7 Using Application Builder

About the Application Builder Home Page

As shown in Figure 7-2, the top of the Application Builder home page displays the current application name and application ID, last update date, and parsing schema.

Figure 7-2 Application Builder Home Page (Top)

Description of the illustration bldr_hm_top.gif

Click the one of the following to run the current application, edit application attributes, create shared components, export and import information, or create a new page:

• Run submits the pages in the current application to the HTML DB engine to render viewable HTML

• Edit Attributes displays the Edit Application Attributes page

• Shared Components links to a new page for building shared application components and user interface controls

• Export/Install links you to the Export Import Wizard

• Create Page links to a wizard for creating a new page

As shown in Figure 7-3, the Pages list displays at the bottom of the page. To access a specific page, select the page name. To search for a specific page number, enter a page number in the Find field and click Find. To view all pages in an application, leave the Find field blank and click Find.

Figure 7-3 Pages List

Description of the illustration bldr_hm_pglist.gif

A Tasks list displays on the right side of the page. It contains the following links:

• Delete this Application enables you to delete the current application. (See "Deleting an Application".)

• Manage Page Groups links to the Page Groups page. Make the pages within your application easier to access by organizing them into page groups. (See "Grouping Pages".)

• Manage Page Locks links to the Locked Pages page. Locking pages in an application, prevents conflicts during application development. (See "Locking and Unlocking Page".)

• View Application Reports displays links to summary application reports. (See "Viewing Application Reports".)

Application Definition

Use Application Definition attributes to define basic characteristics of your application, including the application name, an optional alphanumeric alias, a version number, and the application owner. Table 7-1 describes all Application Definition attributes.

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Authorization

Use Authorization to specify an authorization scheme for your application. You may assign