to define
them in your own applications.
Before you begin, you need to import and install the OEHR Sample Objects application.
See "About Loading Sample Objects" on page 1-2.
This section contains the following topics:
■ What Is a Packaged Application?
■ About the Supporting Object Utility
■ About Supporting Objects Installation
■ About Supporting Objects Deinstallation
■ About Supporting Objects Export
■ About Creating Upgrade Scripts
■ About Refining Your Installation Scripts
■ Downloading Public Packaged Applications and Sample Code

What Is a Packaged Application?

Importing and installing an application is a complicated process. First, you create the
target database objects and seed data. Second, you import and install the application
definition and all related files, including images, themes, and any other required static
files.
Creating a packaged application simplifies this process. Instead of performing
numerous steps to create the database objects and then import and install the
application and all supporting files, you can define the supporting objects so that the
application and supporting files can be installed using one simple wizard.
After users import and install the application definition, a wizard guides them
through a few simple configuration steps. Then, the wizard asks whether or not to
install the supporting application objects. Users have the option of installing the
supporting application objects then or doing it later.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-1

About the Supporting Object Utility

See Also: "How to Create a Packaged Application" in Oracle

Database Application Express User's Guide.

About the Supporting Object Utility

In "About Loading Sample Objects", you imported and installed the OEHR Sample
Objects application. Installing this application creates the database objects and loads
the sample data needed to complete the tutorials in this guide.
You create a packaged application like OEHR Sample Objects using the Supporting
Object Utility. By creating a packaged application, users can install and deinstall your
application as well as the underlying database objects, files, and other supporting
objects. Supporting objects consists of everything that your application needs to work
properly, including the application definition, images, themes, and any other required
static files.
Creating a packaged application is also an effective way to move an application to
another Oracle Application Express instance or to share an application with others.
The Supporting Object Utility provides the easiest way to ensure that all objects your
application depends on are migrated in an efficient manner.

Accessing the Supporting Objects Page

You access the Supporting Object Utility on the Supporting Objects page.
To go to the Supporting Objects page:
1. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
2. Click OEHR Sample Objects.
3. On the Application home page, click Supporting Objects.
The Supporting Objects page appears.

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 About Supporting Objects Installation

The top of the Supporting Objects page displays a detailed report about the
currently selected application, including the number of scripts and the amount of
required free space. After that, the page is divided into these sections:
■ Installation
■ Upgrade
■ Deinstallation
■ Messages

About Supporting Objects Installation

During the installation of supporting objects, a sequence of scripts and validations are
run. If a validation fails, the installation process stops. At certain points in the process,
messages also display for users to review.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-3

About Supporting Objects Installation

This section describes the Installation and Messages sections of the Supporting Objects
page. Depending upon the needs of your application, you may use all or only some of
the functionality.
In order to give context, this section describes the supporting objects in the sequence
that they would appear to a user who is performing the installation.
Topics in this section include:
■ Welcome Message
■ Prerequisites
■ License Acceptance
■ Application Substitution Strings
■ Build Options
■ Pre-Installation Validations
■ Pre-Installation Confirmation Message
■ Installation Scripts
■ Success Message

Welcome Message
The welcome message contains text that displays to users immediately after they
indicate that they want to install the supporting objects. Use this message to introduce
the application to users and to explain any information that they may need during the
rest of the installation process.
To review the welcome message text:
1. Go to Supporting Objects page as described in "Accessing the Supporting Objects
Page" on page 12-2.
2. In the Messages section, click Welcome message.
The Supporting Object Messages page appears. The Welcome message appears in
the first section.

Prerequisites
Prerequisites include anything that must be valid for the installation process to
continue.

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 About Supporting Objects Installation

To review the prerequisites:

1. On the Supporting Object Messages page, click the Prerequisites tab.
The Prerequisites page displays the following sections:
■ Required Free Space in KB
■ Required System Privileges
■ Objects that will be Installed

About Required Free Space

If you are creating tables and loading data during the installation, you should specify
the amount of required free space. If there is not enough free space available,
specifying this prerequisite prevents an error during the installation of supporting
objects. For the OEHR Sample Objects application, the required free space is 4800
kilobytes (KB).
To determine the space that your objects require:
1. Remove your supporting objects by either manually deleting them, or running
your deinstallation script.
a. Go to the Supporting Objects page as described in "Accessing the Supporting
Objects Page" on page 12-2.
b. From the Tasks list on the right side of the page, click Deinstall Supporting
Objects.
c. On the Deinstall page, select Deinstall Supporting Objects and click
Deinstall.
2. View that amount of used space:
a. Go to the Workspace home page.
b. From the Administration list on the right, click Manage Services.
c. Under Workspace section, click Workspace Overview.

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About Supporting Objects Installation

d. Click the Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report (may take several seconds)
link.
The Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report appears.
e. Write down the number that appears in the Amount Used column.
This shows the amount of used space in the tablespace where your schema is
located.
3. Install your supporting objects by either manually creating them again, or running
your installation scripts.
a. Go to the Supporting Objects page as described in "Accessing the Supporting
Objects Page" on page 12-2.
b. From the Tasks list on the right side of the page, click Install Supporting
Objects.
c. For Install Supporting Objects, select Yes and click Next.
d. Click Install.
4. View that amount of used space again:
a. Go to the Workspace home page.
b. From the Administration list on the right, click Manage Services.
c. Under Workspace section, click Workspace Overview.
d. Click the Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report (may take several seconds)
link.
The Detailed Tablespace Utilization Report appears.
e. Write down the number that appears in the Amount Used column.
5. Subtract the initial Amount of Used number from the new number to determine
your required free space.

Tip: The value in the Amount Used column is in megabytes (MB). To

calculate the amount in kilobytes (KB), multiply the final figure by
1,024 (1 MB = 1,024 KB).

About Required System Privileges

The Required System Privileges section contains a list of system privileges. If you are
creating objects through installation scripts, you need to select the appropriate system
privileges. Selecting these privileges runs a pre-installation check to determine if the
user has the appropriate privileges. This prevents the user from creating some objects
but not others due to a lack of privileges.
For the OEHR Sample Objects application, required system privileges include: CREATE
SEQUENCE, CREATE TRIGGER, CREATE TYPE, CREATE PROCEDURE, CREATE
TABLE, and CREATE VIEW.

About Objects Installed

The Objects that will be Installed section lists all objects that your installation script
creates. If the target schema contains an object with the same name, an error displays
to the user. This prerequisite prevents the user from getting errors during installation
that result in some objects being created while others are not created because an object
of the same name exists.

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 About Supporting Objects Installation

This prerequisite is important because of the deinstallation implications. If a user

installs and already has an object with the same name, the deinstallation script might
drop the previously existing object.
For example, if a PROJECTS table already exists and the installation script creates a
table with the same name, you would want to alert users before they start the
installation process. This warning provides them with the opportunity to rename their
table or decide to not install supporting objects.

License Acceptance
If your application requires that users accept a specific license, specify the terms in this
area. For a required license, users are prompted to accept the terms. If they do not, the
installation does not proceed.
To review the license area:
1. On the Supporting Object Messages page, click the Messages tab.
2. Locate the section, License.
Since the OEHR Sample Objects application does not require a license, no text appears
in the License section.

Application Substitution Strings

Each application can include substitution strings defined within the Application
Definition. You can use substitution strings to include phrases or labels occurring in
many places within an application that might need to be changed for specific
installations.
When you define substitution strings for your application, they display within the
Supporting Object Utility. You can then decide which substitution strings you want to
display during the installation process.
For substitution strings that display during the installation process, you can provide a
custom prompt to explain what each string is used for to assist the user in determining
the proper value. You can also define a custom header message if you are including
substitution strings.
Since the OEHR Sample Objects application does not contain any substitution strings, in
the next section you add two substitution strings and then view them the Supporting
Object Utility.

Add Substitution Stings

To add substitution strings to the OEHR Sample Objects application:
1. Go to the Shared Components page:
a. Click the Application breadcrumb.
b. Click Shared Components.
2. Under Application, click Definition.
3. Scroll down to the Substitutions region.
4. Enter the following Substitution Strings and Substitution Values:

Substitution String Substitution Value

APP_DATE_FORMAT DD-MON-YYYY

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-7

About Supporting Objects Installation

Substitution String Substitution Value

APP_DATETIME_FORMAT DD-MON-YYYY HH24:MI

5. Scroll back to the top and click Apply Changes.

Review Substitution Strings

To view the substitution strings in Supporting Object Utility:
1. Go to the Supporting Objects page:
a. Click the Application breadcrumb.
b. Click Supporting Objects.
2. In the Installation section, click Application Substitution strings.
The Edit Substitutions page appears, showing the two substitution strings that you
defined. If have a prompt appear during installation, select it and enter text in the
Prompt Text field.

Build Options
Build options are shared components that enable you to conditionally display objects.
Each build option has a status set to Include or Exclude. If an object is associated with
a disabled build option, the object does not appear to the user.
Use build options to include functionality in an application that may not be ready for
use, or should not be accessible to all installations. The code is included in the
application but not exposed to end users. Later, you can enable a build option so that
the feature becomes accessible. For each build option, you can define a custom header
message to display to the user.
Build options display in the same way as the substitution strings. You specify which
build options you want to appear to users. The users can then select them and
determine their status.
The OEHR Sample Objects application does not contain any build options.

See Also: "Using Build Options to Control Configuration" in Oracle

Database Application Express User's Guide

Review the Build Options Page

To review the Build Options page:
1. On the Edit Substitutions page, click the Build Options tab.
2. To view the Build Options message:

12-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 About Supporting Objects Installation

a. Click the Messages tab.

b. Scroll down to the Build Options section.

Pre-Installation Validations
Validations ensure that the target database and target schema are capable of running
the installation scripts. Built-in validation types include Current Language, Exists, and
so on. You can also use any SQL or PL/SQL expressions. Validations can also be
conditionally executed.
Use these validations to check for anything that is not built-in under Prerequisites. For
example, you can check for a minimum database version or for the installation of
Oracle Text. Just as with other supporting objects, there is a Validations Message.
The OEHR Sample Objects application does not contain any validations.

See Also: "Understanding Validations" in Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

Review the Validation Page

To review the Validations page:
1. Click the Validations tab.
2. Click Create.
The Validation page appears.

3. For this exercise, click Cancel.

4. To view the Validations Message:
1. Click the Messages tab.
2. Scroll down to the Validations section.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-9

About Supporting Objects Installation

Pre-Installation Confirmation Message

If the installation process is not terminated early, one last confirmation message
appears before the installation scripts display to the user.
To review the confirmation message:
1. Click the Messages tab.
2. On the Supporting Object Messages page, scroll down to the Confirmation section.

Installation Scripts
Installation scripts are the core of a supporting object installation. Each application can
have several installation scripts.
The OEHR Sample Objects application contains nine installation scripts. These scripts
create objects and load data.

Tip: You can also create a custom installation script that loads files.
See "About Creating Scripts to Install Files" on page 12-13.

Topics in this section include:

■ View Installation Scripts
■ Review an Existing Installation Script
■ About Creating Installation Scripts from Files
■ About Creating Scripts to Install Files

View Installation Scripts

To review the installation scripts in the OEHR Sample Objects application:
■ On the Supporting Object Messages page, click the Install tab.
The Installation Scripts page shows the list of scripts.

12-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 About Supporting Objects Installation

Notice that each script has a name and a sequence. It is very important to order your
installation scripts so that dependent objects are created or compiled correctly.

Review an Existing Installation Script

To review or update an existing script:
1. Click the Edit icon adjacent to the script name.
The Script Editor page displays the script for you to edit or review.

Figure 12–1 Supporting Object Script Editor

Tip: You can toggle between this page and a text page, where you
can also edit the script, by clicking the Edit Using Text Area button.

2. To view and edit the properties of the script, click the Script Properties tab.
Use the Script Properties page to change the script name or sequence. You can also
specify if it should be conditionally executed.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-11

About Supporting Objects Installation

3. For this exercise, click Cancel.

About Creating Installation Scripts from Files

You can create objects and install seed date through files that you create from scratch
or upload.
Topics in this section include:
■ Creating a New Script from Scratch
■ Uploading a File
■ Creating Scripts for Access Control Tables

Creating a New Script from Scratch To create a new script from scratch:
1. Go to the Installation Scripts page:
a. Click the Supporting Objects breadcrumb.
b. Under Installation, click Installation scripts
2. On the Installation Scripts page, click Create.
3. Accept the default, Create from Scratch, and click Next.
The Create Script wizard appears.
4. For Script Attributes:
a. Name - Enter Test Script.
b. Sequence - Accept the default, 100.
c. Use Editor - Select this option.
Selecting Use Editor enables you to use the built-in editor to define your
script. If you do not select this, a standard text area appears instead.
d. Click Next.
The Script Editor opens, where you can type in or paste your script contents.

12-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 About Supporting Objects Installation

5. For this exercise, click Cancel.

Uploading a File Often, you have files that you want to use as the basis of your
installation scripts.
To upload a file:
1. On the Installation Scripts page, click Create.
2. Select Create from file and click Next.
3. For Script Attributes:
a. Name - Enter Test Script.
b. Sequence - Accept the default, 100.
c. Click Next.
4. For Define Script, select the file to upload.
5. For this exercise, click Cancel.

Creating Scripts for Access Control Tables If your application includes an access control
list, you can create scripts to create the underlying access control tables.

See Also: "Controlling Access to Applications, Pages, and Page

Components" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide

To create scripts for access control tables:

1. On the Installation Scripts page, click Create.
2. Click the Create Scripts for Access Control Tables link.
3. If you had wanted to create installation scripts for access control tables, you would
click Create Script.
4. For this exercise, click Cancel.

About Creating Scripts to Install Files

To include other types of objects, such as cascading style sheets, images, and static files
that your application references, you need to create scripts that install the files as well
as bundle the files as supporting objects.
Before you begin, make sure the files you want to include have been added as Shared
Components.

See Also: "Using Custom Cascading Style Sheets," "Managing

Images," and "Managing Static Files" in Oracle Database Application
Express User's Guide

To create a script that installs files:

1. On the Installation Scripts page, click Create.
2. Click the Create Scripts to Install Files link.
A list of file types appear. Each object is created by its own script, but you can
select to create more than one at once.
The OEHR Sample Objects application does not include any files to install.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-13

About Supporting Objects Deinstallation

If you had wanted to include a script you would select the appropriate scripts and
click Create Scripts. The name of the script defaults to the name of the object being
created, and the sequence is defaulted as well. You can alter these attributes after
creation.
For each file that you install, the appropriate deinstallation statement is also
written to the deinstallation script.
3. For this exercise, click Cancel.

Success Message
Upon completion of the supporting objects installation, either a success or failure
message appears. Use these messages to give the user information they may need to
continue.
For example, for a successful installation, you may want to provide instructions on
running the application, such as built-in usernames and passwords. For a failed
installation, you might want to tell users whom to contact or instruct them to deinstall
the application.
To review the success or fail messages:
1. On the Installation Scripts page, click the Messages tab.
2. Scroll down to the Post Installation section to review the messages.

About Supporting Objects Deinstallation

The final part of Supporting Object Utility is the deinstallation process. Deinstalling
enables a user who has installed your application to cleanly remove all objects created
during the installation process.
On the Supporting Objects page, the Deinstallation section includes a Deinstallation
script link.

Topics in this section include:

■ View the Deinstallation Confirmation Message
■ Review the Deinstallation Script
■ View the Deinstallation Success Message

View the Deinstallation Confirmation Message

When a user initiates the deinstallation process, a deinstallation message appears.
To review the deinstallation confirmation message section:
1. On the Supporting Object Messages page, scroll down to Deinstallation.
2. Scroll down to the Deinstallation section.
For the OEHR Sample Objects application, no deinstallation message is defined.

12-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 About Supporting Objects Export

Review the Deinstallation Script

When a user selects to deinstall supporting objects, the deinstallation script runs.
Unlike installation, only one script exists for deinstallation. This script should remove
each object created during installation, including database objects, as well as any
loaded files, cascading style sheets, or images.
To review the deinstallation script for OEHR Sample Objects:
1. On the Supporting Object Messages page, click the Deinstall tab.
The Deinstall Script page appears.
2. Click the Edit icon to the left of the script.
Notice that the drop table statements contain CASCADE CONSTRAINTS clauses.
Using these clauses is the easiest way to avoid contention between foreign keys
when dropping tables. If you create installation scripts for any files, the code to
drop those is included in the deinstallation script for you.
3. For this exercise, click Cancel.

View the Deinstallation Success Message

The final part to the deinstallation process is the deinstallation success message. This is
the message displayed after all the deinstallation scripts have been executed.
To review the deinstallation success message:
1. On the Deinstall Script page, click the Messages tab.
2. Scroll down to the Deinstallation section.
For OEHR Sample Objects, note the post-deinstall message.

About Supporting Objects Export

After defining your supporting objects, you can decide whether or not to include them
when you export your application. You set a default value for this export setting on
the Export tab.
Topics in this section include:
■ Review the Supporting Objects Export Setting
■ Where the Export Default Appears When Exporting

Review the Supporting Objects Export Setting

To review the export setting:
1. On the Supporting Object Messages page, click the Export tab.
Use the Export Status page to specify whether to include supporting objects in the
export. For OEHR Sample Objects, note that Include Supporting Object Definitions
in Export is set to Yes.
2. For this exercise, click Cancel.

Where the Export Default Appears When Exporting

Now that you know where to set the export default, next you learn where this setting
appears in the export steps.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-15

About Creating Upgrade Scripts

To see where the export setting default appears in the export steps:
1. Go to the Supporting Objects page by clicking the Supporting Objects
breadcrumb.
2. From the Tasks list on the right, click Export Application.
In the Export Application section, notice that Export Supporting Object Definitions
is set to Yes. If this option is set to No, your export only included your application
definition.
3. To return to the Supporting Object Installation page, click Manage Supporting
Objects on the Tasks list on the right.

About Creating Upgrade Scripts

Creating upgrade scripts enables you to modify a distributed application, but enables
users to retain their existing objects. You can use upgrade scripts to add database
objects, alter existing database objects (for example, add columns or change column
definitions), or create new files.
If you plan to include upgrade scripts, remember to also modify your installation
scripts and deinstallation scripts. Then, when new users install your application, they
will have the full set of supporting objects and if the upgraded application is removed,
all the objects will also be removed.
The wizard that installs the supporting objects needs to be able to determine whether
to run the installation scripts or the upgrade scripts. This decision point is determined
by the Detect Existing Supporting Objects query. If the query returns at least one row
then the upgrade scripts are run. If the query returns no rows, the installation scripts
are run. A common approach is to have the query check the Oracle data dictionary for
the existence of the tables that the application depends on as shown in the following
example:
SELECT 1
FROM user_tables
WHERE table_name in ('OEHR_ORDERS','OEHR_ORDER_ITEMS')

If your upgrade consists only of application-level changes (that is, there are no
supporting objects changes) you do not need to create upgrade scripts. You can simply
instruct users to install the new application, but not install supporting objects.

Utilizing Upgrade Messages

When creating an upgrade, there are four messages you can use: Welcome Message,
Confirmation Message, Success Message, and Failure Message. Use these messages to
inform the user that they are upgrading their supporting objects instead of just
installing them.
If you distribute an application that is used as an upgrade, you should recommend
that users install the application using a new application ID. This approach retains the
initial application and its associated supporting object definitions. Once the user runs
and reviews the upgraded application, they can then delete the prior version.
Remember to also make sure users understand that they should not remove
supporting objects.

12-16 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Downloading Public Packaged Applications and Sample Code

About Refining Your Installation Scripts

Once you create your supporting objects, you should test them. As a best practice, be
sure to:
1. Perform the test in another workspace, or in the same workspace using a different
schema.
2. Export your application and include the supporting object definitions.
3. Then, import the application into another workspace and experience the
installation process.
This will enable you to edit the messages to fit your application.
4. If the supporting objects are created successfully, you should run and test the
application.
5. If the applications displays and performs as expected, delete the application and
then deinstall your supporting objects.
6. Finally, use Object Browser to verify that all your supporting objects have been
removed.
Since installation scripts are rarely correct the first time, this is typically an
iterative process.

Downloading Public Packaged Applications and Sample Code

If you are using Oracle Application Express 2.2 or higher, you can download packaged
applications and sample code from the Oracle Application Express Web site. Packaged
applications are fully functional applications that you can view, use, and customize.
Sample code is provided as packaged applications that contain a snippet of code to
explain a solution.
To download public packaged applications and sample code:
1. In a Web browser, go to the following Web site:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/applicatio
n_express/packaged_apps/packaged_apps.html
2. Scroll down to review the available applications or code.
3. Click the link for the zip file you want to download, and save the file to your
computer.
4. Unzip the file.
5. Review the Readme file.
Each application includes a Readme file that contains details about the application
functionality, installation procedures, how to remove sample data (if appropriate),
and default user names and passwords (if applicable).
6. Log in to the workspace in Oracle Application Express where you want to use the
packaged application or code.
7. Import and install the application.
Follow the same steps you performed when installing the sample objects for this
guide. See "About Loading Sample Objects" on page 1-2.

How to Review a Packaged Application 12-17

Downloading Public Packaged Applications and Sample Code

12-18 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 13
How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report

Oracle Application Express supports the ability to print a report by exporting a report
region to PDF. Defined declaratively, report printing enables users to view and print
reports that include page headings and that properly conform to specified page sizes.
When users print a report, the report data is transformed to a PDF format using an
externally defined report server.
In addition to enabling printing for report regions, you can also define output using
report queries and report layouts that are linked to an application.
This tutorial explains how to build a master detail form, define a report query and RTF
template, and then create a button to expose the new report.
This section contains the following topics:
■ About Oracle BI Publisher Licensing Requirements
■ Loading the Required Objects
■ Creating a Master Detail Form
■ Creating the Report Query
■ Creating the RTF Template
■ Creating the Report Layout
■ Linking the PDF Report to the Application
■ About Creating One PDF Containing All Orders

For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Creating PDF Reports with Oracle Application Express 3.1
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31rpt.htm

■ Utilizing Advanced Printing in Oracle Application Express 3.1

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/11gr1_db/appdev/apexpdf/apexpdf.htm

■ Creating a PDF Report with Multiple Queries

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexprnt/apexprnt_otn.htm

■ Including Dynamic Images in Your Report

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexprnt/apexprnt2_otn.htm

■ Storing and Accessing Reports in the Database

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexprnt/apexprnt3_otn.htm

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-1

About Oracle BI Publisher Licensing Requirements

■ Creating Reports With Dynamic Layout Selection

http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexprnt/apexprnt4_otn.htm

See Also: PDF Printing in Application Express 3.0 and "Configuring

Printing for Reports" in Oracle Database Application Express User's
Guide

About Oracle BI Publisher Licensing Requirements

Advanced PDF Printing requires Oracle Application Express release 3.0 or higher and
a valid license of Oracle BI Publisher. If your Oracle Application Express instance is
not currently configured to use BI Publisher, you can learn more about installing and
configuring PDF Printing in PDF Printing in Application Express 3.0.

Viewing a Hosted Version of the Application

If you do not have a valid Oracle BI Publisher license, or have not yet installed or
configured Oracle BI Publisher, you can follow the exercises in this tutorial and view a
completed version of the application on apex.oracle.com.
To view hosted version of the application:
1. In your Web browser go to:
http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=15610

The hosted application appears.

2. Click the Edit icon adjacent to a customer.
3. On the Order Details page, click Print PDF of Order.
4. Save the PDF to your hard drive so you can view it.

Loading the Required Objects

In order to complete this tutorial, you must download and install the packaged
application How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report from Oracle Technology Network
(OTN). Importing and installing this packaged application creates the required objects
needed to complete this tutorial. Additionally, it also contains the final version the
application you will build. That way, you can refer to it as a code reference.
Topics in this section include:
■ Download the Packaged Application
■ Import and Install the Packaged Application

Download the Packaged Application

To download the packaged application from OTN:
1. Download the md_pdf_howto.zip file to your computer. In your Web browser
go to:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_
express/packaged_apps/md_pdf_howto.zip

2. Unzip and extract the md_pdf_howto.zip file:

■ Microsoft Windows - Double-click the md_pdf_howto.zip file

13-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Loading the Required Objects

■ UNIX or Linux - Enter the following command:

$ unzip md_pdf_howto.zip

3. Review the md_pdf_howto_readme.txt file.

Import and Install the Packaged Application

To import and install the application, How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report:
1. Log in to Oracle Application Express. See "Logging In To Oracle Application
Express" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
2. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
The Application Builder home page appears.
3. Click the Import button.
4. For Specify File, specify the following:
a. Import file - Click Browse and go to the md_pdf_howto_installer.sql
file.
b. File Type - Select Application, Page, or Component Export.
c. Verify that File Character Set is correct.
d. Click Next.
5. For File Import Confirmation, click Next to install the imported file.
The Install Application Wizard appears.
6. In the Install Application Wizard, specify the following:
a. Parsing Schema - Select the appropriate schema.
b. Build Status - Select Run and Build Application.
c. Install As Application - Select Auto Assign New Application ID.
d. Click Install.
7. For Supporting Objects, select Yes and click Next.
8. Confirm your selections by clicking Install.
9. Click the Home breadcrumb link at the top of the page.
The Application Builder home page appears.

About Checking the Available Space in Your Workspace

If you experience problems installing the How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report
application, verify the available space in your workspace. You many need to request
additional storage space.
If you are a workspace administrator, you can:
1. Determine if you need additional storage space. See "Viewing the Workspace
Overview Report" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
2. Request additional storage space. See "Requesting Additional Storage" in Oracle
Database Application Express User's Guide.

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-3

Creating a Master Detail Form

About Deleting the Packaged Application

Deleting the How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report application and selecting to
deinstall the supporting objects completely removes all associated objects and sample
data.
To delete the How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report application:
1. Log in to Oracle Application Express.
2. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
The Application Builder home page appears.
3. Select the How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report application.
The Application home page appears.
4. On the Tasks list, click Delete this Application.
The Deinstall page appears.
5. To remove all associated objects and sample data, select Remove Application
Definition and Deinstall Supporting Objects.
6. Click Deinstall.

Creating a Master Detail Form

To create a master detail form:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.
2. Select the How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report application.
3. Click Create Page.
4. Select Form and click Next.
5. Select Master Detail Form and click Next.
The Master Detail Wizard appears.
6. On Master Table, select the following:
a. Table/View Owner - Select the appropriate schema.
b. Table/View Name - Select MD_PDF_ORDERS.
The columns in that object appear under Available Columns.
c. Press the Shift key to select all the columns and then click the Add button to
move them to Displayed Columns.
d. Click Next.
7. On Detail Table, specify the following:
a. Show Only Related Tables - Accept the default, Yes.
b. Table/View Owner - Select the appropriate schema.
c. Table/View Name - Select MD_PDF_ORDER_ITEMS.
The columns in that object appear under Available Columns.
d. Press the Shift key to select all the columns and then click the Add button to
move them to Displayed Columns.
e. Click Next.

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 Creating a Master Detail Form

8. On Primary Key Source:

a. For the Primary Key Column ORDER_ID, accept the default, Existing Trigger
and click Next.
b. For the Primary Key Column ORDER_ITEM_ID, accept the default, Existing
Trigger and click Next.
9. To accept the remaining defaults, click Finish.
10. Click Create.
A Success page appears.

View the Report

To view the new pages:
1. Click the Run Page icon.
The PDF Orders report appears as shown in Figure 13–1 on page 13-5.

Figure 13–1 Md Pdf Orders Report

Note that the wizard added two pages to the application, a report on the master
table and a master detail form that references both tables.
2. To edit an order and view the master detail form, click the Edit icon.
The Master Details page appears as shown in Figure 13–2.

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-5

Creating the Report Query

Figure 13–2 Master Details Page

Creating the Report Query

The form you created displays order items for five orders. Using standard PDF
printing, you could enable region printing on the tabular form. This would result in an
output that would display just the order items records and only for the selected
master. To create a report that incorporates all the order information, along with the
Order Items, you will create a report query. The order information will be retrieved
from the session state for each order item.
To create a report query:
1. Go to the Report Queries page:
a. To return to the Application home page, click the Application link on the
Developer toolbar.
b. Click on the Shared Components icon.
c. Under Reports, click Report Queries.
The Report Queries page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. For Report Query Definition, enter the following:
a. Report Query Name - Enter order_details.
b. Session State - Select Include application and session information.
The Select Items fields appear.
c. Select Items - Select P3_CUSTOMER_NAME, and click Add.
Repeat this procedure for:
P3_ORDER_DATE
P3_ORDER_ID

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 Creating the RTF Template

P3_ORDER_MODE
P3_ORDER_STATUS
P3_ORDER_TOTAL
P3_SALES_REP
d. Accept remaining defaults and click Next.
4. For Source Queries, enter the following:
a. SQL Query - Enter the following code:
SELECT LINE_ITEM_ID,
QUANTITY,
ORDER_ITEM_ID,
PRODUCT_NAME,
to_char(UNIT_PRICE,'$9,999.99') unit_price
FROM MD_PDF_ORDER_ITEMS
WHERE ORDER_ID = :P3_ORDER_ID

b. Click Next.
5. For Data Source for Report Layout, select XML Data and the click Download
button.
This step downloads an XML file with the name of the report query, order_
details.xml.
6. Save the resulting file to your hard drive.
You will create an RTF template using this XML file and then upload it. First,
however, you must complete the process of creating the report query using a
generic report layout. You will then edit the report query to reference the new
report layout once it is created and uploaded.
7. Click Next.
8. For Report Layout File, browse to and select the order_details.xml file you
saved.
9. Click Next.
Notice the URL that displays. This is the URL that will be used to call this report
from within your application.
10. Click Finish.
Next, you need to create an RTF template using this XML file.

Creating the RTF Template

To edit the XML produced from your report query, you need the Oracle BI Publisher
Desktop. When properly loaded, Oracle BI Publisher Desktop adds a new menu
option to Microsoft Word.
Topics in this section include:
■ Download Oracle BI Publisher Desktop
■ Load the XML Details
■ Insert the Fields
■ Include Line Items

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-7

Creating the RTF Template

See Also: Oracle BI Publisher Desktop White Papers and Demonstrations

Download Oracle BI Publisher Desktop

If you do not have the Desktop loaded, you can download it here:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/software/htdocs/devlic.html?url=/techn
ology/software/products/ias/htdocs/101320bi.html

See Also: "About Oracle BI Publisher Licensing Requirements" on

page 13-2

Load the XML Details

To load the XML generated by your report query:
1. Open Microsoft Word.
2. From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, select Data and then Load Sample XML Data.
3. Select the file you generated when creating report query, order_details.xml.
The following message appears:
Data loaded successfully

4. Click Ok.
Note that nothing appears on the page.

Insert the Fields

To insert the order columns:
1. From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, select Insert and then Field.
2. Select P3 Customer Name and click Insert.
3. Continue to insert each of the order columns.
4. Exit the Field dialog box, click Close.
Although each of the order items displays on the page, they are in one long string.
5. Edit the page so that each item displays on a separate line and is prefaced by a
descriptive label. Consider the following example:
Customer: P3_CUSTOMER_NAME
Order Date: P3_ORDER_DATE
Order ID: P3_ORDER_ID
Order Mode: P3_ORDER_MODE
Order Status: P3_ORDER_STATUS
Order Total: P3_ORDER_TOTAL
Sales Rep: P3_SALES_REP

Include Line Items

To include line items:
1. Insert a few blank lines below your order details.
2. From the Oracle BI Publisher menu, select Insert and then Table Wizard.

13-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating the RTF Template

3. Accept the default, Table, and click Next.

4. For Grouping Field, select DOCUMENT/REGION/ROWSET/ROW and click
Next.
5. Select each field and move it to the right column. Click Next.
You do not need to make any grouping selections since your report will select just
one order.
6. Click Next.
7. For Sort By, select Line Item Id and click Next.
8. For Labels, edit the following:
a. Line Item Id - Change to Line Item.
b. Order Item Id - Change to Order Item.
9. Click Finish.
Your basic framework is created and should resemble Figure 13–3 on page 13-9.

Figure 13–3 Report Layout Template

10. To define a header and footer, from the View menu, select Header and Footer.
For example, the header could contain the name of the report (for example, My
Order Report) and the footer could contain page numbers or the date the report
was executed. You can also customize the font family or font size.
11. Save your changes:
a. From the File menu, select Save As.
b. For Save as type, select Rich Text Format (*.rtf).
c. For File Name, enter order_details.rtf.
d. Exit Microsoft Word.

About Including Variables in Your RTF

You can include variables in the header and footer of your RTF. For example, the RTF
file used in the sample pages included in the How To Create a Master-Detail PDF Report
application include the date the report was executed and the user that executed the
report.
To download and view this RTF:
1. Go to the Report Layouts page:

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-9

Creating the Report Layout

a. Click on the Shared Components icon.

b. Under Reports, click Report Layouts.
The Report Queries page appears.
2. Click order_details2.
3. Click Download and save order_details2.rtf to your hard drive.
4. Open order_details2.rtf in Microsoft Word and note the variables included
in the footer.

Creating the Report Layout

Once you complete your report layout template, you need to upload it to Application
Builder and associate it with your report query.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create a Report Layout
■ Associate the Report Layout and Report Query

Create a Report Layout

To create a report layout:
1. Go to the Shared Components page:
a. Click the Shared Components breadcrumb.
b. Under Reports, click Report Layouts.
The Report Layouts page appears.
2. Click Create.
3. For Layout Type, select Named Columns and click Next.
4. For Layout Type, specify the following:
a. For Layout Name, enter order details.
b. For Report Layout File, click Browse and select order_details.rtf.
5. Click Create Layout.

Associate the Report Layout and Report Query

To associate the report layout and report query:
1. Go to the Shared Components page. Click the Shared Components breadcrumb.
2. Under Reports, click Report Queries.
3. Edit the query by clicking order_details.
4. Under Report Query Attributes, for Report Layout, select order details.
5. Click Apply Changes.

Linking the PDF Report to the Application

In this exercise, you link the PDF report to the application by creating a button.
Topics in this section include:

13-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Linking the PDF Report to the Application

■ Create a Button
■ Run the Page

Create a Button
To create a button:
1. Go to the Page Definition for the Master Detail page:
a. Click the Application breadcrumb link.
b. Select Master Detail.
2. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.

Figure 13–4 Create Icon

3. For Button Region, select Md Pdf Orders and click Next.

This selection positions the button in the top (or master) region.
4. For Button Position, select accept the default, Create a button in a region position,
and click Next.
5. For Button Attributes:
a. Button Name - Enter PRINT.
b. Label - Enter Print PDF of Order.
c. For Button Type, accept the default, Template Driven.
d. For Action, select Download printable report query.
e. Click Next.
6. For Button Template, accept the default and click Next.
7. For Display Properties:
a. Position - Select Region Template Position #CREATE#.
This positions the button to the right of the Apply Changes button.
b. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
8. For Branching:
a. Report Query - Select order_details.
b. Click Next.
9. For Conditional Display:
a. Condition Type - Select Value of Item in Express 1 Is NOT NULL.
b. Expression 1 - Enter P3_ORDER_ID.
By creating this condition, the print button will not display when you are
creating a new order.
10. Click Create Button.

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-11

About Creating One PDF Containing All Orders

Run the Page

To run the page:
1. Click the Run Page icon in the upper right corner as shown in Figure 13–5.

Figure 13–5 Run Page Icon

2. When the report appears, click Cancel to return to the Md Pdf Order page.
3. Click the Edit icon to select another order.
Your Master Detail page should resemble Figure 13–6. Note the new Print PDF or
Order button.

Figure 13–6 Revised Master Detail Page

4. If you do not have an Oracle BI Publisher license, or have not yet installed or
configured Oracle BI Publisher, you will not be able to save the report as a PDF.
To view a fully functional version of this application:
■ View the hosted version on apex.oracle.com. See "Viewing a Hosted
Version of the Application" on page 13-2.
■ View the example pages included with the demonstration application. Return
to the Application home page, run the Orders page, click Edit to edit an order,
and click Print PDF Order.

About Creating One PDF Containing All Orders

This tutorial created a report that was specific to one order. You could also create the
same report without passing in the Order ID. This would create one PDF that would
contain all orders. To accomplish this, you would:

13-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 About Creating One PDF Containing All Orders

1. Create one report query that returns all the required columns. There would be no
need to include session state variables.
2. Load the resulting XML into Microsoft Word just as you did in this tutorial and
use the Table Wizard.
3. When prompted to specify Groupings, select the columns that you want to use as
your master.
The resulting display will include the grouped columns above a table that contains
your detail records. You can then add labels and customize the display. When the
report is run, each master value will display on a new page.

How to Create a Master Detail PDF Report 13-13

About Creating One PDF Containing All Orders

13-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 14
How to Design an Issue Tracking Application

This tutorial describes how to plan, design and populate data objects for an example
Issue Tracking application. After completing this tutorial, you can go on to Chapter 15,
"How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application" to implement and deploy
the application user interface to the data objects designed in this chapter.
A completed sample Issue Tracker application and supporting scripts are available on
the Oracle Technology Network. Go to the following location and navigate to
Packaged Applications and then select Issue Tracker:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_
express/index.html

Note: This tutorial takes approximately one to two hours to

complete. It is recommended that you read through the entire tutorial
first to become familiar with the material before you attempt specific
exercises.

Topics in this section include:

■ Planning and Project Analysis
■ Designing the Database Objects
■ Implementing Database Objects
■ Loading Demonstration Data

For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Manipulating Database Objects
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.
1_a/apex3.1.1_a_otn.htm

Planning and Project Analysis

Effective project management is the key to completing any project on time and within
budget. Within every project there are always multiple issues that need to be tracked,
prioritized, and managed.
In this business scenario, MRVL Company has several projects that must be completed
on time for the company to be profitable. Any missed project deadline will result in
lost revenue. The company’s project leads use various methods to track issues,

How to Design an Issue Tracking Application 14-1

Planning and Project Analysis

including manually recording statuses in notebooks, organizing issues in text

documents, and categorizing issues by using spreadsheets.
By creating a hosted application in Oracle Application Express, project leads can easily
record and track issues in one central location. This approach offers each project lead
access to just the data they need and makes it easier for management to determine if
critical issues are being addressed.

Planning and Project Analysis

Before beginning development on an Oracle Application Express application, you first
need to define application requirements. Then, you use the defined requirements to
design a database and an outline that describes how the user interface accepts and
presents data.
For this business scenario, the project leads establish requirements that define the
information that must be tracked, security requirements, data management functions,
and how to present data to users.
Topics in this section include:
■ Gather the Necessary Data
■ Define Security Requirements
■ Select Data Management Functions
■ Select Data Presentation Functions
■ Define Special Function Requirements

Gather the Necessary Data

Currently, each project lead tracks information slightly differently. Together, everyone
agrees that the application should include the following information:
■ Summary of the issue
■ Detailed description of the issue
■ Who identified the issue
■ The date on which the issue was identified
■ Which project the issue is related to
■ Who the issue is assigned to
■ A current status of the issue
■ Priority of the issue
■ Target resolution date
■ Actual resolution date
■ Progress report
■ Resolution summary

Define Security Requirements

Because the project leads are concerned about everyone having access to all the
information, they agree upon the following access rules:
■ Each team member and project lead is only assigned to one project at a time

14-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Planning and Project Analysis

■ Each team member and project lead must be assigned to a project

■ Managers are never assigned to a specific project
■ Only managers can define and maintain projects and people
■ Everyone can enter new issues
■ Once assigned, only the person assigned or a project lead can change data about
the issue
■ Management needs views that summarize the data without access to specific issue
details

Select Data Management Functions

Next, the project leads determine how information will be entered into the system. For
this project, users must be able to:
■ Create issues
■ Assign issues
■ Edit issues
■ Create projects
■ Maintain projects
■ Create people
■ Maintain people information
■ Maintain project assignments

Select Data Presentation Functions

Once the data is entered into the application, users need to view the data. The team
decides that users must be able to view the following:
■ All issues by project
■ Open issues by project
■ Overdue issues, by project and for all
■ Recently opened issues
■ Unassigned issues
■ Summary of issues by project, for managers
■ Resolved issues by month identified
■ Issue resolution dates displayed on a calendar
■ Days to Resolve Issues by person

Define Special Function Requirements

Finally, the project leads determine that the application must support the following
special functions:
■ Notify people when an issue is assigned to them
■ Notify the project lead when any issue becomes overdue

How to Design an Issue Tracking Application 14-3

Designing the Database Objects

Designing the Database Objects

Once you have defined the database requirements, the next step is to turn these
requirements into a database design and an outline that describes how the user
interface accepts and presents data. In this step you need to think about how
information should be organized in the tables in the underlying database. Given the
requirements described "Planning and Project Analysis" on page 14-2, for this project
you need to create three tables:
■ Projects tracks all current projects
■ People contains information about who can be assigned to handle issues
■ Issues tracks all information about an issue, including the project to which it is
related and the person assigned to the issue
In addition to the tables, you also need to create additional database objects, such as
sequences and triggers, to support the tables. System generated primary keys will be
used for all tables so that all the data can be edited without executing a cascade
update.
The data model designed for this exercise will look like Figure 14–1.

Figure 14–1 Data Model for Issue Tracker Database Objects

Topics in this section include:

■ About the Projects Table
■ About the People Table
■ About the Issues Table

About the Projects Table

Each project must include project name, project start date, target date, and actual end
date columns. These date columns help determine if any outstanding issues are
jeopardizing the project end date. Table 14–1 describes the columns to be included in
the Projects table.

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 Designing the Database Objects

Table 14–1 Project Table Details

Column Name Type Size Not Null? Constraints Description
project_id number n/a Yes Primary key A unique numeric
identification for each project.
Populated by a sequence using
a trigger.
project_name varchar2 255 Yes Unique key A unique alphanumeric name
for the project.
start_date date n/a Yes None The project start date.
target_end_date date n/a Yes None The targeted project end date.
actual_end_date date n/a No None The actual end date.
created_on date n/a Yes None Date the record was created.
created_by varchar2 255 Yes None The user who created the
record.
modified_on date n/a Yes None The date the record was last
modified.
modified_by varchar2 255 Yes None The user who last modified the
record.

About the People Table

Each person will have a defined name and role. Project leads and team members will
also have an assigned project. To tie the current user to their role within the
organization, email addresses will be used for user names.
In order to associate the current user to a person, a username column will be added to
the people table. This allows flexibility when deciding on the authentication
mechanism and also allows for an authorization scheme that can determine who the
person is that has logged on and if they have access to the application.
As a standard, add audit columns to each table. They do not need to be identified
during analysis because they are added consistently to each table just before
implementation.
Table 14–2 on page 14-5 describes the columns that will be included in the People
table.

Table 14–2 People Table Details

Column Name Type Size Not Null? Constraints Description
person_id number n/a Yes Primary key A numeric ID that identifies
each user.
Populated by a sequence
using a trigger.
person_name varchar2 255 Yes Unique key A unique name that
identifies each user.
person_email varchar2 255 Yes None User email address.
person_role varchar2 30 Yes Check The role assigned to each
constraint user.
username varchar2 255 Yes Unique Key The username of this
person. Used to link login to
person’s details.

How to Design an Issue Tracking Application 14-5

Designing the Database Objects

Table 14–2 (Cont.) People Table Details

Column Name Type Size Not Null? Constraints Description
assigned_project number n/a No None The project this person is
assigned to.
created_on date n/a Yes None Date the record was created.
created_by varchar2 255 Yes None The user who created the
record.
modified_on date n/a Yes None The date the record was last
modified.
modified_by varchar2 255 Yes None The user who last modified
the record.

Note: For the purposes of this exercise, this application has been
simplified. User data is usually much more elaborate and is often
pulled from a corporate Human Resource system. Also, users
typically work on more than one project at a time. If the roles that are
assigned to a user need to be dynamic, you would implement roles as
a separate table with a foreign key that relates to the people table.

About the Issues Table

When the project leads defined their application requirements, they decided to track
separate issues assigned to each person. Issues will be included in columns along with
additional columns to provide an audit trail. The audit trail will track who created the
issue, when it was created, as well as who modified the issue last and on what date
that modification was made.
Table 14–3 describes the columns to be included in the Issues table.

Table 14–3 Issue Table Details

Column Name Type Size Not Null? Constraints Description
issue_id number n/a Yes primary key A unique numeric ID
that identifies an issue.
Populated by a sequence
using a trigger.
issue_summary varchar2 255 Yes None A brief summary of the
issue.
issue_description varchar2 4000 No None A detailed description of
the issue.
identified_by_person_id number n/a Yes foreign key to People The user who identifies
the issue.
identified_date date n/a Yes None The date the issue was
identified
related_project number n/a Yes foreign key to Projects Project related to the
issue.
assigned_to integer n/a No foreign key to eba_it_ The person who owns
people this issue.

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 Implementing Database Objects

Table 14–3 (Cont.) Issue Table Details

Column Name Type Size Not Null? Constraints Description
status varchar2 30 Yes check constraint The issue status.
Automatically set to
Open when new and set
to Closed when actual
resolution date entered.
priority varchar2 30 No check constraint The priority of the issue.
target_resolution_date date n/a No None The target resolution
date.
progress varchar2 4000 No None The progress of the issue.
actual_resolution_date date n/a No None Actual resolution date of
the issue.
resolution_summary varchar2 4000 No None Resolution summary.
created_on date n/a Yes None Date the record was
created.
created_by varchar2 255 Yes None The user who created the
record.
modified_on date n/a Yes None The date the record was
last modified.
modified_by varchar2 255 Yes None The user who last
modified the record.

Note: A real-world application might need more extensive auditing.

For example, you might need to track each change to the data rather
than just the last change. Tracking each change to the data would
require an additional table, linked to the issues table. If the valid
priorities assigned to issues need to be dynamic, you would be
required to add a separate table with a foreign key that relates to the
issues table.

Implementing Database Objects

This first step in building an application is to create the database objects.
Topics in this section include:
■ Additional Database Objects Needed
■ About Building Database Objects
■ Create and Run a Script to Build Database Objects
■ View the Created Database Objects

Additional Database Objects Needed

To populate the primary key values of the tables needed for this application, a
sequence can be used. Another method is to create a function to provide a unique
value. The latter method is used for this application. The function is created as part of
a package named for the application. During implementation of the user interface,
additional functions and procedures may be needed; they can be added to this one.

How to Design an Issue Tracking Application 14-7

Implementing Database Objects

The DDL for the package specification and body is shown below. The package
specification is created first, followed by the package body. The package body is
created last because the body usually refers to tables that must already be specified. In
this example, however, the body has no references to the tables.

About Building Database Objects

There are several ways to create objects in Oracle Application Express. You can:
■ Create an Object in Object Browser. Use Object Browser to create tables, views,
indexes, sequences, types, packages, procedures, functions, triggers database links,
materialized views, and synonyms. A wizard walks you through the choices
necessary to create the selected database object. To create an object in Object
Browser, navigate to SQL Workshop, then Object Browser, and click Create. See
"Managing Database Objects with Object Browser" in Oracle Database Application
Express User's Guide.
■ Execute SQL Commands. Run SQL Commands by typing or pasting them into the
SQL Commands. To access SQL Commands, click the SQL Workshop icon on
Workspace home page and then click SQL Commands. See "Using SQL
Commands" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
■ Upload a script. Upload a script to the SQL Script Repository that contains all the
necessary create object statements. To upload a script, click SQL Workshop on the
Workspace home page, click SQL Scripts and then click Upload. See "Uploading a
SQL Script" in Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.
■ Create script online. Create a script online in the Script Repository. You will use
this method to create database objects for this exercise. To create a script online,
click the SQL Workshop icon on the Workspace home page, select SQL Scripts
and then click Create. See "Creating a SQL Script in the Script Editor" in Oracle
Database Application Express User's Guide.
For this exercise, you create and run a script.

Create and Run a Script to Build Database Objects

To build database objects by creating a script:
1. Log in to Oracle Application Express.
2. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL Scripts.
3. Click Create.
4. In the Script Editor:
a. For Script Name, enter DDL for Issue Tracker Application.
b. Copy the data definition language (DDL) in "Creating Application Database
Objects DDL" on page A-1 and paste it into the script.
c. Click Save.
5. On the SQL Scripts page, click the DDL for Issue Tracker Application icon.
The Script Editor appears.
6. Click Run.
A summary page appears with a confirmation request.
7. Click Run again to confirm.

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 Implementing Database Objects

The Manage Script Results page displays a message that the script has been
submitted for execution.

View the Created Database Objects

You can view database objects using Object Browser.
To view database objects in Object Browser:
1. Return to the Workspace home page. Click the Home breadcrumb link.
2. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then Object Browser.
3. From the Object list on the left side of the page, select Tables.
4. To view the details of a specific object, select one of the following tables:
■ IT_ISSUES
■ IT_PEOPLE
■ IT_PROJECTS
The tables will appear similar to those shown in Figure 14–2, Figure 14–3 and
Figure 14–4.

Figure 14–2 IT_ISSUES Table

How to Design an Issue Tracking Application 14-9

Loading Demonstration Data

Figure 14–3 IT_PEOPLE Table

Figure 14–4 IT_PROJECTS Table

See Also: "Managing Database Objects with Object Browser" in

Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide.

Loading Demonstration Data

Once you have created all the necessary database objects, the next step is to load data
into the tables. You can manually load data or write and execute a script using the
import functionality available in SQL Scripts. In the following exercise, however, you
use SQL Scripts to load demonstration data. To allow the demonstration data to be
created, removed and created again, the creation scripts have been wrapped into a
package. You will first load and execute a script that will create the package
specification and package body. You will then use the Command Processor to execute
the procedures from within that new package.
To load demonstration data:
1. Click the SQL Workshop breadcrumb link.

14-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Loading Demonstration Data

2. Click SQL Scripts.

3. Click Create.
4. In the Script Editor, specify the following:
a. Script Name - Enter Load Data.
b. Copy the script in "Creating Issues Script" on page A-7 and paste it into the
script.
c. Click Save.
5. On the SQL Scripts page, click the Load Data icon.
The Script Editor appears.
6. Click Run.
A summary page appears.
7. Click Run again.
The Run Script page displays with a request to confirm.
8. Click Run to confirm.
The Mange Script Results page displays a message that the script has been
submitted for execution.
9. Click the SQL Workshop breadcrumb link.
10. Click SQL Commands.

11. To execute the procedures that load data into each table, enter the following:
begin
it_sample_data.create_sample_projects;
it_sample_data.create_sample_people;
it_sample_data.create_sample_issues;
end;

12. Click Run.

All the Issue Tracker Application objects have been designed, created and populated
with data. Now, you can continue on and complete Chapter 15, "How to Build and
Deploy an Issue Tracking Application" to create the User Interface to these objects.

How to Design an Issue Tracking Application 14-11

Loading Demonstration Data

14-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 15
How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking
Application

This tutorial describes how to create and deploy an application that tracks the
assignment, status, and progress of issues related to a project. This tutorial walks you
through all the steps necessary to create a robust issue tracking application. Before
following the steps outlined in this chapter you must have completed planning the
project, creating the underlying database objects, and loading demonstration data, as
described in Chapter 14, "How to Design an Issue Tracking Application".
A completed sample Issue Tracker application and supporting scripts are available on
the Oracle Technology Network. Go to the following location and navigate to
Packaged Applications and then select Issue Tracker:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/application_express/index.html

Note: You must complete Chapter 14, "How to Design an Issue

Tracking Application" before building the Issue Tracker application.
This tutorial takes approximately two to three hours to complete. It is
recommended that you read through the entire document first to
become familiar with the material before you attempt specific
exercises.

Topics in this section include:

■ Issue Tracker Application Overview
■ Building a Basic User Interface
■ Adding Advanced Features
■ Deploying Your Application

Issue Tracker Application Overview

This section provides an overview of the Issue Tracker application designed and
implemented in this tutorial. Before building this application it is helpful to
understand:
■ Issue Tracker User Interface
■ Issue Tracker Architecture

How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application 15-1

Issue Tracker Application Overview

Issue Tracker User Interface

The Issue Tracker user interface is designed to support tracking and maintaining of
issues, projects, and users. The application pages are organized as shown in
Figure 15–1, "Issue Tracker User Interface".

Figure 15–1 Issue Tracker User Interface

Issue Tracker Architecture

After building this application, you will have 15 pages. The Application Builder home
page for the Issue Tracker application will look similar to the one in Figure 15–2, "Issue
Tracker Pages".

15-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Issue Tracker Application Overview

Figure 15–2 Issue Tracker Pages

Each page serves a particular tracking function as described in Table 15–1, " Overview
of Each Issue Tracker Page".

Table 15–1 Overview of Each Issue Tracker Page

Parent
Breadcrumb Section that describes how to
Name and Number Entry Purpose create this page:
1 - Home Application Home page that Create the Basic Application
links to top level pages:
Projects, Users, Issues, Reports
and Dashboard.
2 - Projects Home Project report page used to Add Pages to Maintain Projects
display and search projects.
Links to Project Details page.
3 - Project Details Projects Project details form used to Add Pages to Maintain Projects
view details for a specific
project and to add, delete, and
edit a project.
4 - Users Home Users report page used to Add Pages to Track Users
display and search users. Links
to User Information page.
5 - User Information Users User information form used to Add Pages to Track Users
view information for a specific
user and to add, edit and
delete a user.
6 - Issues Home Issues report page used to Add Pages to Track Issues
display and search Issues.
Links to Issue Details page.

How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application 15-3

Building a Basic User Interface

Table 15–1 (Cont.) Overview of Each Issue Tracker Page

Parent
Breadcrumb Section that describes how to
Name and Number Entry Purpose create this page:
7 - Issue Details Issues Issue Details form used to view Add Pages to Track Issues
information for a specific issue
and to add, edit and delete an
issue.
8 - Assign Open Issues Reports Displays all unassigned issues Add Pages for Summary Reports
and allows you to assign to a
person, identify a related
project, change status and
change priority.
9 - Issue Summary by Project Reports Provides a report of a variety Add Pages for Summary Reports
of issue parameters per project.
10 - Resolved by Month Reports Shows a visual depiction Add Pages for Summary Reports
Identified number of issues solved each
month.
11 - Target Resolution Dates Reports Displays a calendar with Add Pages for Summary Reports
entries for each target
resolution date.
12 - Average Days to Resolve Reports The average number of days it Add Pages for Summary Reports
took each person to resolve
their issues is shown as a bar
chart.
14 - Reports Home This is a landing page for all Add Pages for Summary Reports
the summary reports: Assign
Open Issues, Issue Summary
by Project, Resolved by Month
Identified, Target Resolution
Dates, Average Days to
Resolve.
18 - Dashboard Home A snapshot of Overdue Issue, Add a Dashboard Page
Unassigned Issues, Recently
Opened Issues, and Open
Issues by Project is displayed.
101 - Login Application login page. Create the Basic Application

Building a Basic User Interface

After you create the objects that support your application and load the demonstration
data, as described in Chapter 14, "How to Design an Issue Tracking Application", the
next step is to create a user interface. In this exercise, you use the Create Application
Wizard in Application Builder to create an application and then create the pages that
support the data management and data presentation functions described in "Planning
and Project Analysis" on page 14-1.
Topics in this section include:
■ Create the Basic Application
■ Add Navigation Image List to Home Page
■ Add Pages to Maintain Projects
■ Add Pages to Track Users
■ Add Pages to Track Issues

15-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Building a Basic User Interface

■ Add Pages for Summary Reports

■ Add a Dashboard Page

Create the Basic Application

The Create Application Wizard is used to create an application containing pages that
enable users to view reports on and create data for the selected tables within a schema.
Alternatively, you can create an application first and then add pages to it. As the
application requirements include customized overview pages, for this exercise you
will use the latter approach.
This section includes the following topics:
■ Create the Application
■ Add a Logo to the Application
■ Run the Application

Create the Application

To create the application:
1. Log in to Oracle Application Express.
2. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
3. Click Create.
4. For Method, select Create Application and click Next.
5. For Name:
a. Name - Enter Issue Tracker.
b. Create Application - Select From scratch.
c. Schema - Select schema containing loaded IT data objects.
d. Click Next.
6. Under Add Page:
a. Select Page Type - select Blank.
b. Page Name - enter Home.
c. Click Add Page.
d. Click Next.
7. For Tabs, select One Level of Tabs and click Next.
8. For Shared Components, accept the default, No, and click Next.
9. For Attributes:
a. Date Format - Enter DD-MON-YYYY, or select 12-JAN-2004 from the select list
b. Click Next.
10. For User Interface, select Theme 20 and click Next.

11. Click Create.

Add a Logo to the Application

To add an Issue Tracker logo to the application:

How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application 15-5

Building a Basic User Interface

1. Click Shared Components.

2. Under Application, click the Definition link.
3. On the Definition page, click the Logo tab at the top.
4. For Logo Type, select Text (requires Application Express 2.2 or greater).
5. For Logo, enter Issue Tracker 1.0.
6. For Logo Attributes, select White Text from the drop down list.
7. Click Apply Changes.

Run the Application

To view the application:
1. Click the Application home breadcrumb link.
2. Click the Run Application icon.
3. When prompted, enter your workspace user name and password and click Login.
See "About Application Authentication" on page 1-6.
This authentication is part of the default security of any newly created application.
As shown in Figure 15–3 on page 15-6, the home page appears.

Figure 15–3 Initial Home Page

Although the page has no content, notice that the Create Application Wizard has
created the following items:
■ Logo - The Issue Tracker 1.0 logo is displayed in top left corner.
■ Navigation Links - A navigation bar entry displays in the upper left of the
page. Logout enables the user to log out of the application.
■ Developer Links - The Developer toolbar appears on the page. These links
only display if you are logged in as a developer. Users who only have access
to run the application cannot see these links.
4. Click Application on the Developer toolbar to return to the Application home
page.
Notice that the Create Application Wizard also created a Login page.
Once you have created the basic application structure, the next step is to add content
to the Home page.

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Add Navigation Image List to Home Page

Now you need to add a horizontal list of images to help the user navigate to the top
level pages of the application.
When you complete this section the Home page will look like Figure 15–4.

Figure 15–4 Home Page with Navigation Image List

Note: The navigation links below each image will not work until you
create each of the corresponding top level pages. For example, when
you complete the Add Pages to Maintain Projects section, the Projects
link will display the Projects page.

This section covers the following topics:

■ Create a List of Images
■ Create a Region to Contain the List of Images

Create a List of Images

To create a horizontal list of images to navigate by:
1. Click the Application home breadcrumb.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Navigation, click Lists.
4. Click Create.
5. For List make these changes:
a. Name - Enter Main Menu
b. List Template - Select Horizontal Images with Label List
6. Click Create.
To add Dashboard, Project, Issues, Reports, and Users images to the list:
1. Click Create List Entry >.
2. To add a Dashboard image, under Entry, make these changes:
a. Sequence - Enter 5.

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b. Image - Enter menu/dashboard_bx_128x128.png

c. List Entry Label - Enter Dashboard.
3. Under Target, for Page, enter 18.
4. Click Create and Create Another.
5. To add a Projects image, under Entry, make these changes:
a. Sequence - Enter 10.
b. Image - Enter menu/globe_bx_128x128.png
c. List Entry Label - Enter Projects.
6. Under Target, for Page, enter 2.
7. Click Create and Create Another.
8. To add an Issues image, under Entry, make these changes:
a. Sequence - Enter 20.
b. Image - Enter menu/shapes_bx_128x128.png
c. List Entry Label - Enter Issues.
9. Under Target, for Page, enter 6.
10. Click Create and Create Another.

11. To add a Reports image, under Entry, make these changes:

a. Sequence - Enter 30.

b. Image - Enter menu/folder_bx_128x128.png
c. List Entry Label - Enter Reports.
12. Under Target, for Page, enter 14.

13. Click Create and Create Another.

14. To add a Users image, under Entry, make these changes:

a. Sequence - Enter 100.

b. Image - Enter menu/addresses_bx_128x128.png
c. List Entry Label - Enter Users.
15. Under Target, for Page, enter 4.

16. Click Create.

Create a Region to Contain the List of Images

Now create a region on the Home page to display the list of images. You need to
remove the default Home region and create another of type list to contain the Main
Menu list of images.
To create a region containing the list of images:
1. Click the Application home breadcrumb.
2. Click the icon, 1 - Home, for the Home page
3. Under Regions, select the Home region.
4. Click Delete.

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5. To confirm, click Delete Region.

6. Under Regions, select the Create icon.
7. For region type, select List and click Next.
8. For Display Attributes, make these changes:
a. Title - Enter Home.
b. Region Template - Select No Template.
c. Sequence - Enter 3.
d. Click Next.
9. For Source, select Main Menu for List.
10. Click Create List Region.

11. Under Regions, click Home region.

12. Scroll down to Header and Footer. Enter the following for Region Header:
<p>Use this application to track issues as they arise for
projects within your organization.<p>
13. Click Apply Changes.

14. To see the image list on the Home page, click the Run Application icon on the
Application’s home page. The Home page should look like Figure 15–5, "Home
Page with Navigation Image List".

Figure 15–5 Home Page with Navigation Image List

Add Pages to Maintain Projects

Now you need to create pages that enable users to view and add project data to tables.
To accomplish this, you use the Form on a Table with Report Wizard. This wizard
creates a report page and a form page for the IT_PROJECTS table.
Topics in this section include:
■ Overview of Project Pages
■ Create a Tab Set for this Application
■ Create Pages for Maintaining Projects
■ Refine the Appearance of the Projects Report Page

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■ Refine the Project Details Page

■ Run Project Page and Project Details Page

Note: If you are already familiar with this application, skip

"Overview of Project Pages" and proceed to "Create a Tab Set for this
Application" on page 15-12.

Overview of Project Pages

The created report page is the Projects page and the form page is the Project Details
page. When you complete this section, your project pages will be similar to the Project
page shown in Figure 15–6, "Projects Page", and the Project Details page shown in
Figure 15–7, "Project Details Page When Adding a Project" and Figure 15–8, "Project
Details Page When Editing a Project".

Figure 15–6 Projects Page

Figure 15–7 Project Details Page When Adding a Project

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Figure 15–8 Project Details Page When Editing a Project

Projects Page (2 - Projects) This page is a report of all projects in the database.
Components included on this page are described as follows:
■ Project Name: The name of the project.
■ Start Date: The date the project was started.
■ Target End Date: The date the project is scheduled to be completed.
■ Actual End Date: The date the project was actually completed.
■ Search region: A filtered report can be obtained by selecting search criteria and
clicking the Go button.
■ Edit icon: To edit project information, click on the edit icon to the left of the project
name. The Project Details page is displayed showing the selected project’s
information.
■ Add Project button: A new project can be added to the database by clicking this
button. An empty Project Details page is displayed for you to enter specific project
information.

Project Details Page (3 - Project Details) This is a form that allows you to edit project
details, and add a new project to the database. When you click the Add Project button
or an edit icon on the Projects page this detail page is shown. All fields are empty and
the Audit Information is not included when adding a new project. Components
included on this page are described as follows:
■ Cancel: Returns you to the Project page without submitting any unapplied
changes.
■ Delete: Removes the project from the database after getting an OK response from
a delete confirmation message. This button is displayed when a project is being
edited and is not displayed when adding a project.
■ Apply Changes: Commits any project changes to the database. This button is
displayed when a project is being edited and is not displayed when adding a
project.

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■ Create: Adds the project to the database. This button is displayed when a project is
being added and is not displayed when editing a project.
■ Project Details: This region allows you to enter project details.
■ Audit Information: When this region is expanded, the project audit information is
displayed. Audit information cannot be edited. Audit information is automatically
updated for this project when the project is created or modified. This region is
only included when a project is being edited.

Create a Tab Set for this Application

A default tab set, TS1, was created when the application was created. Next you will
change the name of this Tab set to be used when creating each new page.
To rename a Tab Set:
1. Click the Application home breadcrumb.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Navigation, select Tabs.
4. Click Rename Standard Tab Set link on right panel.
5. Click TS1.
6. For New Tab Set Name, enter Issue Tracker and click Next.
7. To confirm, click Rename Tab Set.
The Issue Tracker tab set is now ready to have tabs added to it as each new page is
added by the Create Page Wizard.

Create Pages for Maintaining Projects

To create pages for maintaining the IT_PROJECTS table:
1. On the Application home page, click Create Page.
2. Select Form and click Next.
3. Select Form on a Table with Report and click Next.
4. For Table/View Owner, select the appropriate schema and click Next.
5. For Table/View Name, select IT_PROJECTS and click Next.
6. For Define Report Page:
a. Implementation - Select Interactive.
b. Page Number - Enter 2
c. Page Name - Enter Projects.
d. Region Title - Enter Projects
e. Region Template - Select No Template.
f. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
Create Breadcrumb Entry section appears.
g. Entry Name - Enter Projects.
h. Select Parent Entry - Select Home link.
i. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.

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7. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and create a new tab within the
existing tab set.
The New Tab Label field appears.
8. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker(Home).
9. For New Tab Label, enter Projects and click Next.
10. For Select Column(s), select PROJECT_ID, PROJECT_NAME, START_DATE,
TARGET_END_DATE, ACTUAL_END_DATE, and click Next.
Note that Project Name is unique and identifies the project. The ID was added to
simplify the foreign key and enable cascading updates.
11. For Edit Link Image, select the first option, and click Next.

12. For Define Form Page under Create Form Page:

a. Page - Enter 3.
b. Page Name - Enter Project Details.
c. Region Title - Enter Project Details.
d. Region Template - Select Form Region.
13. For Define Form Page under Create Breadcrumb Entry:

a. Entry Name - Enter Project Details.

b. Click Next.
14. For Primary Key, accept the default, PROJECT_ID and click Next.

15. For Define the source for the primary key columns, accept the default, Existing
Trigger, and click Next.
16. For Select Column(s), select PROJECT_NAME, START_DATE, TARGET_END_
DATE, ACTUAL_END_DATE, and click Next.
17. Under Identify Process Options, accept the defaults for Insert, Update and Delete,
and click Next.
18. Review your selections and click Finish.

Refine the Appearance of the Projects Report Page

The fields on the Projects page need to be edited and the name of the Create button
needs to be changed to Add Project.

Hide PROJECT_ID Column and Add an Error Message To edit fields:

1. Click Application on the Developer toolbar.
2. On the Application home page, click 2 - Projects.
3. Under Regions, click Interactive Report next to Projects.
4. For PROJECT_ID, select Hidden for Display Text As.
5. Scroll down to Pagination, for When no Data Found Message, enter No
projects found.
6. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.

Change Create Button to Add Project > Button To modify button:

1. On edit page for Page 2, under Buttons select the Create button.

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2. Change Text Label/Alt from Create to Add Project >, select Apply Changes.
3. Click the Run Page icon.
As shown in Figure 15–9, the newly created report displays the demo data.

Figure 15–9 Refined Projects Page

Refine the Project Details Page

Next, you need to customize the Project Details page to make the Project Name field
larger and the date fields smaller. You also need to add an Audit Information region
that only displays when a project is being edited and add a validation that checks if
the target and actual end dates are after the start date.

Edit Fields To make the Project Name field larger and the date fields smaller:
1. Go to the Page Definition for Page 3, Project Details:
a. From the Developer toolbar, click Application.
b. Click 3 - Project Details.
2. Under Items, click the Edit All icon.
The Edit All icon resembles a small grid with a pencil on top of it.
3. Scroll to the right and locate the Width column:
a. For Project Name, enter 60.
b. For Start Date, enter 12.
c. For Target End Date, enter 12.
d. For Actual End Date, enter 12.
e. Click Apply Changes.
4. Return to the Page Definition. Click the Edit Page icon in the upper right corner.
The Edit Page icon resembles a small green piece of paper and pencil.

Add an Audit Report Region to Display Only When there is Something to Display To add an
Audit Report region at the bottom of the Project Details page:
1. On edit page for Page 3, under Regions, select Create button.
2. Select Report, and click Next.
3. Select SQL Report, and click Next.

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4. For Title, enter Audit Information.

5. For Region Template, select Hide and Show Region, and click Next.
6. For Enter SQL Query or PL/SQL function returning SQL Query, enter:
SELECT
CREATED_ON, CREATED_BY, MODIFIED_ON, MODIFIED_BY
FROM #OWNER#.IT_PROJECTS
WHERE PROJECT_ID = :P3_PROJECT_ID

7. Click Create Region.

8. On edit page for Page 3 under Regions, click on Audit Information.
9. Scroll down to Conditional Display and select Value of Item in Expression 1 is
NOT NULL.
10. For Expression 1, enter P3_PROJECT_ID.

11. Click on Report Attributes tab at the top.

12. Under Layout and Pagination, make these changes:

a. Report Template - Select default: vertical report, look 1 (include null

columns)
b. Pagination Scheme - Select - No Pagination Selected -
c. Enable partial Page Refresh - Select No
13. Accept all other defaults and click Apply Changes.

Create a Validation The Form on a Table with Report Wizard created not null
validations for Name, Start Date, and End Date. You must manually create another
validation to ensure that the Actual End Date is the same or later then the Start Date.
To add a validation for the Actual End Date:
1. Under Page Processing, Validations, click the Create icon.
2. For Level, accept the default, Item level validation, and click Next.
3. For Item, select Project Details: 50.P3_ACTUAL_END_DATE (Actual End Date)
and click Next.
4. For Validation Method:
a. Select PL/SQL and click Next.
b. Accept the default, PL/SQL Expression and click Next.
5. For Sequence and Name:
a. Sequence - Enter 50.
b. Validation Name - Enter P3_END_AFTER_START.
c. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
6. For Validation:
a. Validation - Enter:
to_date(:P3_ACTUAL_END_DATE,:APP_DATE_FORMAT) >= to_date
(:P3_START_DATE,:APP_DATE_FORMAT)

b. Error Message - Enter:

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Actual End Date must be same or after Start Date.

c. Click Next.
7. For Conditions:
a. Condition Type - Select Value of Item in Expression 1 is NOT NULL
b. Expression 1 - Enter P3_ACTUAL_END_DATE
8. Click Create.

Run Project Page and Project Details Page

To view the new Project page and Project Details page, click the Run Page icon in the
upper right of the page.
1. Click the Application home breadcrumb.
2. Click the Run Application icon. The Issue Tracker home page appears along with
a list of image links, as shown in Figure 15–10.

Figure 15–10 Issue Tracker Home Page

3. Click the Projects link under the second image. The Project page should look
similar to Figure 15–11.

Figure 15–11 Projects Page

4. Click the edit icon next to the Email Integration project and click the + sign next to
Audit Information to show details. The displayed Project Details page should look
like Figure 15–12.

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Figure 15–12 Project Details for Email Integration Project

Note: In Figure 15–12, "Project Details for Email Integration Project",

the Audit region is shown because the Project Name field is not
empty. The Audit Information region has been expanded.

Add Pages to Track Users

Once the initial projects pages are complete, you create pages for maintaining users.
To accomplish this, you use the Form on a Table with Report Wizard. This wizard
creates a report page and a form page for the IT_PEOPLE table.
Topics in this section include:
■ Overview of User Pages
■ Create Pages for Maintaining Users
■ Modify Appearance of the Users Page
■ Refine the Appearance of the User Information Page
■ Run Users Page and User Information Page

Note: If you are already familiar with this application, skip

Overview of User Pages and proceed to "Create Pages for Maintaining
Users" on page 15-19.

Overview of User Pages

After completing this section, you will have a Users page and a Users Information
page as shown in Figure 15–13, "Users Page" and Figure 15–14, "User Information Page
for George Hurst".
You will be able to navigate to the User page by clicking the User link on the Home
page. From the User page, you display the User Information page by clicking the Edit
icon or the Add User button on the User page.

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Figure 15–13 Users Page

Figure 15–14 User Information Page for George Hurst

Users Page (4 - Users) This page is a report of all users with access to the application.
Components included on this page are described as follows:
■ Person Name: The name of the user.
■ Person Email: The users email address.
■ Person Role: The role of this person. In later sections, each role is given a different
level of access to the application.
■ Username: The person’s username to access this application.
■ Assigned Project: The project assigned to this person.

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■ Search region: A filtered report can be obtained by selecting search criteria and
clicking the Go button.
■ Edit icon: To edit user information, click on the edit icon to the left of the person’s
name. The user Information page is displayed showing the selected user’s
information.
■ Add User button: A new user can be provisioned for this application by clicking
this button. An empty User Information page is displayed for you to enter specific
user details.

User Information Page (5 - User Information) This is a form that allows you to edit existing
user information, and add a new user. When you click the Add user button or an edit
icon on the Users page this information page is shown. Components included on this
page are described as follows:
■ Cancel: Returns you to the Users page without submitting any unapplied changes.
■ Delete: Removes the user from the database after getting an OK response from a
delete confirmation message. This button is displayed when a user is being edited
and is not displayed when adding a user.
■ Apply Changes: Commits any user changes to the database. This button is
displayed when a user is being edited and is not displayed when adding a user.
■ Create: Adds the user to the database. This button is displayed when a user is
being added and is not displayed when editing a user.
■ User Information: This region allows you to enter user details.
■ Audit Report: When this region is expanded, the user audit information is
displayed. Audit information cannot be edited. It is automatically updated for this
user when the user is added or user information is edited.

Create Pages for Maintaining Users

To create pages for maintaining the IT_PEOPLE table:
1. Click Application breadcrumb.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Form and click Next.
4. Select Form on a Table with Report and click Next.
5. For Table/View Owner, select the appropriate schema and click Next.
6. For Table/View Name, select IT_PEOPLE and click Next.
7. For Define Report Page:
a. Implementation - Select Interactive.
b. Page Number - Enter 4
c. Page Name - Enter Users.
d. Region Title - Enter Users.
e. Region Template - Select No Template.
f. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
Create Breadcrumb Entry section appears.
g. Entry Name - Users.

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h. Parent Entry - Select Home link.

i. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
8. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and create a new tab within the
existing tab set.
9. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker.
10. For New Tab Label, enter Users and click Next.

11. For Select Column(s), select PERSON_ID, PERSON_NAME, PERSON_EMAIL,

PERSON_ROLE, USERNAME, ASSIGNED_PROJECT, and click Next.
12. For Edit Link Image, select the first option, and click Next.

13. For Define Form Page under Create Form Page:

a. Page - Enter 5.
b. Page Name and Region Title - Enter User Information.
c. Entry Name - Enter User Information.
14. For Define Form Page under Create Breadcrumb Entry:

a. Entry Name - Enter User Information.

b. Click Next.
15. For Primary Key, accept the default, PERSON_ID and click Next.

16. For Define the source for the primary key columns, accept the default, Existing
Trigger, and click Next.
17. For Select Column(s), select PERSON_NAME, PERSON_EMAIL, PERSON_
ROLE, USERNAME, ASSIGNED_PROJECT, and click Next.
18. For Insert, Update and Delete, accept the defaults and click Next.

19. Review your selections and click Finish.

Run the Page To preview your page, click Run Page. As shown in Figure 15–15, notice
the newly created report displays the demo data.

Figure 15–15 Users Page

To preview the page for adding or editing users, click the Edit icon in the far left
column. The User Information page is displayed as shown in Figure 15–16, "User
Information Page".

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Figure 15–16 User Information Page

Modify Appearance of the Users Page

Next, you alter the Users Information by following these steps.
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 4, Users:
a. Click Application on the Developer toolbar.
b. On the Application home page, click 4 - Users.
2. Under Regions, click Interactive Report next to Users.
3. For PERSON_ID, select Hidden for Display Text As.
4. At the top of the page, click Apply Changes.

Modify Name of Create Button To change Create button to Add User> button:
1. On edit page for Page 4, under Buttons, select Create button.
2. Change Text Label/Alt from Create to Add User >, select Apply Changes.
3. Click the Run Page icon.
To reorder columns on the Users page:
4. On the running Users page, click the Action icon as shown in Figure 15–17.

Figure 15–17 Action Icon

5. Select Select Columns.

6. Use the up and down arrows to the side of the Display in Report box to order
columns how ever you wish.
7. Click Apply. The Users page appears with columns reordered according to your
changes.

Change the Query to Include Project Name from IT_PROJECTS To change the query to
include a join to the Projects table:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 4 - Users:

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a. If you are viewing a running form, click Application on the Developer

toolbar.
b. On the Application home page, click 4 - Users.
2. Under Regions, click Users.
3. Scroll down to Source.
4. In Region Source, replace the existing query with the following:
SELECT "IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_ID" as "PERSON_ID",
"IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_NAME" as "PERSON_NAME",
"IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_EMAIL" as "PERSON_EMAIL",
"IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_ROLE" as "PERSON_ROLE",
"IT_PEOPLE"."USERNAME" as "USERNAME",
"IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_NAME" as "ASSIGNED_PROJECT"
FROM "#OWNER#"."IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE",
"#OWNER#"."IT_PROJECTS" "IT_PROJECTS"
WHERE "IT_PEOPLE"."ASSIGNED_PROJECT"="IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_ID" (+)

Note that the outer join is necessary because the project assignment is optional.
5. Click Apply Changes.
6. For Confirm Interactive Report Region Change, click Apply Changes.

Run the Page To view your changes, click the Run Page icon in the upper right of the
page. As shown in Figure 15–18, you may need to run the application as a developer to
show and reorder some of the columns to look like the figure.

Figure 15–18 Revised Users Page

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Refine the Appearance of the User Information Page

Next, you customize the User Information page by adding lists of values to make it
easier for users to select a Role or Assigned Project.

Add a List of Values for Projects To add a list of values for Projects:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 5, User Information:
a. If you are viewing a form, click Application on the Developer toolbar.
b. On the Application home page, click 5 - User Information.
2. Under Shared Components, locate the Lists of Values section and click the Create
icon.
3. For Source, accept the default, From Scratch, and click Next.
4. For Name and Type:
a. Name - Enter PROJECTS.
b. Type - Select Dynamic.
c. Click Next.
5. In Query, replace the existing statements with the following:
SELECT project_name d, project_id r
FROM it_projects
ORDER BY d

6. Click Create List of Values.

Add a List of Values for Roles To add a list of values for Roles:
1. Under Shared Components, locate the Lists of Values section and click the Create
icon.
2. For Source, accept the default, From Scratch, and click Next.
3. For Name and Type:
a. Name - Enter ROLES.
b. Type - Select Static
c. Click Next.
4. Enter the display value and return value pairs shown in Table 15–2:

Table 15–2 Display Value and Return Value pairs

Display Value Return Value
CEO CEO
Manager Manager
Lead Lead
Member Member

5. Click Create List of Values.

Edit Display Attributes

To edit display attributes for P5_PERSON_ROLE:

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1. Click Edit Page icon for page 5.

2. Under Items, click P5_PERSON_ROLE.
3. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Radiogroup.
4. Scroll down to Label.
5. Change Label to Role.
6. Under Element, enter the following in Form Element Option Attributes:
class="instructiontext"

This specifies that the text associated with each radio group option is the same size
as other items on the page.
7. Scroll down to List of Values.
8. From the Named LOV list, select ROLES.
9. Click Apply Changes.
To edit display attributes for P5_ASSIGNED_PROJECT:
1. Under Items, click P5_ASSIGNED_PROJECT.
2. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Select List.
3. Scroll down to List of Values.
4. Under List of Values:
a. From the Named LOV list, select PROJECTS.
b. For Display Null, select Yes.
c. For Null display value, enter:
- None -

5. Click Apply Changes.

To alter the display of fields and field labels:
1. Under Items, click the Edit All icon.
2. For P5_PERSON_NAME:
a. Prompt - Enter Name.
b. Width - Enter 60.
3. For P5_PERSON_EMAIL:
a. Prompt - Enter Email Address.
b. For Width, enter 60.
4. For P5_USERNAME:
a. Sequence - Enter 35.
b. Width - Enter 60.
5. For P5_PERSON_ROLE:
a. Width - Enter 7.
6. For P5_ASSIGNED_PROJECT, enter 50 for Sequence.
7. Click Apply Changes.

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8. Click the Edit Page icon in the upper right corner to return to the Page Definition
for Page 5.

Add Audit Report To add an Audit Report region at the bottom of the User Information:
1. On edit page for Page 5, under Regions, select Create icon.
2. Select Report and click Next.
3. Select SQL Report and click Next.
4. For Create Region, make these changes:
■ Title - Enter Audit Report.
■ Region Template - Select Hide and Show Region.
■ Click Next.
5. For Enter SQL Query or PL/SQL function returning SQL Query, enter:
SELECT CREATED_ON, CREATED_BY,
MODIFIED_ON, MODIFIED_BY
FROM IT_PEOPLE
WHERE PERSON_ID = :P5_PERSON_ID

6. Click Create Region.

7. Under Regions, click Report next to Audit Report.
8. Under Layout and Pagination, make these changes:
■ Report Template - Select default: vertical report, look 1 (include null
columns).
■ Pagination Scheme - Select - No Pagination Selected -
■ Enable Partial Page Refresh - Select No.
■ Number of Rows - Enter 15.
■ Maximum Row Count - Enter 500.
9. Click Apply Changes.

Create a Validation The Form on a Table with Report Wizard created not null
validations for Name, Email, Role and Username. You must manually create another
validation to ensure that Leads and Members have an assigned project while the CEO
and Managers do not. As a best practice, it is generally best to use built-in validation
types because they are faster. However, for this compound type of validation, you will
write a PL/SQL validation.
To add validations to ensure the correct people are assigned projects:
1. Under Page Processing, Validations, click the Create icon.
2. For Level, accept the default, Item level validation, and click Next.
3. For Item, select User Information: 50. P5_ASSIGNED_PROJECT (Assigned
Project) and click Next.
4. For Validation Method:
a. Select PL/SQL and click Next.
b. Accept the default, PL/SQL Expression and click Next.
5. For Sequence and Name:

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a. Sequence - Enter 60.

b. Validation Name - Enter PROJECT_MAND_FOR_LEADER_AND_MEMBER.
c. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
6. For Validation:
a. Validation - Enter:
(:P5_PERSON_ROLE IN ('CEO','Manager') AND
:P5_ASSIGNED_PROJECT = '%'||'null%') OR
(:P5_PERSON_ROLE IN ('Lead','Member') AND
:P5_ASSIGNED_PROJECT != '%'||'null%')

Oracle Application Express passes nulls as %null%. It also replaces %null%

with a null when it processes data. Therefore, to keep it in the validation, you
need to break the string apart so that it is not recognized and replaced.
b. Error Message - Enter:
Leads and Members must have an Assigned Project. CEO and Managers cannot
have an Assigned Project.

c. Click Next.
7. Click Create.

Run Users Page and User Information Page

To view the new Users page and User Information page, click the Run Page icon in the
upper right of the page.
1. Click on the application home breadcrumb. You should see the pages created so
far in this tutorial, including the Users and User Information pages.
2. Click on the Run Application icon. The Home page contains a list of image links
as shown in Figure 15–19.

Figure 15–19

3. Click the Users link to the far right. The Users page will be displayed and will look
similar to Figure 15–20, "Users Page".

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Figure 15–20 Users Page

4. Click the Edit icon to the left of Carla Downing. You will see the User page
displayed similar to the one in Figure 15–21.

Figure 15–21 User Information for Carla Downing

Now test the validation process that ensures users with a Lead or Member role
have an assigned project.
5. For Assigned Project, select - None -, and click Apply Changes. The User
Information page is displayed with an error message.
Next, add a new user to the Issue Tracker Application.
6. Click the Users breadcrumb to go back to Users page.

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7. Click the Add User> button. As shown in Figure 15–22, "Add User Page", an
empty User Information form is displayed.

Figure 15–22 Add User Page

8. Enter the new user’s Name, Email Address, Username and select a Role. Do not
assign a project unless the role is Lead or Member.

Note: The validation process will make sure a CEO or Manager does
not have a project assigned, and will ensure that a Lead or Member
does have a project assigned. To test the validation process, violate
one of these conditions and click Create. An error message will
appear.

9. Click Create. The Users page is displayed with the newly added user listed.

Add Pages to Track Issues

Now you need to create pages to retrieve issue information from IT_ISSUES.
Topics in this section include:
■ Overview of Issues Pages
■ Create a Report for Issues
■ Refine the Issue Details
■ Refine the Issues Report
■ Run Issues Page and Issue Details Page

Note: If you are already familiar with this application, skip

Overview of Issues Pages and proceed to "Create a Report for Issues"
on page 15-31.

Overview of Issues Pages

This application needs multiple views on Issues. You can create these views as single
reports or as separate reports. For this exercise, you create a complex report that

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includes an Issues maintenance form. You then link this maintenance form in multiple
places. Ultimately, the Issues report will display Issues by the person who identified
the issue, project, assigned person, status, or priority.
Upon completion of this section, the application will have an Issues page, and Issues
Details page as shown in Figure 15–23, "Issues Page" and Figure 15–24, "Issue Details".

Figure 15–23 Issues Page

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Figure 15–24 Issue Details

Issues Page (6 - Issues) This page reports issues that have been entered into the system
along with general issue information. Components included on this page are
described as follows:
■ Issue Summary: Short description of the issue.
■ Identified Date: The date the issue occurred.
■ Status: The issue status which can be open, closed or on-hold.
■ Priority: The issue priority which can be high, medium or low.
■ Target Resolution Date: The date this issue should be closed.
■ Progress: A brief description of progress made for this issue.
■ Actual Resolution Date: The date the issue was closed.
■ Identified By: The person who encountered the issue.
■ Project Name: The project this issue falls under. The project is a list of values
already specified in the system.
■ Assigned To: The person assigned to resolve this issue. The person must be a user
already entered into the system.

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■ Search region: A filtered report can be obtained by selecting search criteria and
clicking the Go button.
■ Edit icon: To edit user information, click on the edit icon to the left of the person’s
name. The user Information page is displayed showing the selected user’s
information.
■ Add Issue button: A new issue can be added by clicking this button. An empty
Issue Details page appears for you to enter specific issue details.

Issue Details Page (7 - Issue Details) This form allows you to edit existing issue
information, and add a new issue. When you click the Add Issue button or an edit icon
on the Issues page this details page is shown. Components included on this page are
described as follows:
■ Cancel: Returns you to the Issues page without submitting any unapplied
changes.
■ Delete: Removes the issues from the database after getting an OK response from a
delete confirmation message. This button is displayed when an issue is being
edited and is not displayed when adding an issue.
■ Apply Changes: Commits any issue changes to the database. This button is
displayed when an issue is being edited and is not displayed when adding an
issue.
■ Create: Adds the issue to the database. This button is not displayed when an issue
is being edited and is displayed when adding an issue.
■ Issue Details: This region allows you to enter specific issue information.
■ Audit Report: When this region is expanded, the issue audit information is
displayed. Audit information cannot be edited. It is automatically updated for this
issue when the issue is added or issue details are edited.

Create a Report for Issues

To create a report for maintaining IT_ISSUES:
1. Click Application on the Developer toolbar.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Form and click Next.
4. Select Form on a Table with Report and click Next.
5. For Table/View Owner, select the appropriate schema and click Next.
6. For Table/View Name, select IT_ISSUES and click Next.
7. On Define Report Page:
a. Implementation - Interactive.
b. Page Number - Enter 6.
c. Page Name - Enter Issues.
d. Region Title - Enter Issue.
e. Region Template - Select No Template.
f. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
Create Breadcrumb Entry section appears.

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g. Entry Name - Issues.

h. Select Parent Entry - Select Home link.
i. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
8. For Define Report Page tab settings, make these changes:
a. Tab Options - Select Use an existing tab set and create a new tab within the
existing tab set.
b. Tab Set - Select Issue Tracker.
c. New Tab Label - Enter Issues.
d. Click Next.
9. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker and click Next.
10. For New Tab Label, enter Issues and click Next.

11. For Select Column(s), press CTRL and select these columns:
■ ISSUE_ID
■ ISSUE_SUMMARY
■ IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID
■ IDENTIFIED_DATE
■ RELATED_PROJECT_ID
■ ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID
■ STATUS
■ PRIORITY
■ TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE
■ PROGRESS
■ ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE
12. Click Next.
13. For Edit Link Image, select the first option and click Next.

14. On Define Form Page:

a. Page Number - Enter 7.

b. Page Name - Enter Issue Details.
c. Region Title - Enter Issue Details.
d. Region Template - Select Form Region.
e. Under Create Breadcrumb entry for Entry Name - Enter Issue Details.
f. Click Next.
15. For Primary Key, accept the default, ISSUE_ID, and click Next.
16. For Define the source for the primary key columns, accept the default, Existing
Trigger, and click Next.
17. For Select Column(s), select all columns except for CREATED_ON, CREATED_
BY, MODIFIED_ON, and MODIFIED_BY and click Next.

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The CREATED_ON, CREATED_BY, MODIFIED_ON, and MODIFIED_BY

columns are added to page 7, Issue Details, in subsequent steps when the Audit
region is created.
18. For Insert, Update and Delete, accept the default value, Yes, and click Next.

19. Review your selections and click Finish.

20. Click Edit Page.

Refine the Issue Details

The appearance of this page needs to be modified to look like Figure 15–24, "Issue
Details". You need to modify how the columns and fields are displayed, reorganize the
page into regions of similar information and add a button to create new issues
sequentially.
■ Add Lists of Values
■ Edit Specific Items
■ Create Regions to Group Items
■ Move Items to the Appropriate Regions
■ Change the Display of Audit Columns
■ Return the User to the Calling Page
■ Add Functionality to Support Adding Multiple Issues Sequentially
■ Run the Page

Add Lists of Values Next, you need to add lists of values for Status, Priorities, and
People. To add a list of values for Status:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 7, Issue Details.
2. Under Shared Components, Lists of Values, click the Create icon.
3. For Create List of Values, accept the default, From Scratch, and click Next.
4. On Create List of Values, make these changes:
■ Name - Enter STATUS.
■ For Type, select Static.
■ Click Next.
5. Enter the Display Value and Return Value pairs shown in Table 15–3:

Table 15–3 Display Value and Return Value Pairs

Display Value Return Value
Open Open
On-Hold On-Hold
Closed Closed

6. Click Create List of Values.

To add a list of values for Priorities:
1. On the Lists of Values page, click Create.
2. For Create List of Values, accept the default, From Scratch, and click Next.

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3. On Create List of Values, make these changes:

a. Name - Enter PRIORITIES.
b. Type - Select Static.
c. Click Next.
4. Enter the Display Value and Return Value pairs shown in Table 15–4.

Table 15–4 Display Value and Return Value Pairs

Display Value Return Value
High High
Medium Medium
Low Low

5. Click Create List of Values.

To add a list of values for People:
1. On the Lists of Values page, click Create.
2. For Create List of Values, accept the default, From Scratch, and click Next.
3. On Create List of Values, make these changes:
a. Name - Enter PEOPLE.
b. Type - Select Dynamic.
c. Click Next.
4. In Query, replace the existing statements with the following:
SELECT person_name d, person_id r
FROM it_people
ORDER BY 1

5. Click Create List of Values.

6. Go to the Page Definition for page 7.

Edit Specific Items Next, you edit individual items. To edit P7_IDENTIFIED_BY_
PERSON_ID:
1. Under Items on the Page Definition for Page 7, click P7_IDENTIFIED_BY_
PERSON_ID.
2. For Name, enter P7_IDENTIFIED_BY.
3. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Select List.
4. Under Label and for Label, enter Identified By.
5. Under List of Values, make these changes:
a. Named LOV - Select PEOPLE.
b. Display Null - Select Yes. The base column is mandatory, but you do not want
the first name in the list becoming the default value.
c. Null display value - Enter:
- Select Person -

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6. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to the next item, P7_
IDENTIFIED_DATE.
The Edit Page Item page appears.
To edit P7_IDENTIFIED_DATE:
1. Scroll down to Default:
a. Default value - Enter:
to_char(sysdate,:APP_DATE_FORMAT);

b. Default Value Type - Select PL/SQL Expression.

2. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to the next item, P7_
RELATED_PROJECT_ID.
The Edit Page Item page appears.
To edit P7_RELATED_PROJECT_ID:
1. For Name, enter P7_RELATED_PROJECT.
2. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Select List.
3. For Label, enter Related Project.
4. Scroll down to List of Values. For List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select PROJECTS.
b. Display Null- Select Yes.
c. Null display value - Enter:
- Select Project -

5. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page until you go to P7_ASSIGNED_
TO_PERSON_ID.
To edit P7_ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID:
1. For Name, enter P7_ASSIGNED_TO.
2. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Select List.
3. For Label, enter Assigned To.
4. Scroll down to List of Values. For List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select PEOPLE.
b. Display Null- Select Yes.
c. Null display value - Enter:
- Select -

5. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page until you go to P7_STATUS.
To edit P7_STATUS:
1. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Radiogroup.
2. Under Label, enter the following in the Label field:
Status:

3. Under Element, enter the following in the Form Element Option Attributes field:

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class="instructiontext"

4. Under Default, enter Open in Default value.

5. Under List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select STATUS.
b. Number of Columns - Enter 3.
This selection reflects the fact there are three valid values.
6. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to P7_PRIORITY.
To edit P7_PRIORITY:
1. From the Display As list in the Name section, select Radiogroup.
2. Under Label, enter the following in the Label field:
Priority:

3. Under Element, enter the following in the Form Element Option Attributes field:
class="instructiontext"

4. Under Default, enter Low in Default value.

5. Under List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select PRIORITIES.
b. Number of Columns - Enter 3.
This selection reflects the fact there are three valid values.
6. Click Apply Changes.

Modify Validations to Match Item Name Changes To edit validations:

1. On the edit page for page 7, under Validations, select P7_IDENTIFIED_BY_
PERSON_ID not null.
2. For Name, enter P7_IDENTIFIED_BY not null.
3. For Validation Expression 1, enter P7_IDENTIFIED_BY.
4. Scroll down to Error Message.
5. For Error Message, enter:
Identified By must have some value.

6. Click Next icon (>) at the top of the page until edit page for P7_RELATED_
PROJECT_ID not null is displayed.
7. For Name, enter P7_RELATED_PROJECT not null.
8. For Validation Expression 1, enter P7_RELATED_PROJECT.
9. Scroll down to Error Message.
10. For Error Message, enter:
Related Project must have some value.

11. Click Apply Changes.

12. Click Run icon for page 7. The Issue Details page is displayed and should look
similar to Figure 15–25.

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Figure 15–25 Issue Details before Grouping Items

Create Regions to Group Items Currently all items are grouped into one large region.
Displaying items in logical groups makes data entry easier for users. Therefore, you
next create four new regions named Buttons, Progress, Resolution, and Audit
Information. You also rename an existing region.
To create new regions to group items:
1. Click the Edit Page 7 link at the bottom of the page.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. Select Multiple HTML and click Next.
4. For the first row:
a. For Sequence, enter 15.
b. For Title, enter Progress.
c. For Template, select Form Region.
5. For the second row:
a. For Sequence, enter 20.
b. For Title, enter Resolution.
c. For Template, select Form Region.
6. Click Create Region(s).
7. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
8. Select Report and click Next.
9. Select SQL Report and click Next.

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10. For Title, enter Audit Information:

a. For Title, enter Audit Information.
b. For Region Template, select Hide and Show Region.
c. For Sequence, enter 40.
d. Click Next.
11. For Enter SQL Query or PL/SQL function returning a SQL Query, enter:
select "IT_ISSUES"."CREATED_ON" as "CREATED_ON",
"IT_ISSUES"."CREATED_BY" as "CREATED_BY",
"IT_ISSUES"."MODIFIED_ON" as "MODIFIED_ON",
"IT_ISSUES"."MODIFIED_BY" as "MODIFIED_BY"
from "IT_ISSUES" "IT_ISSUES"
where ISSUE_ID = :P7_ISSUE_ID

12. Click Create Region.

13. Click Report next Audit Information region.

14. Under Layout and Pagination, make these changes:

a. Report Template - Select default: vertical report, look 1 (include null

columns).
b. Pagination Scheme - Select - No Pagination Selected -
c. Enable Partial Page Refresh - Select No.
d. Number of Rows - Enter 15.
e. Maximum Row Count - Enter 500.
f. Click Apply Changes.

Move Items to the Appropriate Regions Next, move each item to the appropriate region.
Note that you also need to modify some item widths.
To move items to the appropriate regions:
1. Under Items, click the Edit All icon.
The Page Items summary page appears.
2. Under Region, select Progress for the following items:
■ P7_ASSIGNED_TO
■ P7_STATUS
■ P7_PRIORITY
■ P7_TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE
■ P7_PROGRESS
3. Under Region, select Resolution for the following items:
■ P7_ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE
■ P7_RESOLUTION_SUMMARY
4. Under Width, make the following edits:
■ For P7_ISSUE_SUMMARY, enter 80.
■ For P7_ISSUE_DESCRIPTION, enter 80.

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■ For P7_IDENTIFIED_DATE, enter 12.

■ For P7_TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE, enter 12.
■ For P7_PROGRESS, enter 80.
■ For P7_ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE, enter 12.
■ For P7_RESOLUTION_SUMMARY, enter 80.
5. Under Sequence, make the following edits:
■ For P7_ISSUE_ID, enter 168.
■ For P7_ISSUE_SUMMARY, enter 169.
■ For P7_ISSUE_DESCRIPTION, enter 170.
■ For P7_IDENTIFIED_BY, enter 173.
■ For P7_IDENTIFIED_DATE, enter 174.
■ For P7_RELATED_PROJECT, enter 172.
■ For P7_ASSIGNED_TO, enter 159.
■ For P7_STATUS, enter 160.
■ For P7_PRIORITY, enter 161.
■ For P7_TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE, enter 162.
■ For P7_PROGRESS, enter 164.
■ For P7_ACTUAL_RESOLTUTION_DATE, enter 165.
■ For P7_RESOLUTION_SUMMARY, enter 167.
6. Click Apply Changes.
7. Click Run icon for page 7. The Issue Details page is displayed and should look
similar to Figure 15–26.

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Figure 15–26 Issue Details after Grouping Items

Change the Display of Issues Details, Progress and Resolution Regions To modify how these
columns display:
1. Click the Edit Page 7 link at the bottom of the page.
2. Under Items, click P7_ISSUE_SUMMARY.
3. For Display As, select Textarea.
4. Under Label, for Horizontal/Vertical Alignment, select Above.
5. Under Element, make these changes:
a. Maximum Width - Enter 200
b. Height - Enter 2.
6. Select Next icon at top of page to display P7_ISSUE_DESCRIPTION edit page
item.
7. Under Label, for Horizontal/Vertical Alignment, select Above.
8. Under Element, make these changes:
a. Maximum Width - Enter 2000.
b. Height - Enter 4.
9. Click Apply Changes.
10. Under Items, click P7_PROGRESS.

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11. Under Label, for Horizontal/Vertical Alignment, select Above.

12. Under Element, enter 2000 for Maximum Width.

13. Click Apply Changes.

14. Under items, click P7_RESOLUTION_SUMMARY.

15. Under Label, for Horizontal/Vertical Alignment, select Above.

16. Under Element, enter 2000 for Maximum Width.

17. Click Apply Changes.

18. Click Run Page 7 icon at top of page. The Issue Details page shows the Issue
Summary, Issue Description and Progress labels above the text area as shown in
Figure 15–27.

Figure 15–27 Issue Details with Labels Above Text Areas

Now, add a Stop and Start HTML Table item to each region. This will realign all
items in the region to be left justified.
19. Click the Edit Page 7 link from the developer toolbar.

20. Under Items, click the Create icon

21. Select Stop and start table and click Next.

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22. To realign Related Project, Identified By and Identified Date make these changes
for Display and Position Name:
a. Item_Name - Enter P7_3_0.
b. Sequence - Enter 171.
c. Region - Select Issues Identification (1) 10.
d. Click Create Item.
23. Under Items, click the Create icon.

24. Select Stop and start table and click Next.

25. To realign Assigned To, Status, Priority, and Target Resolution Date make these
changes for Display and Position Name:
a. Item_Name - Enter P7_4_0.
b. Sequence - Enter 163.
c. Region - Select Progress (1) 15.
d. Click Create Item.
26. Under Items, click the Create icon.

27. Select Stop and start table and click Next.

28. To realign Actual Resolution Date make these changes for Display and Position
Name:
a. Item_Name - Enter P7_1_0.
b. Sequence - Enter 166.
c. Region - Select Resolution (1) 20.
d. Click Create Item.
29. Click Run Page 7 icon. the Issues Details page now has all the items aligned
properly as shown in

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Figure 15–28 Issue Details After Realignment

Change the Display of Audit Columns Because the Audit columns should be viewable but
not editable, you need to make them display only. In the following exercise, you create
a condition for the Audit Information region. As a result, the Audit Information region
displays when a user edits an existing issue, but does not appear when a user creates a
new issue.
To create a condition for the Audit Information region.
1. Click Edit Page 7 link at bottom of page.
2. Under Regions, click Audit Information.
3. Scroll down to Conditional Display.
4. From Condition Type, select Value of Item in Expression 1 is NOT NULL.
5. In Expression 1, enter the following:
P7_ISSUE_ID

6. Click Apply Changes

Return the User to the Calling Page Because this Issue Details page will be called from
several places, when users finish with the display, they should return to the calling

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page. To accomplish this, you create an item and change the branch on the Issue
Details page. Every time the Issue Details page is called, the item must be set with the
number of the calling page.
To create a hidden item:
1. Under Items, click the Create icon.
2. For Select Item Type, select Hidden and click Next.
3. For Hidden Item Type, select Hidden and click Next.
4. For Display Position and Name:
a. Item Name - Enter:
P7_PREV_PAGE

b. Sequence - Enter 175.

c. Region - Select Issue Details
d. Click Next.
5. For Default, enter 1.
6. Click Create Item.
The Page Definition for page 7 appears.
Next, edit the Cancel button to return to the page number stored in P7_PREV_PAGE.
To edit the Cancel button:
1. Under Buttons, click Cancel.
2. Scroll down to Optional URL Redirect.
3. In Page, enter:
&P7_PREV_PAGE.

Note the period at the end.

4. Select reset pagination for this page.
5. Click Apply Changes.
To edit the branch:
1. Under Branches, select the After Processing branch, Go to Page 6 Unconditional.
2. Under Action, make these changes:
a. Select reset pagination for this page
b. Deselect include process success message
c. For Clear Cache - Enter 7
d. For Set these items - Enter P7_PREV_PAGE
3. Click Apply Changes.

Add Functionality to Support Adding Multiple Issues Sequentially Next, you add functionality
that enables users to add more than one issue at a time. To accomplish this, you first
add a new button and then create a new branch.
To add a new button:

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1. Under Buttons, click the Copy button icon between the Edit All and Create icons
at the top right of the Buttons section. The Copy icon looks like Figure 15–29.

Figure 15–29 Copy Button Icon

2. For Button to copy, click CREATE.

3. For Target Page, accept the default, 7, and click Next.
4. For New Button:
a. Button Name - Enter CREATE_AGAIN.
b. Label - Enter Create and Create Another.
c. Accept remaining defaults and click Copy Button.
Next, create a branch that keeps the user on the Create page.
Note that this branch also resets P7_PREV_PAGE because the value of that item will
be lost when the cache of the page is cleared. The sequence of this new branch will be
0. Setting the sequence to 0 makes the branch fire before the default branch but only
when the Create and Create Another button is used.
To create a branch that keeps the user on the create page:
1. Under Page Processing, Branches, click the Create icon.
2. For Point and Type, accept the defaults and click Next.
3. For Target, make these changes:
a. Page - Enter 7.
b. Select reset pagination for this page
c. Clear Cache - Enter 7.
d. Set these items - Enter the following:
P7_PREV_PAGE

e. With these values - Enter the following (be sure to include the period):
&P7_PREV_PAGE.

f. Click Next.
4. For Branch Conditions, make these changes:
a. Sequence - Enter 0.
b. When Button Pressed - Select CREATE_AGAIN (Create and Create Another).
5. Click Create Branch.

Run the Page To see the changes, click the Run Page icon. The new form appears as
shown in Figure 15–30, "Refined Issue Details".

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Figure 15–30 Refined Issue Details

The branch you just created is looking for a value in P7_PREV_PAGE. Since the page
was not called from another page, the value has not been set. You need to fix that next.

Refine the Issues Report

Next, you refine the Issues report page to support dynamic modification of the query.
To accomplish this, you must:
■ Modify Add Issue Button
■ Change the Query and Display
■ Reorder Tabs

Modify Add Issue Button To call Issue Details page from the Add Issue button:
1. Go to the Page Definition for page 6, Issues.
2. Under Button, click the Create button.
3. For Text Label/Alt, enter Add Issue>.
4. Under Optional URL Redirect, make these changes:
a. Set These Items - Enter P7_PREV_PAGE

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b. With These Values - Enter 6.

5. Click Apply Changes.

Change the Query and Display Next, change the query to display the actual values for
people and projects instead of the ID and then clean up the report display.
To change the SQL query:
1. Under Regions, select Issues.
2. Scroll down to Source.
3. Replace SQL with the following:
SELECT "IT_ISSUES"."ISSUE_SUMMARY" as "ISSUE_SUMMARY",
"IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_NAME" as "IDENTIFIED_BY",
"IT_ISSUES"."IDENTIFIED_DATE" as "IDENTIFIED_DATE",
"IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_NAME" as "PROJECT_NAME",
decode("IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_NAME",NULL,'Unassigned',
"IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_NAME")
as "ASSIGNED_TO",
"IT_ISSUES"."STATUS" as "STATUS",
"IT_ISSUES"."PRIORITY" as "PRIORITY",
"IT_ISSUES"."TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE" as "TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE",
"IT_ISSUES"."PROGRESS" as "PROGRESS",
"IT_ISSUES"."ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE" as "ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE",
"IT_ISSUES"."ISSUE_ID" as "ISSUE_ID",
"IT_ISSUES"."RELATED_PROJECT_ID" as "PROJECT_ID"
FROM "IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE_1",
"IT_PROJECTS" "IT_PROJECTS",
"IT_PEOPLE" "IT_PEOPLE",
"IT_ISSUES" "IT_ISSUES"
WHERE "IT_ISSUES"."IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID"="IT_PEOPLE"."PERSON_ID"
AND "IT_ISSUES"."ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID"="IT_PEOPLE_1"."PERSON_ID"(+)
AND "IT_ISSUES"."RELATED_PROJECT_ID"="IT_PROJECTS"."PROJECT_ID"

4. Click Apply Changes.

5. Now to confirm, click Apply Changes.
To edit column attributes:
1. Under Regions, select Interactive Report.
2. For ISSUE_ID, Display Text As, select Hidden.
3. Click the Edit icon to the left of ISSUE_SUMMARY.
4. For Heading Alignment, select left.
5. Return to the top of the page and click the Next (>) icon. The Report Attributes
page for IDENTIFIED_DATE appears.
6. For Heading Alignment, select left.
7. Return to the top of the page and click the Next (>) icon until the Report Attributes
page for IDENTIFIED_BY appears.
8. For Heading Alignment, select left.
9. Return to the top of the page and click the Next (>) icon. The Report Attributes
page for PROJECT_NAME appears.
10. For Heading Alignment, select left.

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11. Return to the top of the page and click the Next (>) icon. The Column Attributes
page for ASSIGNED_TO appears.
12. For Heading Alignment, select left.

13. Return to the top of the page and click the Next (>) icon. The Column Attributes
page for PROJECT_ID appears.
14. For Display Text As, select Hidden.

15. Click Apply Changes.

To add a no data found message and to add details for a link column:
1. Scroll down to Pagination.
2. For When No Data Found Message, enter:
No issues found.

3. Scroll down to Link Column, for Item 2 Name, enter P7_PREV_PAGE.

4. For Item 2 Value, enter 6.
5. Click Apply Changes.

Reorder Tabs
Move the Issues tab so it is between the Projects and Users tab.
To change the tab order:
1. Click on the application home breadcrumb.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Navigation, select Tabs.
4. Click Resequence display order link on the right panel under Standard Tab Tasks.
5. In the Sequence column, make these changes:
a. For Projects - Enter 15 for Sequence.
b. For Users - Enter 30 for Sequence.
c. For Issues - Enter 20 for Sequence.
6. Click Apply Changes.

Run Issues Page and Issue Details Page

To view the new Issues page and Issue Details page, click the Run Page icon in the
upper right of the page.
1. Click on the application home breadcrumb. You should see the pages created so
far in this tutorial, including the newly added Issues and Issue Details pages.
2. Click on the Run Application icon. The Home page contains a list of image links
as shown in Figure 15–31.

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Figure 15–31 Home Page

3. Click the Issues link. The Issues page is displayed. The first time you run this
page, because you changed the names of some of the columns, you may not see
the Identify By, Project Name and Assigned To columns. If this is the case, you can
further customize the reports display by running the page and specifying which
columns you want to appear.
To specify which columns to display:
4. On the running Issues page, click the Action menu drop down to the right of the
Go button as shown in Figure 15–32

Figure 15–32 Action Icon

5. Select Select Columns. Your page should look similar to Figure 15–33.

Figure 15–33 Adding Columns to an Interactive Report

6. Click the Move All icon (>>) between the Do Not Display list and the Display in
Report list. The three missing columns will move to the Display in Report list.

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7. Click Apply at the bottom right of the Select Columns area. Your Issues page
should now look like Figure 15–34.

Figure 15–34 Issues Report with all Columns Displayed

Next, you view the Issue Details page for one of the issues.
8. Click the Edit icon to the left of one of the issues. You will see the Issue Details
page displayed similar to the one in Figure 15–35.

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Figure 15–35 Issue Details

9. Click the Issues breadcrumb to go back to the Issues page.

10. Click the Add Issue> button. An empty Issue Details page should appear.

Add Pages for Summary Reports

Now it’s time to add a Summary Reports page that links to the following individual
reports:
■ Assign Open Issues Report
■ Issue Summary by Project Report
■ Resolved by Month Identified Report
■ Target Resolution Dates Report
■ Average Days to Resolve Report

Topics in this section include:

■ Overview of Summary Reports Pages

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■ Add a Summary Reports Page

■ Add an Assign Open Issues Report Page
■ Add an Issue Summary by Project Report Page
■ Add Resolved by Month Identified Report Page
■ Add a Calendar to Display Target Resolution Dates
■ Add a Bar Chart to Display Average Days to Resolve

Note: If you are already familiar with this application, skip

Overview of Issues Pages and proceed to "Create a Report for Issues"
on page 15-31.

Overview of Summary Reports Pages

When you complete this exercise, you will have a Summary Reports page, that
resembles Figure 15–36, "Summary Reports Page", and a separate report page for each
individual summary report. Each image on the Summary Reports page links to a
separate summary report as shown in Figure 15–37, "Issue Summary By Report and
Assign Open Issues" and Figure 15–38, "Target Resolution Dates and Average Days to
Resolve".

Figure 15–36 Summary Reports Page

Figure 15–37 Issue Summary By Report and Assign Open Issues

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Figure 15–38 Target Resolution Dates and Average Days to Resolve

Figure 15–39 Resolved by Month Identified

Add a Summary Reports Page

Before creating the Summary Reports Page, you need to create an Image List with an
Image Entry for each report linked to from the Summary Reports Page.

Create an Image List To create the Image List:

1. Click the Application home breadcrumb link.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Navigation, click Lists.
4. Click Create.
5. For Name, enter Reports.
6. For List Template, select Horizontal Images with Label List.
7. Click Create.
Now, create a list of images.
8. Click Create List Entry >.
9. Under Entry, make these changes:
a. Sequence - Enter 10.
b. Image - Enter:

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menu/address_book_bx_128x128.png

c. List Entry Label - Enter:

Issue Summary<br/>
by Project

10. Under Target, for Page, enter 9. This is the Issue Summary Report page that will
be created later in this section.
11. Click Create and Create Another.

12. Under Entry, make these changes:

a. Sequence - Enter 15.

b. Image - Enter:
menu/eba_checklist_bx_128x128.png

c. List Entry Label - Enter:

Assign Open<br/>Issues

13. Under Target, for Page, enter 8. This is the Assign Open Issues page that will be
created later in this section.
14. Click Create and Create Another.

15. Under Entry, make these changes:

a. Sequence - Enter 20.

b. Image - Enter:
menu/calendar_bx_128x128.png

c. List Entry Label - Enter:

Target Resolution<br/>Dates

16. Under Target, for Page, enter 11. This is the Target Resolution Dates page that will
be created later in this section.
17. Click Create and Create Another.

18. Under Entry, make these changes:

a. Sequence - Enter 30.

b. Image - Enter:
menu/piechart_bx_128x128.png

c. List Entry Label - Enter:

Average Days<br/>to Resolve

19. Under Target, for Page, enter 12. This is the Average Days to Resolve page that
will be created later in this section.
20. Click Create and Create Another.

21. Under Entry, make these changes:

a. Sequence - Enter 40.

b. Image - Enter:

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menu/generate_bx_128x128.png

c. List Entry Label - Enter:

Issues Resolved<br/>by Month

22. Under Target, for Page, enter 10. This is the Issues Resolved By Month page that
will be created later in this section.
23. Click Create.

Create the Reports Page To add the Reports Page that references the Image List:
1. Click the application home breadcrumb.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Blank Page and click Next.
4. For Page Number, enter 14 click Next.
5. For Name, enter Reports.
6. For Breadcrumb, select Breadcrumb.
7. For Parent Entry, select Home.
8. Click Next.
9. Under Tabs, select Yes - Use an existing tab set and create a new tab within the
existing tab set and click Next.
10. For Existing Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Projects, Issues...) and click
Next.
11. For Tab Label, enter Reports and click Next.

12. Click Finish.

13. Click application home breadcrumb.

14. Click Shared Components.

15. Under Navigation, click Tabs.

16. Click Reports tab.

17. Click Edit icon.

18. For Sequence, enter 25 and click Apply Changes.

19. Click application home breadcrumb.

20. Click Reports page.

21. Under Regions, click Create button.

22. Select List and click Next.

23. For Title, enter Reports.

24. For Region Template, select No Template and click Next.

25. For List, select Reports.

26. Click Create List Region.

Run the Reports Page Run Reports page 14 by clicking the run icon at the top of the edit
page. As shown in Figure 15–40, the Reports page displays a list of images.

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Figure 15–40 Reports Page After Adding List of Images

Note: Because not all the reports have been created at this point in
the tutorial, the report links under each image will not work. As each
report is created, these links will navigate to the appropriate report.

Add an Assign Open Issues Report Page

Currently, you can assign an issue by editing it on the Issues Details page. Next, you
add a new page named Assign Open Issues, that enables users to assign multiple
issues at once and modify the Related Project, Status, and Priority.

Create a Tabular Form

To add a new page to support assigning multiple issues:
1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Form and click Next.
4. Select Tabular Form and click Next.
5. For Table/View Owner:
a. Table/View Owner- Select the appropriate schema.
b. Allowed Operations - Select Update Only.
For this exercise, the purpose of this form is to enable users to assign issues, or
update existing records, and not create or delete issues.
c. Click Next.
6. For Table/View Name, select IT_ISSUES and click Next.
7. For Displayed Columns:
a. Press CTRL and select the following columns:
– ISSUE_SUMMARY
– IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID
– IDENTIFIED_DATE
– RELATED_PROJECT_ID

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– ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID
– STATUS
– PRIORITY
b. Click Next.
8. For Primary Key, accept the default, ISSUE_ID, and click Next.
9. For Primary Key Source, accept the default, Existing trigger, and click Next.
10. For Updatable Columns:

a. Press CTRL and select the following columns:

– RELATED_PROJECT_ID
– ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID
– STATUS
– PRIORITY
b. Click Next.
11. For Page and Region Attributes:

a. Page - Enter 8.
b. Page Name - Enter Assign Open Issues.
c. Region Title - Enter Assign Issues.
d. Region Template - Select No Template.
e. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
f. Entry Name - Enter Assign Open Issues
g. For Parent Entry, select Reports.
h. Click Next.
12. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and reuse an existing tab within
that tab set.
13. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Dashboard, Projects...).

14. Click Next.

15. For Use Tab, select T_REPORTS and click Next.

16. For Button Labels:

a. For Cancel Button Label, accept the default.

b. For Submit Button Label, enter Apply Changes.
c. Click Next.
17. For Branching, enter 14 for When Cancel Button Pressed Branch to this Page and
click Next.
18. Review your selections and click Finish.

Add Lists of Values Once you have created the initial tabular form, you need to add lists
of values to make it easier to select issues. Additionally, you need to restrict the query
to display only unassigned issues.
To add lists of values:

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1. From the Success page, click Edit Page.

The Page Definition for page 8, Assign Open Issues, appears.
2. Under Regions, click Assign Issues.
3. Under Source, for Region Source, replace the existing statements with the
following:
SELECT
"ISSUE_ID",
"ISSUE_SUMMARY",
"IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID",
"IDENTIFIED_DATE",
"RELATED_PROJECT_ID",
"ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID",
"STATUS",
"PRIORITY"
FROM "#OWNER#"."IT_ISSUES"
WHERE assigned_to_person_id IS NULL

To edit report attributes:

1. Select the Report Attributes tab at the top of the page.
2. For ISSUE_SUMMARY, enter the following in the Heading field:
Summary

3. To sort by ISSUE_ID:
a. For all columns except ISSUE_ID, select Sort.
b. For IDENTIFIED_DATE, for Sort Sequence, select 1. By doing this, issues will
be displayed by oldest first.
4. Edit the following attributes for IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID:
a. Click the Edit icon to the left of IDENTIFIED_BY_PERSON_ID.
b. Under Column Definition, for Column Heading, enter Identified By.
c. Under Tabular Form Element, for Display As, select Display as Text (based
on LOV, does not save state).
d. Scroll down to Lists of Values.
e. For Named LOV, select PEOPLE.
f. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to IDENTIFIED_DATE.
5. Edit the following attributes for IDENTIFIED_DATE:
a. Under Column Formatting, for Number/Date Format, enter DD-MON-YYYY.
b. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to the RELATED_
PROJECT_ID column.
6. Edit the following attributes for RELATED_PROJECT_ID:
a. Under Column Definition, for Column Heading, enter Related Project.
b. Under Tabular Form Element, for Display As, select Select List (named LOV)
c. Under List of Values, for Named LOV, select PROJECTS.
d. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to the ASSIGNED_TO_
PERSON_ID column.

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7. Edit the following attributes for ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID:

a. Under Column Definition, for Column Heading, enter Assigned To.
b. Under Tabular Form Element, for Display As, select Select List (named LOV)
c. Under List of Values:
– Named LOV - Select PEOPLE.
– Display Null - Select Yes.
– Null display value - Enter a hyphen (-).
d. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to the STATUS column.
8. Edit the following attributes for STATUS:
a. Under Tabular Form Element, for Display As, select Select List (named LOV).
b. Under List of Values, for Named LOV, select STATUS.
c. Click the Next button (>) at the top of the page to go to the PRIORITY column.
9. Edit the following attributes for PRIORITY:
a. Under Tabular Form Element, for Display As, select Select List (named LOV).
b. Under List of Values:
– From Named LOV, select PRIORITIES.
– For Display Null, select Yes.
– For Null display value, enter a hyphen (-).
c. Click Apply Changes.
The Report Attributes page appears.
10. Under Messages, enter the following in When No Data Found Message:
No Unassigned Issues.

11. Click Apply Changes.

Delete the Unnecessary Cancel Button The wizard created an unnecessary Cancel button.
To delete the Cancel button:
1. On the Page Definition for page 8, click CANCEL in the Buttons section.
2. Click Delete.
3. Click OK to confirm your selection.

Run the Page The tabular form is now complete. To view the new form, click the Run
Page icon. The Assign Open Issues form appears as shown in Figure 15–41.

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Figure 15–41 Assign Open Issues

To assign an issue, make a selection from the Assigned To list and click Apply
Changes. Notice that once an issue has been assigned, the issue no longer displays.

Add an Issue Summary by Project Report Page

The Issue Summary report enables users to select a project and to see a summary of
issues related to that project. This report includes the following summary information:
■ Date first issue identified
■ Date last issue closed
■ Total number of issues
■ Number of issues by status
■ Number of open issues by priority
■ Assignments by status

Create the Report Page To create this report, you code the information in two SQL
statements. The first statement gathers information having a singular result and the
second statement gathers information having multiple results.
To add an Issue Summary by Project report:
1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Report and click Next.
4. Select SQL Report and click Next.
5. For Page Attributes:
a. Page - Enter 9.
b. Page Name - Enter Issue Summary by Project.
c. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
d. Parent Entry - Select Reports link.
e. Click Next.
6. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and reuse an existing tab within
that tab set.
7. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Dashboard, Projects...) and click Next.
8. For Use Tab, select T_REPORTS: label="Reports" and click Next.
9. For SQL Query:
a. Enter the following SQL SELECT statement:

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SELECT MIN(identified_date) first_identified,

MAX(actual_resolution_date) last_closed,
COUNT(issue_id) total_issues,
SUM(DECODE(status,'Open',1,0)) open_issues,
SUM(DECODE(status,'On-Hold',1,0)) onhold_issues,
SUM(DECODE(status,'Closed',1,0)) closed_issues,
SUM(DECODE(status,'Open',decode(priority,null,1,0),0))
open_no_prior,
SUM(DECODE(status,'Open',decode(priority,'High',1,0),0))
open_high_prior,
SUM(DECODE(status,'Open',decode(priority,'Medium',1,0),0))
open_medium_prior,
SUM(DECODE(status,'Open',decode(priority,'Low',1,0),0))
open_low_prior
FROM it_issues
WHERE related_project_id = :P9_PROJECT

b. Click Next.
10. For Report Attributes:
a. Region Template - Select List Region with Icon (Chart).
b. Report Template - Select default: vertical report, look 1 (include null
columns)
c. For Region Name - Enter Summary.
d. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
11. Review your selections and click Finish.
Now that you have the first query, you need to edit the headings and create the item
to control the related project. First, create a region to display above the report to
contain the Project parameter.

Create a Search Region To create a new region to display above the report:
1. From the Success page, click Edit Page 9.
The Page Definition for page 9, Issue Summary by Project, appears.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. Select HTML and click Next.
4. Select HTML for region container and click Next.
5. For Display Attributes:
a. Title - Enter Issue Summary Report Parameters.
b. Region Template - Select Report Filter - Single Row.
c. Display Point - Select Page Template Body (2. items below region content).
d. For Sequence, enter 5.
e. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
6. Click Create Region.

Create the Project Item To create the Project item:

1. Under Items, click the Create icon.
2. For Select Item Type, select Select List and click Next.

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3. For Select List Control Type, accept the default, Select List, and click Next.
4. For Display Position and Name:
a. Item Name - Enter P9_PROJECT.
b. Sequence - Enter 31.
c. Region - Select Issue Summary Report Parameters (1) 5.
d. Click Next.
5. For List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select PROJECTS.
b. Null Text - Enter:
- Select -

c. Null Value - Enter:

-1

d. Click Next.
6. For Item Attributes, accept the defaults and click Next.
7. For Default, enter -1.
8. Click Create Item.

Create a Go Button To create a Go button to perform the query:

1. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.
2. For Button Region, select Issue Summary Report Parameters and click Next.
3. For Button Position, select Create a button displayed among this region's items
and click Next.
4. For Button Attributes:
a. Button Name - Enter P9_GO.
b. Sequence - Enter 33.
c. Label - Enter Go.
d. Request - Enter Go.
e. Button Style - Select Template Based Button.
f. Template - Select Button.
5. Click Create Button.

Create a Reset Button Now, create a Reset button and Reset branch to redisplay the
default Issue Summary by Report Page.
To create a Reset button to clear the query:
1. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.
2. For Button Region, select Issue Summary Report Parameters and click Next.
3. For Button Position, select Create a button displayed among this region's items
and click Next.
4. For Button Attributes:

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a. Button Name - Enter P9_RESET.

b. Sequence - Enter 32.
c. Label - Enter Reset.
d. Request - Enter Reset.
e. Button Style - Select Template Based Button.
f. Template - Select Button.
5. Click Create Button.
To create a Reset branch:
1. Under Branches, select Create icon.
2. Accept defaults and click Next.
3. For Target, make these changes:
a. Page - Enter 9.
b. Reset Pagination for this page - Select the checkbox.
c. Clear Cache - Enter 9.
d. Click Next.
4. For When Button Pressed, select *P9_RESET.
5. Click Create Branch.

Create a Assignment by Status Region To create a new region to display below the report:
1. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
2. Select Report and click Next.
3. Select SQL Report for region container and click Next.
4. For Display Attributes:
a. Title - Enter Assignments by Status.
b. Region Template - Select No Template.
c. For Sequence, enter 20.
d. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
5. For Enter SQL Query or PL/SQL function returning a SQL Query, enter:
SELECT p.person_name,i.status,
COUNT(i.issue_id) issues
FROM it_issues i, it_people p
WHERE i.related_project_id = :P9_PROJECT
AND i.assigned_to_person_id = p.person_id
GROUP BY person_name, status

6. Click Next.
7. For Rows per Page, enter 20 and click Next.
8. For Conditional Display:
a. Condition Type - Select Value of Item in Expression 1 != Expression 2
b. Expression 1 - Enter P9_PROJECT

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c. Expression 2 - Enter -1
9. Click Create Region.

Refine Region Appearance To edit headings and report settings:

1. Under Regions, click Report next to Assignments by Status.
2. For Headings Type, select Custom.
3. For PERSON_NAME, change Heading to Assigned To.
4. For ISSUES, change Heading to Number of Issues.
5. Click Up Arrow at end of ISSUES to move above STATUS.
6. For ISSUES, change Column Alignment to right.
7. For PERSON_NAME, ISSUES and STATUS, select center for Heading Alignment.
8. For PERSON_NAME, ISSUES and STATUS, uncheck Sort checkbox.
9. For PERSON_NAME, ISSUES and STATUS, for Sort Sequence, select - .
10. Scroll down to Layout and Pagination. From Pagination Scheme, select Row
Ranges 1-15 16-30 in select list (with pagination).
11. Scroll down to Messages. In When No Data Found Message, enter:
No issues found.

12. Click Apply Changes.

Edit Headings and Report Settings for Summary Report Next, you need to edit the headings
and report setting for the report region. You also need to set the report regions to
conditionally display when the user has selected a project.
To edit the headings and report settings:
1. Under Regions, click Report next to Summary.
2. For Headings Type, select Custom.
3. Under Column Attributes:
a. Change the Heading for FIRST_IDENTIFIED to:
First Issue Identified:

b. Change the Heading for LAST_CLOSED to:

Last Issue Closed:

c. Change the Heading for TOTAL_ISSUES to:

Total Issues:

d. Change the Heading for OPEN_ISSUES to:

Open Issues:

e. Change the Heading for ONHOLD_ISSUES to:

On-Hold Issues:

f. Change the Heading for CLOSED_ISSUES to:

Closed Issues:

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g. Change the Heading for OPEN_NO_PRIOR to:

Open Issues with No Priority:

h. Change the Heading for OPEN_HIGH_PRIOR:

Open Issues of High Priority:

i. Change the Heading for OPEN_MEDIUM_PRIOR to:

Open Issues of Medium Priority:

j. Change the Heading for OPEN_LOW_PRIOR:

Open Issues of Low Priority:

4. Scroll down to Layout and Pagination. Specify the following:

a. For Show Null Values as, enter a hyphen (-).
b. For Pagination Scheme, select - No Pagination Selected -.
5. Select the Region Definition tab at the top of the page.
6. Scroll down to Conditional Display. For Condition Type, make these changes:
a. Condition Type - Select Value of Item in Expression 1 != Expression 2
b. Expression 1 - Enter P9_PROJECT
c. Expression 2 - Enter -1
7. Click Apply Changes.

Run the Page To see your newly created report, click the Run Page icon. Note that
initially no data displays since no project is selected. Select a project and click Go.
Your report should resemble Figure 15–42.

Figure 15–42 Issue Summary By Project

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Add Resolved by Month Identified Report Page

The Resolved by Month Identified report is a line chart. This report first calculates the
number of days it took to resolve each closed issue, averaged by the month the issue
was identified, and finally displayed by the month.

Add a Resolved by Month Identified Report Page To add this report page:
1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Chart and click Next.
4. Select FLASH Chart and click Next.
5. For Page Attributes:
a. Page Number - Enter 10.
b. Page Name - Enter Resolved by Month Identified.
c. Region Template - Select No Template.
d. Region Name - Enter Resolved by Month Identified.
e. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
f. Entry Name - Enter Resolved by Month Identified.
g. Parent Entry - Click Reports link.
h. Click Next.
6. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and reuse an existing tab within
that tab set.
7. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Dashboard, Projects...), and click Next.
8. For Use Tab, select T_REPORTS, and click Next.
9. For Chart Type, select 3D Column.
10. For Chart Animation, select Scale.

11. For Background Type, select Gradient.

12. For Background Color 1, enter #FFFFCC.

13. For Background Color 2, enter #FFCC66.

14. For Gradient Angle, enter 45.

15. For Color Scheme, select Look 5.

16. For X Axis Title, enter Month Identified.

17. For Y Axis Title, enter Days to Resolve.

18. Accept all other defaults and click Next.

19. For Query:

a. SQL - Enter the following:

SELECT NULL l,
TO_CHAR(identified_date,'Mon RR') month,
AVG(actual_resolution_date-identified_date) days
FROM it_issues
WHERE status = 'Closed'
GROUP BY TO_CHAR(identified_date,'Mon RR')

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Note that this query has no link (that is, the l column). It extracts the month
from the identified date so that the data can be grouped by month. Lastly, it
calculates the average number of days it took for the issues to be closed that
were identified in that month.
b. For When No Data Found Message, enter:
No Closed Issues found.

c. Click Next.
20. Review your selections and click Finish.

Edit the Chart Next, modify month labels along x-axis to display at a 45 degree angle.
To edit the chart:
1. From the Success page, select Edit Page.
The Page Definition for page 10, Resolved by Month Identified, appears.
2. Under Regions, click Flash Chart, next to Resolved by Month Identified.
3. Under Display Settings, for Labels Rotation, enter 45.
4. Click Apply Changes.

Run the Page To view your newly created flash chart, click the Run Page icon. Your
flash chart should resemble Figure 15–43.

Figure 15–43 Resolved by Month Identified

Add a Calendar to Display Target Resolution Dates

The Target Resolution Dates report is a calendar that displays issues that have not yet
closed along with the assigned person on the day that corresponds to the issue target
resolution date.

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Create a Calendar To create a calendar of target resolution dates:

1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Calendar and click Next.
4. Select SQL Calendar and click Next.
5. For Page Attributes:
a. Page Number - Enter 11.
b. Page Name - Enter Target Resolution Dates.
c. Region Template - Select No Template
d. Region Name - Enter Target Resolution Dates.
e. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
f. Parent Entry - Select Reports link.
g. Click Next.
6. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and reuse an existing tab within
that tab set.
7. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Dashboard, Projects...), and click Next.
8. For Use Tab, select T_REPORTS and click Next.
9. For Table/View Owner:
a. In Enter SQL Query, enter the following:
SELECT I.TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE,
I.ISSUE_SUMMARY ||' ('||nvl(P.PERSON_NAME,'Unassigned') ||') ' disp,
I.ISSUE_ID
FROM IT_ISSUES I, IT_PEOPLE P
WHERE I.ASSIGNED_TO_PERSON_ID = P.PERSON_ID (+)
AND (I.RELATED_PROJECT_ID = :P11_PROJECT OR :P11_PROJECT = '-1')
AND I.STATUS != 'Closed'

b. Click Next.
Note that:
– The target_resolution_date is the date on which the issue displays
– The issue_summary is concatenated with the person assigned
– The issue_id does not display, but is used to create a link to enable the user
to view and edit the issue
10. For Date/Display Columns:

a. Date Column - Select TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE.

b. For Display Column - Select DISP.
c. Click Next.
11. Review your selections and click Finish.

Create a Search Region To create a new region to display above the calendar:
1. From the Success page, click Edit Page.

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The Page Definition for page 11, Issue Summary by Project, appears.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. Select HTML and click Next.
4. Select HTML for region container and click Next.
5. For Display Attributes:
a. Title - Enter Target Resolution Parameters.
b. Region Template - Select Report Filter - Single Row.
c. Display Point - Select Page Template Body (2. items below region content).
d. For Sequence, enter 5.
e. Accept the remaining defaults and click Create.

Add an Item to Support Project Look Up To enable the user to look up one project or all
projects, you need to add an item.
To add an item to support project look up:
1. Under Items, click the Create icon.
2. For Item Type, select Select List and click Next.
3. For Select List Control Type, select Select List and click Next.
4. For Display Position and Name:
a. Item Name - Enter P11_PROJECT.
b. Sequence - Enter 30.
c. Region - Select Target Resolution Parameters (1) 5.
d. Click Next.
5. For List of Values:
a. Named LOV - Select PROJECTS.
b. Display Null Option - Select Yes.
c. Null Text - Enter:
- All -

d. For Null Value - Enter:

-1

e. Click Next.
6. For Item Attributes, accept the defaults and click Next.
7. For Source, Default, enter:
-1

8. Click Create Item.

Create a Go Button To create a Go button to execute the query:

1. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.
2. For Button Region, select Target Resolution Parameters (1) 5 and click Next.

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3. For Button Position, select Create a button displayed among this region's items
and click Next.
4. For Button Attributes:
a. Button Name - Enter P11_GO.
b. Sequence - Enter 40.
c. Show: - Select Beginning on New Field.
d. Label - Enter Go.
e. Request - Enter Go.
f. Button Style - Select Template Based Button.
g. Template - Select Button.
5. Click Create Button.

Create a Reset Button Now, create a Reset button and Reset branch to redisplay the
default Target Resolution Dates page.
To create a Reset button to clear the query:
1. Under Buttons, click the Create icon.
2. For Button Region, select Target Resolution Parameters (1) 5 and click Next.
3. For Button Position, select Create a button displayed among this region's items
and click Next.
4. For Button Attributes:
a. Button Name - Enter P11_RESET.
b. Sequence - Enter 30.
c. Show: - Select Beginning on New Field.
d. Label - Enter Reset.
e. Request - Enter Reset.
f. Button Style - Select Template Based Button.
g. Template - Select Button.
5. Click Create Button.
To create a Reset branch:
1. Under Branches, select Create icon.
2. Accept defaults and click Next.
3. For Target, make these changes:
a. Page - Enter 11.
b. Reset Pagination for this page - Select the checkbox.
c. Clear Cache - Enter 11.
d. Click Next.
4. For When Button Pressed, select *P11_RESET.
5. Click Create Branch.

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Modify Calendar Buttons To move the Calendar buttons to the Search region and
modify:
1. Under Buttons, click the Edit All icon.
2. Make the following changes for each button:
■ Region - Select Target Resolution Parameters.
■ Align - Select Right.
■ Position - Select Region Template Position #CREATE#.
3. Click Apply Changes.

Modify Calendar Attributes Lastly, you need to modify the Calendar Attributes to add
link support for viewing and editing the displayed issues. To accomplish this, you
need to call page 7, Issue Details, to clear any data from the page and pass in the
current issue ID along with the fact that page 11 was the calling page. Then, you need
to add a note that displays when the query excludes Closed issues.
To modify the Calendar Attributes:
1. Click Page 11 breadcrumb.
2. Under Regions, click Calendar to the right of Target Resolution Dates
3. Scroll down to Column Link, enter the following:
a. Target is a - Select URL.
b. URL Target - Enter:
f?p=&APP_ID.:7:&SESSION.::&DEBUG.:7:P7_ISSUE_ID,P7_PREV_PAGE:#ISSUE_ID#,11

4. Select the Region Definition tab at the top of the page.

5. Scroll down to Header and Footer.
6. In Region Footer, enter the following:
This excludes Closed issues.

7. Click Apply Changes.

Run the Page To see your newly created calendar, click the Run Page icon. Note that
you can click Weekly or Daily to see the corresponding calendar views. You can run
the Issues page to find Target Resolution Dates. Then, run this Target Resolution Dates
page and use the <Previous, and Next> buttons to navigate to the month of the target
resolution date. You’ll see the issue appear similar to the issue shown for Sunday
January 13,2008 in Figure 15–44 on page 15-72.
Note that you can also click the text displayed for an issue to display the Edit Issue
page. To return to the calendar, click Cancel.

Note: Your data will have different dates because the insert scripts
for the data are set relative to your system date; they are not hard
coded. The dates will be different each time the script is inserted.

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Figure 15–44 Target Resolution Dates

Add a Bar Chart to Display Average Days to Resolve

The Average Days to Resolve report is a bar chart that calculates the number of days it
takes to resolve each closed issue and averages that number by assigned person.

Add a Bar Chart To add the Average Days to Resolve report:

1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Chart and click Next.
4. Select Flash Chart and click Next.
5. For Page Attributes:
a. Page - Enter 12.
b. Page Name - Enter Average Days to Resolve.
c. Region Template - Select No Template
d. Region Name - Enter Average Days to Resolve.
e. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
f. Entry Name - Enter Average Days to Resolve.
g. Parent Entry - Select Reports link.
h. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.

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6. For Tab Options, select Use an existing tab set and reuse an existing tab within
that tab set.
7. For Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Dashboard, Projects...) and click Next.
8. For Use Tab, select T_REPORTS and click Next.
9. For Chart Preview:
a. Chart Type - Select Horizontal 2D Column.
b. X Axis - Enter Days.
c. Click Next.
10. For Query:

a. For SQL Query or PL/SQL function returning a SQL Query - Enter the
following:
SELECT NULL l,
NVL(p.person_name,'None Assigned') person,
AVG(i.actual_resolution_date-i.identified_date) days
FROM it_issues i, it_people p
WHERE i.assigned_to_person_id = p.person_id (+)
AND i.status = 'Closed'
GROUP BY p.person_name

In the above SELECT statement:

– The first item selected is the link. This report does not link to any other
page, and so NULL was selected.
– The second item is the person’s name, or None Assigned if assigned_
to is NULL.
– The third item selected is the average number of days it took for that
person to resolve all their issues so the issues have a status of closed.
b. For When No Data Found Message, enter No issues with status
'Closed'.
c. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.
11. Review your selections and click Finish.

Run the Page To view your newly created bar chart, click Run Page. Your report
should resemble Figure 15–45.

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Figure 15–45 Average Days to Resolve

Add a Dashboard Page

Now that you have completed all the detail pages, you next need to create the
Dashboard, add content to add the Dashboard and tie all the pages together. In this
section, you create a Dashboard, as shown in Figure 15–46, "Dashboard", to display the
following information:
Topics in this section include:
■ Overview of Dashboard Page
■ Create Dashboard Page
■ Add An Overdue Issues Report
■ Add an Unassigned Issues Report
■ Add a Recently Opened Issues Report
■ Add an Open Issues by Project Pie Chart

Overview of Dashboard Page

The Dashboard provides a quick snapshot of important issue tracking statistics. This
page is for reporting only; no changes or new entries can be made on this page.
Information displayed on the Dashboard includes:
■ Overdue Issues
■ Unassigned Issues
■ Recently Opened Issues
■ Open Issues by Project as a chart
Upon completion of this section, the application will have a Dashboard page similar to
the one shown in Figure 15–46, "Dashboard".

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Figure 15–46 Dashboard

Create Dashboard Page

To add the Dashboard page follow these steps:
1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Create Page.
3. Select Blank Page and click Next.
4. For Page Number, enter 18 and click Next.
5. For Create Page, make these changes:
a. Name - Enter Dashboard.
b. Title - Enter Dashboard.
c. Breadcrumb - Select Breadcrumb.
d. Entry Name - Enter Dashboard.
e. Parent Entry - Select Home link.
f. Click Next.
6. Select Yes - Use an existing tab set and reuse an existing tab within that tab set
and click Next.
7. For Existing Tab Set, select Issue Tracker (Home, Dashboard, Projects...) and click
Next.
8. For Select tab you would like to designate as "current" for this page:, select T_
HOME: label="Home" and click Next.
9. Review selections and click Finish.
10. Select application home page breadcrumb.

11. Select Shared Components.

12. Under Navigation, select Tabs.

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13. Click Edit icon to the left of the Home tab.

14. For Tab Name, enter T_DASHBOARD.

15. For Tab Label, enter Dashboard.

16. Under Current For Pages, for Tab Page, enter 18.

17. Click Apply Changes.

Add An Overdue Issues Report

Next, add some content to the Dashboard. In this exercise, you add a report to display
overdue issues. The query for this report retrieves all unclosed issues with a past
target resolution date.

Add a Report of Overdue Issues To add a report to display overdue issues:

1. Click application home page breadcrumb.
2. Click 18 - Dashboard.
3. Under Regions, click the Create icon
4. Select Report and click Next.
5. For Report Implementation, select SQL Report and click Next.
6. For Display Attributes:
■ Title - Enter Overdue Issues.
■ Region Template - Select Reports Region, Alternative 1.
■ Sequence - Enter 5.
■ Click Next.
7. For Source, enter the following in Enter SQL Query:
SELECT i.issue_id, i.priority, i.issue_summary,
p.person_name assignee, i.target_resolution_date, r.project_name
FROM it_issues i, it_people p, it_projects r
WHERE i.assigned_to_person_id = p.person_id (+)
AND i.related_project_id = r.project_id
AND i.target_resolution_date < sysdate
AND i.status != 'Closed'

The outer join is necessary because the assignment is optional.

8. Click Next.
9. For Report Template, select template: 20. Standard
10. Click Create Region.

Edit the Overdue Issues Report Now that the region has been created, you need to edit
the headings and turn the summary into a link to display the issue details.
To edit the column headings:
1. Under Regions, click Report next to Overdue Issues.
2. For Headings Type, select Custom.
3. For ISSUE_SUMMARY, enter the following for Heading:
Summary

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4. For ASSIGNEE, change the Heading to:

Assigned To

5. For TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE:
Target

6. Use Up and Down arrows to far right of each column to order columns in the
following order: ISSUE_ID, ASSIGNEE, TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE,
PROJECT_NAME, PRIORITY, ISSUE_SUMMARY.
7. For ISSUE_ID, deselect Show.
This enables the query to pass in the link, but not display it.
8. Select Sort only for ASSIGNEE, TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE and PROJECT_
NAME. Deselect Sort for all others.
9. Select left for Heading Alignment for TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE.
10. Select center for Heading Alignment for all columns except TARGET_
RESOLUTION_DATE.
11. For TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE, select 1 for Sort Sequence.

12. For ISSUE_ID, select - for Sort Sequence.

To edit column attributes for ISSUE_SUMMARY:
1. Click the Edit icon to the left of ISSUE_SUMMARY.
2. Scroll down to Column Link:
a. For Link Text, enter:
<table width="200" style=size:9><tr><td>#ISSUE_
SUMMARY#</td></tr></table>
b. For Link Attributes, enter:
title="Click to edit"
c. For Page, select 7.
d. For Clear Cache, select 7.
e. For Item 1, enter the Name:
P7_ISSUE_ID

f. For Item 1, enter the Value:

#ISSUE_ID#

g. For Item 2, enter the Name:

P7_PREV_PAGE

h. For Item 2, enter the Value:

18

3. Click Apply Changes.

4. Under Messages, enter the following in When No Data Found Message
No Overdue Issues.

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5. Click Apply Changes.

Run Application
Run your application by clicking the run page icon. You should see the Dashboard
page with the Overdue Issues region added as shown in Figure 15–47.

Figure 15–47 Dashboard with Overdue Issues Region Added

Add an Unassigned Issues Report

The next report you add displays unassigned, open issues. This report is very similar
to Overdue Issues. Rather than creating it manually, you can copy the Overdue Issues
report and modify it.
To create a new report by copying an existing report:
1. Click the Edit Page 18 link in the Developer Toolbar at bottom of the page.
2. Under Regions, click the Copy icon.
3. In the Name column, click Overdue Issues.
4. For To Page, accept the default 18, accept all other defaults and click Next.
5. For Region Name, enter Unassigned Issues.
6. For Sequence, enter 10 and click Copy Region.
To modify the query and edit the report region:
1. Under the Regions section, click Unassigned Issues.

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2. For Region Source, replace the existing statements with the following:
SELECT i.issue_id,
i.priority,
i.issue_summary,
i.target_resolution_date,
r.project_name,
p.person_name identifiee
FROM it_issues i,
it_people p,
it_projects r
WHERE i.assigned_to_person_id IS NULL
AND i.status != 'Closed'
AND i.related_project_id = r.project_id
AND i.identified_by_person_id = p.person_id

3. Select the Report Attributes tab at the top of the page.

Note that previously defined columns have retained their modified attributes.
4. Under Column Attributes for IDENTIFIEE, enter the following Heading:
Identified By

5. Under Messages, enter the following in When No Data Found Message:

No Unassigned Issues.

6. Use Up and Down arrows to far right to reorder columns as follows: ISSUES_ID,
IDENTIFIEE, TARGET_RESOLUTION_DATE, PROJECT_NAME, PRIORITY, and
ISSUE_SUMMARY.
7. Click Apply Changes.

Run Application
Run your application by clicking the run page icon. The Dashboard appears. Scroll
down to the bottom of the page. You should see the Unassigned Issues region as
shown in Figure 15–48.

Figure 15–48 Unassigned Issues Region

Add a Recently Opened Issues Report

Next, you add a report of recently opened issues. The underlying query displays the
five most recently opened issues within the past week.
To create a report of recently opened issues by copying an existing report:
1. Click the Edit Page 18 link in the Developer Toolbar at the bottom of the page.

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2. Under Regions, click the Copy icon.

3. Under Name, select Unassigned Issues.
4. For To Page, accept the default 18, accept the remaining defaults, and click Next.
5. For Region Name, enter Recently Opened Issues.
6. For Sequence, enter 5.
7. For Column, select 2.
8. Click Copy Region.
To modify the query and edit the report region:
1. Under the Regions section, click Recently Opened Issues.
2. For Region Source, replace the existing statements with the following:
SELECT issue_id,
priority,
issue_summary,
assignee,
target_resolution_date,
project_name,
identifiee
FROM
(SELECT i.issue_id,
i.priority,
i.issue_summary,
p.person_name assignee,
i.target_resolution_date,
r.project_name,
p2.person_name identifiee
FROM it_issues i,
it_people p,
it_people p2,
it_projects r
WHERE i.assigned_to_person_id = p.person_id (+)
AND i.related_project_id = r.project_id
AND i.identified_by_person_id = p2.person_id
AND i.created_on > (sysdate - 7)
ORDER BY i.created_on desc)
WHERE rownum < 6

3. Select the Report Attributes tab at the top of the page.

4. For all columns:
a. Disable sorting by deselecting Sort.
b. Set Sort Sequence to -.
5. For ASSIGNEE, click the up arrow to the right of the Sort Sequence column until
ASSIGNEE appears before ISSUE_SUMMARY.
6. For ASSIGNEE, change Heading to:
Assigned To

7. Scroll down to the Layout and Pagination section. From Pagination Scheme, select
- No Pagination Selected -.
8. Under Messages, enter the following in When No Data Found Message:
No Recently Opened Issues.

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9. Click Apply Changes.

Run Application
Run your application and use the Issues Details page to add an Issue to the database.
After adding the new issue, click on the Dashboard tab. At the top right side of the
page you should see the Recently Opened Issues region, as shown in Figure 15–49,
displaying the newly added issue.

Figure 15–49 Recently Assigned Issues Region

Add an Open Issues by Project Pie Chart

Next, add a pie chart displaying Open Issues by Project.
To add a pie chart:
1. Click the Edit Page 18 link in the Developer Toolbar at the bottom of the page.
2. Under Regions, click the Create icon.
3. Select Chart and click Next.
4. Select Flash Chart and click Next.
5. For Display Attributes, make these changes:
■ Title - Enter Open Issues by Project.
■ Region Template - Select Chart Region.
■ Sequence - Enter 10.
■ Column - Select 2.
■ Click Next.
6. For Chart Preview, make these edits:
■ Chart Type - Select 3D Pie.
■ Click Next.
7. For Source, enter the following in SQL:
SELECT 'f?p=&APP_ID.:6:&SESSION.:::CIR:IREQ_STATUS,
IREQ_PROJECT_ID:Open,'||r.project_id LINK,
NVL(r.project_name,'No Project') label,
COUNT(r.project_name) value
FROM it_issues i, it_projects r
WHERE i.status = 'Open' AND i.related_project_id = r.project_id
GROUP BY NULL, r.project_name, r.project_id
ORDER BY r.project_name, r.project_id

8. For When No Data Found Message, enter No open issues.

9. Click Create Region.

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To edit the chart.

1. Under Regions, click Flash Chart next to Open Issues by Project.
2. Under Chart Settings, make these changes: For Chart Width, enter 550.
a. Chart Height, enter 325.
b. Chart Margin: Bottom, enter 25.
c. Chart Margin: Right, enter 50.
3. Under Display Settings, deselect Show Values.
4. Click Apply Changes.

Run the Page To view the revised page, click the Run Page icon. In Figure 15–50, "Final
Dashboard with All Regions Added", three overdue issues where closed before going
to the Dashboard.

Figure 15–50 Final Dashboard with All Regions Added

Adding Advanced Features

Once your application is fully functional you can focus on adding advanced features
outlined during the planning and project analysis phase.
Topics in this section include:
■ Add Support for Email Notification
■ Add Application Security

Add Support for Email Notification

The planning and project analysis phase produced two email requirements:
■ Notify people when an issue is assigned to them
■ Notify the project lead when any issue becomes overdue

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Topics in this section include:

■ How Email Notification Works
■ Add Notification of New Assignments
■ Add Notification for Overdue Issues
For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Sending Email Attachments in Oracle Application Express 3.1
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/apex/apex31nf/apex31email.htm

How Email Notification Works

To send mail from within an Oracle Application Express application, you create a
PL/SQL process that calls the supplied APEX_MAIL package.
Email is not sent immediately, but is stored in a temporary queue until a DBMS_JOB
pushes the queue. The DBMS_JOB utilizes two preferences, SMTP Host Address and
SMTP Host Port, to send mail in the queue. By default, these preferences are set to
localhost and 25. If Oracle Application Express is not configured for SMTP
services, you need to change your Email Environment Settings.

See Also: "How to Send Email from an Application" in Oracle

Database Application Express User's Guide to learn about configuring
Email Environment settings.

The following is a description of the SEND procedure of the APEX_MAIL package.

PROCEDURE SEND
Argument Name Type In/Out Default?
------------------------------ ----------------------- ------ --------
P_TO VARCHAR2 IN
P_FROM VARCHAR2 IN
P_BODY VARCHAR2 or CLOB IN
P_BODY_HTML VARCHAR2 or CLOB IN DEFAULT
P_SUBJ VARCHAR2 IN DEFAULT
P_CC VARCHAR2 IN DEFAULT
P_BCC VARCHAR2 IN DEFAULT
P_REPLYTO VARCHAR2 IN

Add Notification of New Assignments

First, you add a notification to a person when the person has a new assignment. An
assignment can be made or changed from two different pages: Issue Details and
Assign Open Issues.
On the Issue Details page, you can store the initial values and check them against any
changes to see if an assignment has been made or changed. The Assign Open Issues is
a tabular form, so there is no way to check the old values against the new values. For
that reason, the best way to implement the notification is with a before insert and
update trigger on IT_ISSUES. You can create this trigger programmatically using
SQL Workshop.

Create a Trigger on IT_ISSUES

To create a before insert and update trigger on IT_ISSUES:
1. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then Object Browser.

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2. Click Create.
3. For Select the type of database object you want to create, click Trigger.
4. For Table Name, select IT_ISSUES and click Next.
5. For Define:
a. For Trigger Name, enter IT_ISSUES_AIU_EMAIL.
b. For Firing Point, select AFTER.
c. For Options, select insert, update.
d. For Trigger Body, enter the following:
IF (INSERTING AND :new.assigned_to_person_id IS NOT NULL)
OR
(UPDATING AND (:old.assigned_to_person_id IS NULL OR :new.assigned_to_
person_id != :old.assigned_to_person_id) AND :new.assigned_to_person_id IS
NOT NULL) THEN
FOR c1 IN
(SELECT person_name, person_email
FROM it_people
WHERE person_id = :new.assigned_to_person_id)
LOOP
IF c1.person_email IS NOT NULL THEN
FOR c2 IN
(SELECT project_name
FROM it_projects
WHERE project_id = :new.related_project_id)
LOOP

APEX_MAIL.SEND(
p_to => c1.person_email,
p_from => c1.person_email,
p_body =>
'You have been assigned a new issue. ' ||chr(10)||
'The details are below. ' ||chr(10)||
chr(10)||
' Project: '|| c2.project_name ||chr(10)||
' Summary: '||:new.issue_summary ||chr(10)||
' Status: '||:new.status ||chr(10)||
'Priority: '||nvl(:new.priority,'-'),
p_subj => 'New Issue Assignment');
END LOOP;
END IF;
END LOOP;
END IF;

e. Replace the p_to and p_from with your own valid 'email address'.
f. Click Next.
6. To review the code, expand the SQL arrow.
7. Click Finish.

Test Email Notification

You can test this trigger by:
■ Modifying one of the users to have a valid email address.
■ Assigning an unassigned issue to this user.

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■ Checking the valid email inbox for an notification email.

To test your new trigger:
1. Run your Issue Tracker application.
2. Click the Users tab.
3. Click edit icon next to Carla Downing.
4. For Email Address, enter a valid 'email address'.
5. Click Apply Changes.
6. Click Reports tab.
7. Click Assign Open Issues link.
8. For Assigned To, select Carla Downing.
9. Click Apply Changes.
10. Wait a couple minutes, then check the destination email inbox. You should see an
email where the Subject is New Issue Assignment and containing a body similar
to Figure 15–51, "Email Notification Body".

Figure 15–51 Email Notification Body

Add Notification for Overdue Issues

The second email notification notifies the project lead whenever an issue becomes
overdue. An issue becomes overdue when the target resolution date has passed, but
the issue is not yet closed. There is no human interaction to determine if an issue is
overdue, so you cannot check for it on a page or in a trigger.
The best way to check for overdue issues is to write a package that queries the IT_
ISSUES table. If it finds any overdue issues, the package initiates an email to the
Project Lead. This procedure checks for issues by project so that the project lead can
receive just one email with all overdue issues rather than an email for each issue. The
package will be called once a day by a dbms_job.
You can use the Create Object function as follows:
■ Create the package and package body from within the SQL Workshop
■ Use SQL Command Processor to run the create commands

To create the package:

1. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL Commands.
SQL Commands appears.
2. Enter the following in the field provided:
CREATE OR REPLACE package it_check_overdue_issues
AS

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Adding Advanced Features

PROCEDURE email_overdue;
END;
/

3. Click Run.
To create the package body:
1. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then SQL Commands.
SQL Commands appears.
2. Enter the following in the field provided:
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY it_check_overdue_issues
AS

PROCEDURE email_overdue
IS
l_msg_body varchar2(32000) := null;
l_count number := 0;
BEGIN

FOR c1 IN
(SELECT pr.project_id,
pr.project_name,
pe.person_name,
pe.person_email
FROM it_projects pr,
it_people pe
WHERE pr.project_id = pe.assigned_project
AND pe.person_role = 'Lead')
LOOP
FOR c2 IN
(SELECT i.target_resolution_date,
i.issue_summary,
p.person_name,
i.status,
i.priority
FROM it_issues i,
it_people p
WHERE i.assigned_to_person_id = p.person_id (+)
AND i.related_project_id = c1.project_id
AND i.target_resolution_date < SYSDATE
AND i.status != 'Closed'
ORDER BY i.target_resolution_date, i.issue_summary)
LOOP
IF l_count = 0 THEN
l_msg_body :=
'As of today, the following issues '||
'are overdue:'||chr(10)||
chr(10)||
' Project: '|| c1.project_name ||chr(10)||
chr(10)||
' Target: '||c2.target_resolution_date ||chr(10)||
' Summary: '||c2.issue_summary ||chr(10)||
' Status: '||c2.status ||chr(10)||
' Priority: '||c2.priority ||chr(10)||
'Assigned to: '||c2.person_name;
ELSE
l_msg_body := l_msg_body ||chr(10)||
chr(10)||

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 Adding Advanced Features

' Target: '||c2.target_resolution_date ||chr(10)||

' Summary: '||c2.issue_summary ||chr(10)||
' Status: '||c2.status ||chr(10)||
' Priority: '||c2.priority ||chr(10)||
'Assigned to: '||c2.person_name;
END IF;
l_count := l_count + 1;
END LOOP;

IF l_msg_body IS NOT NULL THEN

-- APEX_MAIL.SEND(
-- p_to => c1.person_email,
-- p_from => c1.person_email,
-- p_body => l_msg_body,
-- p_subj => 'Overdue Issues for Project '||
c1.project_name);
END IF;
l_count := 0;

END LOOP;

END email_overdue;

END it_check_overdue_issues;
/

To make this work within your environment, uncomment the APEX_MAIL.SEND

and replace the p_to and p_from with your own valid email address.
3. Click Run.
Next, you want to update the demonstration data to include your employees’
valid email addresses.
To update demonstration data to include valid email addresses:
1. On the Workspace home page, click SQL Workshop and then Object Browser.
2. From the Object list on the left side of the page, select Tables.
3. Select the IT_PEOPLE table.
4. Select the Data tab.
5. For each person, edit the email address:
a. Click the Edit icon.
b. Change Person Email to a valid email address.
c. Click Apply Changes.
6. Repeat step 5 for all people within the IT_PEOPLE table.
7. Return to the Workspace home page by clicking the Home breadcrumb link.
Next, you want to create a DBMS_JOB that executes your newly created package at
a time interval you specify.
To create the DBMS_JOB:
The following is an example of a DBMS_JOB that executes your newly created package.
To make this a valid DBMS_JOB, however, you need to set the interval appropriately
and execute it using SQL Commands within the SQL Workshop.
DECLARE

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Adding Advanced Features

jobno number;
BEGIN
DBMS_JOB.SUBMIT(
job => jobno,
what => 'BEGIN it_check_overdue_issues.email_overdue; END;',
next_date => SYSDATE,
interval => desired_interval);
COMMIT;
END;
/

For this DBMS_JOB, replace desired_interval with the appropriate interval. For
example, to have this job execute once each day, you would replace desired_
interval with the following:
'TRUNC(SYSDATE)+(25/24)'

See Also: Send email from Application Express applications How To on

OTN at:
http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/applic
ation_express/howtos/index.html

Add Application Security

The planning and project analysis phase produced two security requirements:
■ Only the CEO and Managers can define and maintain projects and users
■ Once assigned, only the person assigned or a project lead can change data about
the issue
Within Oracle Application Express, you can define authorization schemes.
Authorization controls user access to specific controls and components, such as
validations, processes and branches, based on user privileges. Once defined, you can
associate an authorization scheme with any page, region, or item to restrict access.
Each authorization scheme is run only when needed and is defined to validate either
once for each page view or once for each session.
Topics in this section include:
■ Restrict Project and People Definition
■ Restrict Issue Modification
For additional examples on this topic, please visit the following Oracle by Examples
(OBEs):
■ Adding Security to your Application
http://www.oracle.com/technology/obe/hol08/apexintro/apex3.1.1_d/apex3.1.1_d_otn.htm

See Also: Session state Protection in the Oracle Database Application

Express User's Guide

Restrict Project and People Definition

The first requirement states that only the CEO and Managers may define and maintain
projects and people. To address this requirement, you:
■ Create an authorization scheme to check the current user's role

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 Adding Advanced Features

■ Associate the authorization scheme with the items on the Projects and Users report
that navigate to the Project Details and User Information pages
■ Associate the authorization scheme with the Project Details and User Information
pages themselves so that a user cannot bypass the security by manually editing
the URL to the target page
To reference the current user, use the session variable:APP_USER. This session
variable is compared with the person's email address (which is the same as their
workspace or workspace name). Whenever coding this type of security, you should
always code in a user that can pass all security. You may find this user very useful for
development and testing. If you do not take this approach, you may not be able to
access the restricted pages unless you define yourself as the CEO or Manager.

Create the Authorization Scheme

Before applying the authorization scheme created in the following steps, create a user
with the user name of HOWTO. The HOWTO user will have authorization to see the
edit links on the Projects and Issues pages. Then, create another user, HOWTO2. This
user should not be able to see the links.

See Also: "Create Users" on page 15-98

To create the authorization scheme:

1. On the Workspace home page, click Application Builder.
2. Select the Issue Tracker application.
3. Click Shared Components.
4. Under Security, click Authorization Schemes.
5. Click Create.
6. For Create Authorization Scheme, accept the default, From Scratch, and click
Next.
7. Under Authorization Scheme, enter the following in Name:
USER_CEO_OR_MANAGER

8. Under Authorization Scheme:

a. Scheme Type - Select Exists SQL Query.
b. Expression 1 - Enter:
SELECT '1'
FROM it_people
WHERE (upper(username) = UPPER(:APP_USER) AND
person_role IN ('CEO','Manager')) OR
(UPPER(:APP_USER) = 'HOWTO')

c. Identify error message displayed when scheme violated - Enter:

You are not authorized to access this function.

9. Scroll down to Evaluation Point. For Validate authorization scheme, select Once
per session.
This selection is sufficient in this instance as the assigned role typically does not
change within a given session.
10. Click Create.

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Adding Advanced Features

Next, you need to associate the authorization scheme with the appropriate objects.

Associate Objects on the Projects Report

To associate the authorization scheme with the Projects report:
1. Click the Edit Page icon in the upper right corner. The Edit Page icon resembles a
small green piece of paper and pencil.
2. In Page, enter 2 and click Go.
The Page Definition for page 2, Projects, appears.
3. Under Regions, click Interactive Report next to Projects.
4. Scroll down to Link Column and for authorization Scheme, select USER_CEO_
OR_MANAGER.
5. Click Apply Changes.
To associate the authorization scheme with the Create button on the Projects report:
1. Under Buttons on the Page Definition for page 2, click the Add Project> link.
The Edit Page Buttons page appears.
2. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme USER_CEO_OR_
MANAGER.
3. Click Apply Changes.

Associate Objects with the Project Details Form

To associate the authorization scheme with the Project Details page:
1. Go to page 3 by clicking the Next Page (>) button.
The Page Definition for page 3, Project Details, appears.
2. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon.
The Page attributes page appears.
3. Under Security, select the Authorization Scheme USER_CEO_OR_MANAGER.
4. Click Apply Changes.

Associate Objects with the User Report

To associate the authorization scheme with the Users report.
1. Go to page 4 by clicking the Next Page (>) button.
The Page Definition for page 4, Users, appears.
2. Under Regions, click Interactive Report next to Users.
3. Scroll down to Link Column and for Authorization Scheme, select USER_CEO_
OR_MANAGER.
4. Click Apply Changes.
To associate the authorization scheme with the Add User button on the User report:
1. Go to page 5 by clicking the Next Page (>) button.
The Page Definition for page 5 appears.
2. Under Buttons, click the Create link (not the icon).
The Edit Page Buttons page appears.

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 Adding Advanced Features

3. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme USER_CEO_OR_

MANAGER.
4. Click Apply Changes.

Associate Objects with the User Information Form

To associate the authorization scheme with the User Information page:
1. Under Page, click the Edit page attributes icon.
The Page attributes page appears.
2. Under Security, select the Authorization Scheme USER_CEO_OR_MANAGER.
3. Click Apply Changes.

Restrict Issue Modification

The second requirement states that once an issue has been assigned, only the person
assigned (or a project lead) can change data about the issue. This requirement is a little
trickier since it changes for every issue.
Currently, there are two pages that enable users to modify an issue: the Issue Details
page and the Assign Open Issues page. On the Assign Open Issues page, the only
issues that are displayed are those that are unassigned. Because the issues are
unassigned, security is not necessary.
Although other users are not allowed to change the data, you do want to enable users
to view all the detailed data about an issue so that they can view the progress and
resolution. Given this requirement, the best approach is to create an authorization
scheme to be evaluated once for each page view.
The authorization scheme will be associated with both the Apply Changes and Delete
buttons on the Issue Details page. This way, unauthorized users can view all the
details, but if they do change something, they have no way of saving that change.
For added security, you can also associate the authorization scheme with the process
that performs the insert, update and delete on IT_ISSUES. This protects your
application against someone changing the URL to call the Apply Changes process. To
let users know why they are not able to make changes, you can add an HTML region
that displays an explanation when the authorization fails. The SQL for this scheme
must be specific to the Issues Details page because it needs to reference P7_ISSUE_ID.
It also needs to retrieve data from the database because at the time it is evaluated, the
necessary data will not be available in the session state. The only item that will be
available will be P7_ISSUE_ID because it will be passed by the link.

Create the Authorization Scheme

To create the authorization scheme:
1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Click Shared Components.
3. Under Security, click Authorization Schemes.
4. Click Create.
5. For Creation Method, accept the default From Scratch and click Next.
6. Under Authorization Scheme, enter the following in Name:
P7_ASSIGNED_OR_PROJECT_LEAD

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Adding Advanced Features

7. Under Authorization Scheme:

a. For Scheme Type, select PL/SQL Function Returning Boolean.
b. For Expression 1, enter:
DECLARE
l_related_project integer;
l_assigned_to integer;
l_person_id integer;
l_person_role varchar2(7);
l_assigned_project integer;
BEGIN

-- User is HOWTO or new Issue

IF :APP_USER = 'HOWTO' OR
:P7_ISSUE_ID is null THEN
RETURN true;
END IF;

FOR c1 IN (SELECT related_project,

assigned_to_person_id
FROM it_issues
WHERE issue_id = :P7_ISSUE_ID)
LOOP
l_related_project := c1.related_project;
l_assigned_to := c1.assigned_to_person_id;
END LOOP;

-- Issue not yet assigned

IF l_assigned_to is null THEN
RETURN true;
END IF;

FOR c2 IN (SELECT person_id,

person_role,
assigned_project
FROM it_people
WHERE upper(person_email) = upper(:APP_USER))
LOOP
l_person_id := c2.person_id;
l_person_role := c2.person_role;
l_assigned_project := c2.assigned_project;
END LOOP;

-- User is lead of related project

IF l_person_role = 'Lead' AND
l_assigned_project = l_related_project THEN
RETURN true;

-- User is assigned to issue

ELSEIF l_assigned_to = l_person_id THEN
RETURN true;
ELSE
RETURN false;
END IF;
END;

c. For Identify error message displayed when scheme violated, enter:

This issue is not assigned to you, nor are you the Project Lead. Therefore
you are not authorized to modify the data.

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 Adding Advanced Features

8. Under Evaluation Point, for Validate authorization scheme, select Once per page
view.
This selection is necessary since each issue may have a different result.
9. Click Create.
Now you need to associate the authorization scheme with the appropriate objects on
the Issue Details page.

Associate Objects with the Create Edit Issues Report

To associate the authorization scheme with buttons and processes:
1. Go to the Application home page.
2. Select page 7 - Issue Details.
3. Under Buttons, click Delete.
a. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme P7_ASSIGNED_OR_
PROJECT_LEAD.
b. Click Apply Changes.
4. Under Buttons, click Apply Changes.
a. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme P7_ASSIGNED_OR_
PROJECT_LEAD.
b. Click Apply Changes.
5. Under Buttons, click Create.
a. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme P7_ASSIGNED_OR_
PROJECT_LEAD.
b. Click Apply Changes.
6. Under Buttons, click Create and Create Another.
a. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme P7_ASSIGNED_OR_
PROJECT_LEAD.
b. Click Apply Changes.
7. Under Page Processing, Processes, select Process Row of IT_ISSUES.
a. Under Authorization, select the Authorization Scheme P7_ASSIGNED_OR_
PROJECT_LEAD.
b. Click Apply Changes.

Create an HTML Region

Lastly, create a new region to display an explanation when the authorization fails
To create a new region:
1. One Page 7 under Regions, click the Create icon.
2. On Region, accept the default HTML and click Next.
3. Select HTML for region container and click Next.
4. For Display Attributes:
a. For Title, enter Not Authorized.

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Adding Advanced Features

b. For Display Point, select Page Template Body (2. items below region
content).
c. For Sequence, enter 30.
d. Click Next.
5. For Source, enter the following in Enter HTML Text Region Source and click Next:
You are not authorized to modify the data for this issue because<br>you are not
the Project Lead nor is the issue assigned to you.

6. For Authorization Scheme, select {Not P7_ASSIGNED_OR_PROJECT_LEAD}.

This selection makes the region only display when the Authorization Scheme fails.
7. Click Create Region.
Figure 15–52, "New Region Displaying Authorization Failure" on page 15-94 displays
the Issue Details page being run by a person for whom the Authorization fails. Notice
a new region displays at the top of the page and that the only button being displayed
is Cancel.

Figure 15–52 New Region Displaying Authorization Failure

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 Deploying Your Application

A more elegant solution to this security requirement would be to create a different

page for viewing the details of an issue. You would need to have a procedure that
would take in the issue_id and current user and pass back a flag for view only or edit.
Then you could dynamically build the link for all the reports to call either the View
page or the Edit page based upon a call to that procedure. You would still want to
protect against someone accessing the edit page without using a link so you would
also check permission before firing the insert, update and delete process.

Deploying Your Application

Now that your application is complete, the next step is to deploy it. Typically,
developers create applications on one server and deploy it on another. Although this
approach is not required, it enables you to resolve bugs without impacting the
production instance.

Note: To deploy an application on another server, you need to install

and configure another Oracle Application Express instance.

Topics in this section include:

■ Move the Application Definition
■ Alternate Authentication Mechanisms to Consider
■ Create Users
■ Publish the URL

Move the Application Definition

The definition for your application lives within the Oracle database. The application
definition includes everything that makes up the application, including the templates,
but it does not include database object definitions or the underlying data. To move an
application to another Oracle Application Express instance, you must export the
application definition from your development server and import it into your
production server.
Topics in this section include:
■ Export the Application Definition
■ Create the Required Objects to Support the Application
■ Import the Application Definition into the Production Instance
■ Load the Data

Export the Application Definition

To export the application definition from your development server:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the arrow on the Application Builder icon
and select the application you just created.
2. Click the Export/Import icon.
3. For Export/Import, click Export and then Next.
4. For Application, make sure the application created in this exercise is selected.
5. Click Export Application.

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Deploying Your Application

6. When prompted, click to Save the file.

7. Specify a location on your local hard drive and click Save.

Create the Required Objects to Support the Application

On your production instance, you need to create the objects necessary to support the
application. Log in to the production instance and follow the directions in "Designing
the Database Objects" on page 14-4.

Note: Although the supporting objects do not need to exist for you
to import the application definition, be aware you cannot test the code
until they exist.

Import the Application Definition into the Production Instance

Log in to the production instance of the Workspace home page:
1. On the Workspace home page, click the arrow on the Application Builder icon
and select the application you just created.
2. On the Application home page, click Export/Import.
3. On the Export/Import page, click Import and click Next.
4. For Import File:
a. Import file - Click the Browse button and locate your exported file.
b. File Type - Select Application, Page, or Component Export.
c. File Character Set - Accept the default and click Next.
Once the success message appears, the next step is to install the file.
5. Click Next.
6. On Application Install:
a. Parsing Schema - Select the schema on your production server that contains
your application objects.
b. Build Status - Select Run and Build Application.
This option enables other users to run the application and enables you to log
in and change the code if necessary. Alternatively, you can select Run
Application Only. Be aware that if you select this option you will not be able
to access the source code for the application.
c. Install As Application - You can select:
– Reuse Application ID from Export File - Only select this option if the
application ID is not being used on the production instance.
– Auto Assign New Application ID - Select this option to assign a new
application ID.
– Change Application ID - Select this option to change the existing
application ID. If you select this option, you will be prompted to enter a
new application ID.
When you install an application having the same ID as an existing applica-
tion in the current workspace, the existing application is deleted and then
the new application is installed. If you attempt to install an application

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 Deploying Your Application

having the same ID as an existing application in a different workspace, an

error message appears.
If all statements are successful the install commits and becomes perma-
nent. If any errors are encountered, the install is rolled back, resulting in
no permanent changes.
d. Click Install.
If the install is successful, the Post-App Install Utility Options page appears. From
here, you can select one of the following:
■ Select Run Application to see the application running
■ Select Application Attributes to view the application definition within
Application Builder

Load the Data

The next step in deploying your application is to load the data. At a minimum, you
would need to populate the project and people tables.
Note there are various mechanisms you could use to accomplish this task, including:
■ Use the application itself to create data.
■ Use the Data Loader to load data copied from a spreadsheet.
■ Use SQL Scripts and run scripts to create data.
■ If you have data existing already within an Oracle database, use either
export/import to move data between machines or use SQL to retrieve and
transform existing data and load it into the application tables.

See Also: "Loading Demonstration Data" on page 14-10 and

"Importing, Exporting, Loading, and Unloading Data" in Oracle
Database Express Edition 2 Day DBA

Alternate Authentication Mechanisms to Consider

When the application login page calls the login API with a user name and password,
the Application Express engine calls the credentials verification method specified in
the application's current authentication scheme. You have three choices as to how
credentials are verified from within the login API:
■ Implement the method yourself as a PL/SQL function returning Boolean and put
it in your application's schema.
■ Use the built-in LDAP authentication method, which checks user name and
password against the LDAP directory that you specify.
■ Use the built-in Oracle Application Express authentication method, which checks
the user name and password against the Oracle Application Express workspace
repository.
Your application is currently using the built-in Oracle Application Express
authentication method.

See Also: "Establishing User Identity Through Authentication" in

Oracle Database Application Express User's Guide

How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application 15-97

Deploying Your Application

See Also: Security How To documents on OTN:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/products/database/applic
ation_express/howtos/howtos.html

Create Users
In order for your application to be accessible, you need to create users. If you are still
using Oracle Application Express authentication, the simplest way to create users it to
access the Manage Users page.
To create a new user:
1. Go to the Workspace home page.
2. From the Administration list on the right side of the page, click Manage
Application Express Users.
3. From the Tasks list on the right side of the page, click Create End User.
4. Under User Identification, enter the required information.
5. Click Create User or Create and Create Another.

Publish the URL

Now that you have deployed your application, loaded data, and created users, you
can publish your production URL.
You can determine the URL to your application by positioning the mouse over the
Run icon on the Application home page. The URL appears in the status bar at the
bottom of the page.
The Run icon gets its value from the Home link attribute on the Edit Security
Attributes page. This link is only referenced by this icon and by applications that do
not use the Oracle Application Express Login API. Consider the following example:
http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=11563:1:3397731373043366363

Where:
■ apex.oracle.com is the URL of the server
■ pls is the indicator to use the mod_plsql cartridge
■ otn is the data access descriptor (DAD) name
■ f?p= is a prefix used by Oracle Application Express
■ 11563 is the application being called
Instead of hard coding this ID as shown here, you could use the substitution string
APP_ALIAS.
■ 1 is the page within the application to be displayed
■ 3397731373043366363 is the session number
To run this example application, you would use the URL:
http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=11563:1

When users log in, they receive a unique session number.

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 Deploying Your Application

As you may recall, you created the Issue Tracker application using the Create
Application wizard. This wizard creates a process on the Login page (page 101) that
controls authentication. The contents of the process are:
WWV_FLOW_CUSTOM_AUTH_STD.LOGIN(
P_UNAME => :P101_USERNAME,
P_PASSWORD => :P101_PASSWORD,
P_SESSION_ID => :FLOW_SESSION,
P_FLOW_PAGE => :APP_ID||':1'
);

Note that the Page is hard coded into this process. Because of this, the page you pass
in to the URL is overwritten and does not need to be included. You can access the
application by using the following URL:
http://apex.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=11563

As you can see from the example used, the URL has no meaning and can be rather
long. The host name can be changed to make it more symbolic. You can also configure
Apache to rewrite your URL so that you can publish an abbreviated format and a URL
that would be more intuitive to your users. See your Apache documentation for
details.

How to Build and Deploy an Issue Tracking Application 15-99

Deploying Your Application

15-100 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 A
DDLs and Scripts

This appendix contains DDLs (data definition language) and scripts necessary to
complete a number of tutorials in Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials.
Topics in this section include:
■ Creating Application Database Objects DDL
■ Creating Issues Script

Creating Application Database Objects DDL

The following DDL creates all the required database objects used by the Issue Tracking
application. The Issue Tracking application is described in Chapter 14, "How to Design
an Issue Tracking Application" and Chapter 15, "How to Build and Deploy an Issue
Tracking Application".

--
-- IT_API package spec
--
create or replace package it_api
as
function gen_pk
return number;
end it_api;
/
--
-- IT_PROJECTS
--
-- The IT_PROJECTS DDL:
-- + creates the projects table with the necessary columns,
-- including a new column for a system generated primary key
-- + declares the new primary key
-- + implements the real primary key, project name, as a unique key
-- + populates the project id whenever a new record is created
-- + sets the auditing columns
-- + declares table and column comments
--
create table it_projects (
project_id number not null,
project_name varchar2(255) not null,
start_date date not null,
target_end_date date not null,
actual_end_date date,
created_on date not null,
created_by varchar2(255) not null,

DDLs and Scripts A-1

Creating Application Database Objects DDL

modified_on date,
modified_by varchar2(255)
)
/
alter table it_projects
add constraint it_projects_pk
primary key (project_id)
/
alter table it_projects
add constraint it_projects_uk
unique (project_name)
/
create or replace trigger it_projects_biu
before insert or update on it_projects
for each row
begin
if inserting then
if :NEW.PROJECT_ID is null then
:NEW.PROJECT_ID := it_api.gen_pk;
end if;
:NEW.CREATED_ON := sysdate;
:NEW.CREATED_BY := nvl(v('APP_USER'),USER);
end if;
if updating then
:NEW.MODIFIED_ON := sysdate;
:NEW.MODIFIED_BY := nvl(v('APP_USER'),USER);
end if;
end;
/
comment on table it_projects is
'All projects currently underway.'
/
comment on column it_projects.project_id is
'The system generated unique identifier for the project.'
/
comment on column it_projects.project_name is
'The unique name of the project.'
/
comment on column it_projects.start_date is
'The start date of the project.'
/
comment on column it_projects.target_end_date is
'The targeted end date of the project.'
/
comment on column it_projects.actual_end_date is
'The actual end date of the project.'
/
comment on column it_projects.created_on is
'Audit Column: Date the record was created.'
/
comment on column it_projects.created_by is
'Audit Column: The user who created the record.'
/
comment on column it_projects.modified_on is
'Audit Column: Date the record was last modified.'
/
comment on column it_projects.modified_by is
'Audit Column: The user who last modified the record.'
/
--

A-2 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating Application Database Objects DDL

-- IT_PEOPLE
--
-- The IT_PEOPLE DDL:
-- + creates the people table with the necessary columns,
-- including a new column for a system generated primary key
-- + declares the new primary key
-- + implements the real primary key, person name, as a unique key
-- + implements a check constraint to validate the roles that people
-- can be assigned
-- + implements a foreign key to validate that people are assigned to
-- valid projects
-- + implements a check constraint to enforce that all project leads
-- and team members are assigned to projects
-- + populates the person id whenever a new record is created
-- + sets the auditing columns
-- + declares table and column comments
--
create table it_people (
person_id number not null,
person_name varchar2(255) not null,
person_email varchar2(255) not null,
person_role varchar2(30) not null,
username varchar2(255) not null,
assigned_project number,
created_on date not null,
created_by varchar2(255) not null,
modified_on date,
modified_by varchar2(255)
)
/
alter table it_people
add constraint it_people_pk
primary key (person_id)
/
alter table it_people
add constraint it_people_name_uk
unique (person_name)
/
alter table it_people
add constraint it_people_username_uk
unique (username)
/
alter table it_people
add constraint it_people_role_cc
check (person_role in ('CEO','Manager','Lead','Member'))
/
alter table it_people
add constraint it_people_project_fk
foreign key (assigned_project)
references it_projects
/
alter table it_people
add constraint it_people_assignment_cc
check ( (person_role in ('Lead','Member') and assigned_project is not null) or
(person_role in ('CEO','Manager') and assigned_project is null) )
/
create or replace trigger it_people_biu
before insert or update on it_people
for each row
begin

DDLs and Scripts A-3

Creating Application Database Objects DDL

if inserting then
if :NEW.PERSON_ID is null then
:NEW.PERSON_ID := it_api.gen_pk;
end if;
:NEW.CREATED_ON := sysdate;
:NEW.CREATED_BY := nvl(v('APP_USER'),USER);
end if;
if updating then
:NEW.MODIFIED_ON := sysdate;
:NEW.MODIFIED_BY := nvl(v('APP_USER'),USER);
end if;
end;
/
comment on table it_people is
'All people within the company.'
/
comment on column it_people.person_id is
'The system generated unique identifier for the person.'
/
comment on column it_people.person_name is
'The unique name of the person.'
/
comment on column it_people.person_role is
'The role the person plays within the company.'
/
comment on column it_people.username is
'The username of this person. Used to link login to person details.'
/
comment on column it_people.assigned_project is
'The project that the person is currently assigned to.'
/
comment on column it_people.created_on is
'Audit Column: Date the record was created.'
/
comment on column it_people.created_by is
'Audit Column: The user who created the record.'
/
comment on column it_people.modified_on is
'Audit Column: Date the record was last modified.'
/
comment on column it_people.modified_by is
'Audit Column: The user who last modified the record.'
/
--
-- IT_ISSUES
--
-- The IT_ISSUES DDL:
-- + creates the table with the necessary columns, including a new column
-- for a system generated primary key
-- + declares the new primary key
-- + implements a foreign key to validate that the issue is identified by a
-- valid person
-- + implements a foreign key to validate that the issue is assigned to a
-- valid person
-- + implements a foreign key to validate that the issue is associated with
-- a valid project
-- + implements a check constraint to validate the status that is assigned
-- to the issue
-- + implements a check constraint to validate the priority that is assigned
-- to the issue

A-4 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating Application Database Objects DDL

-- + populates the issue id whenever a new record is created

-- + sets the auditing columns
-- + assigns the status of 'Open' if no status is provided
-- + sets the status to 'Closed' if an ACTUAL_RESOLUTION_DATE is provided
-- + declares table and column comments
--
create table it_issues (
issue_id number not null,
issue_summary varchar2(255) not null,
issue_description varchar2(4000),
identified_by_person_id number not null,
identified_date date not null,
related_project_id number not null,
assigned_to_person_id number,
status varchar2(30) not null,
priority varchar2(30) not null,
target_resolution_date date,
progress varchar2(4000),
actual_resolution_date date,
resolution_summary varchar2(4000),
created_on date not null,
created_by varchar2(255) not null,
modified_on date,
modified_by varchar2(255)
)
/
alter table it_issues
add constraint it_issues_pk
primary key (issue_id)
/
alter table it_issues
add constraint it_issues_identified_by_fk
foreign key (identified_by_person_id)
references it_people
/
alter table it_issues
add constraint it_issues_assigned_to_fk
foreign key (assigned_to_person_id)
references it_people
/
alter table it_issues
add constraint it_issues_project_fk
foreign key (related_project_id)
references it_projects
/
alter table it_issues
add constraint it_issues_status_cc
check (status in ('Open','On-Hold','Closed'))
/
alter table it_issues
add constraint it_issues_priority_cc
check (priority in ('High','Medium','Low'))
/
create or replace trigger it_issues_biu
before insert or update on it_issues
for each row
begin
if inserting then
if :NEW.ISSUE_ID is null then
:NEW.ISSUE_ID := it_api.gen_pk;

DDLs and Scripts A-5

Creating Application Database Objects DDL

end if;
:NEW.CREATED_ON := sysdate;
:NEW.CREATED_BY := nvl(v('APP_USER'),USER);
if :new.status is null
then :new.status := 'Open';
end if;
end if;
if updating then
:NEW.MODIFIED_ON := sysdate;
:NEW.MODIFIED_BY := nvl(v('APP_USER'),USER);
if :new.actual_resolution_date is not null
then :new.status := 'Closed';
end if;
end if;
end;
/
comment on table it_issues is
'All issues related to the projects being undertaken by the company.'
/
comment on column it_issues.issue_id is
'The system generated unique identifier for the issue.'
/
comment on column it_issues.issue_summary is
'A brief summary of the issue.'
/
comment on column it_issues.issue_description is
'A full description of the issue.'
/
comment on column it_issues.identified_by_person_id is
'The person who identified the issue.'
/
comment on column it_issues.identified_date is
'The date the issue was identified.'
/
comment on column it_issues.related_project_id is
'The project that the issue is related to.'
/
comment on column it_issues.assigned_to_person_id is
'The person that the issue is assigned to.'
/
comment on column it_issues.status is
'The current status of the issue.'
/
comment on column it_issues.priority is
'The priority of the issue. How important it is to get resolved.'
/
comment on column it_issues.target_resolution_date is
'The date on which the issue is planned to be resolved.'
/
comment on column it_issues.actual_resolution_date is
'The date the issue was actually resolved.'
/
comment on column it_issues.progress is
'Any progress notes on the issue resolution.'
/
comment on column it_issues.resolution_summary is
'The description of the resolution of the issue.'
/
comment on column it_issues.created_on is
'Audit Column: Date the record was created.'

A-6 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating Issues Script

/
comment on column it_issues.created_by is
'Audit Column: The user who created the record.'
/
comment on column it_issues.modified_on is
'Audit Column: Date the record was last modified.'
/
comment on column it_issues.modified_by is
'Audit Column: The user who last modified the record.'
/
--
-- IT_API package body
--
create or replace package body it_api
as
-- generates and returns unique number used for primary key values
function gen_pk
return number
is
l_pk number := 0;
begin
for c1 in (
select to_number(sys_guid(),'XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX') pk
from dual )
loop
l_pk := c1.pk;
exit;
end loop;
return l_pk;
end gen_pk;
end it_api;
/

Creating Issues Script

The following script populates the Issues table for the Issue Tracking application
described in Chapter 14, "How to Design an Issue Tracking Application".
create or replace package it_sample_data
as
procedure create_sample_projects;
procedure create_sample_people;
procedure create_sample_issues;
procedure remove_sample_data;
end it_sample_data;
/
create or replace package body it_sample_data
as
procedure create_sample_projects
is
begin
insert into it_projects (project_id, project_name, start_date, target_end_date)
values (1, 'Internal Infrastructure', sysdate-150, sysdate-30);
insert into it_projects (project_id, project_name, start_date, target_end_date)
values (2, 'New Payroll Rollout', sysdate-150, sysdate+15);
insert into it_projects (project_id, project_name, start_date, target_end_date)
values (3, 'Email Integration', sysdate-120, sysdate-60);
insert into it_projects (project_id, project_name, start_date, target_end_date)
values (4, 'Public Website Operational', sysdate-60, sysdate+30);
insert into it_projects (project_id, project_name, start_date, target_end_date)

DDLs and Scripts A-7

Creating Issues Script

values (5, 'Employee Satisfaction Survey', sysdate-30, sysdate+60);

commit;
end create_sample_projects;
procedure create_sample_people
is
begin
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (1, 'Joe Cerno', 'joe.cerno@mrvl-bademail.com', 'CEO', 'jcerno', null);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (2, 'Kim Roberts', 'kim.roberts@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Manager', 'kroberts',
null);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (3, 'Tom Suess', 'tom.suess@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Manager', 'tsuess', null);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (4, 'Al Bines', 'al.bines@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Lead', 'abines', 1);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (5, 'Carla Downing', 'carla.downing@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Lead', 'cdowning',
2);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (6, 'Evan Fanner', 'evan.fanner@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Lead', 'efanner', 3);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (7, 'George Hurst', 'george.hurst@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Lead', 'ghurst', 4);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (8, 'Irene Jones', 'irene.jones@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Lead', 'ijones', 5);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (9, 'Karen London', 'karen.london@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member', 'klondon',
1);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (10, 'Mark Nile', 'mark.nile@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member', 'mnile', 1);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (11, 'Jane Kerry', 'jane.kerry@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member', 'jkerry', 5);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (12, 'Olive Pope', 'olive.pope@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member','opope', 2);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (13, 'Russ Sanders', 'russ.sanders@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member',
'rsanders', 3);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (14, 'Tucker Uberton', 'tucker.uberton@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member',
'ruberton', 3);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (15, 'Vicky Williams', 'vicky.willaims@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member',
'vwilliams', 4);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (16, 'Scott Tiger', 'scott.tiger@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member', 'stiger',

A-8 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating Issues Script

4);
insert into it_people (person_id, person_name, person_email, person_role,
username, assigned_project)
values (17, 'Yvonne Zeiring', 'yvonee.zeiring@mrvl-bademail.com', 'Member',
'yzeirling', 4);
commit;
end create_sample_people;
procedure create_sample_issues
is
begin
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(1, 'Midwest call center servers have no failover due to Conn Creek plant
fire','',
6, sysdate-80,
3, 6, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate-73,
'Making steady progress.', sysdate-73, '');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(2, 'Timezone ambiguity in some EMEA regions is delaying bulk forwarding to mirror
sites','',
6, sysdate-100,
3, 14, 'Open', 'Low', sysdate-80,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(3, 'Some vendor proposals lack selective archiving and region-keyed retrieval
sections','',
6, sysdate-110,
3, 13, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate-90,
'', sysdate-95, '');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(4, 'Client software licenses expire for Bangalore call center before cutover','',
1, sysdate-70,
3, 6, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-60,
'',sysdate-66,'Worked with HW, applied patch set.');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,

DDLs and Scripts A-9

Creating Issues Script

related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,

target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(5, 'Holiday coverage for DC1 and DC3 not allowed under union contract, per acting
steward at branch 745','',
1, sysdate-100,
3, 13, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-90,
'',sysdate-95, 'Worked with HW, applied patch set.');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(6, 'Review rollout schedule with HR VPs/Directors','',
8, sysdate-30,
5, null, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate-15,
'',sysdate-20,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(7, 'Distribute translated categories and questions for non-English regions to
regional team leads','',
8, sysdate-2,
5, 8, 'Open', 'Medium', sysdate+10,
'currently beta testing new look and feel','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(8, 'Provide survey FAQs to online newsletter group','',
1, sysdate-10,
5, 11, 'Open', 'Medium', sysdate+20,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(9, 'Need better definition of terms like work group, department, and organization
for categories F, H, and M-W','',
1, sysdate-8,
5, null, 'Open', 'Low', sysdate+15,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,

A-10 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating Issues Script

actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(10, 'Legal has asked for better definitions on healthcare categories for Canadian
provincial regs compliance','',
1, sysdate-10,
5, 11, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate+20,
'',sysdate-1,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(11, 'Action plan review dates conflict with effectivity of organizational
consolidations for Great Lakes region','',
1, sysdate-9,
5, 11, 'Open', 'Medium', sysdate+45,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(12, 'Survey administration consulting firm requires indemnification release
letter from HR SVP','',
1, sysdate-30,
5, 11, 'Closed', 'Low', sysdate-15,
'', sysdate-17, '');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(13, 'Facilities, Safety health-check reports must be signed off before capital
asset justification can be approved','',
4, sysdate-145,
1, 4, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate-100,
'',sysdate-110,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(14, 'Cooling and Power requirements exceed 90% headroom limit -- variance from
Corporate requested','',
4, sysdate-45,
1, 9, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-30,
'',sysdate-35,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,

DDLs and Scripts A-11

Creating Issues Script

actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(15, 'Local regulations prevent Federal contracts compliance on section
3567.106B','',
4, sysdate-90,
1, 10, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-82,
'',sysdate-85,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(16, 'Emergency Response plan failed county inspector''s review at buildings 2 and
5','',
4, sysdate-35,
1, null, 'Open', 'High', sysdate-5,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(17, 'Training for call center 1st and 2nd lines must be staggered across
shifts','',
5, sysdate-8,
2, 5, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate+10,
'',sysdate-1,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(18, 'Semi-monthly ISIS feed exceeds bandwidth of Mississauga backup site','',
5, sysdate-100,
2, 12, 'On-Hold', 'Medium', sysdate-30,
'pending info from supplier','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(19, 'Expat exception reports must be hand-reconciled until auto-post phaseout
complete','',
5, sysdate-17,
2, 12, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate+4,
'',sysdate-4,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)

A-12 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials

 Creating Issues Script

values
(20, 'Multi-region batch trial run schedule and staffing plan due to directors by
end of phase review','',
5, sysdate,
2, null, 'Open', 'High', sysdate+15,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(21, 'Auditors'' signoff requires full CSB compliance report','',
5, sysdate-21,
2, 5, 'Open', 'High', sysdate-7,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(22, 'Review security architecture plan with consultant','',
1, sysdate-60,
4, 7, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-45,
'',sysdate-40,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(23, 'Evaluate vendor load balancing proposals against capital budget','',
7, sysdate-50,
4, 7, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-45,
'',sysdate-43,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(24, 'Some preferred domain names are unavailable in registry','',
7, sysdate-55,
4, 15, 'Closed', 'Medium', sysdate-45,
'',sysdate-50,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(25, 'Establish grid management capacity-expansion policies with ASP','',
7, sysdate-20,
4, 16, 'Open', 'Medium', sysdate-5,

DDLs and Scripts A-13

Creating Issues Script

'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(26, 'Access through proxy servers blocks some usage tracking tools','',
7, sysdate-10,
4, 15, 'Closed', 'High', sysdate-5,
'',sysdate-1,'');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(27, 'Phase I stress testing cannot use production network','',
7, sysdate-11,
4, 17, 'Open', 'High', sysdate,
'','','');
insert into it_issues
(issue_id, issue_summary, issue_description,
identified_by_person_id, identified_date,
related_project_id, assigned_to_person_id, status, priority,
target_resolution_date, progress,
actual_resolution_date, resolution_summary)
values
(28, 'DoD clients must have secure port and must be blocked from others','',
7, sysdate-20,
4, 17, 'On-Hold', 'High', sysdate,
'Waiting on Security Consultant, this may drag on.','','');
commit;
end create_sample_issues;
procedure remove_sample_data
is
begin
delete from it_issues where issue_id < 29;
delete from it_people where person_id < 18;
delete from it_projects where project_id < 6;
commit;
end remove_sample_data;
end it_sample_data;
/

A-14 Oracle Application Express Advanced Tutorials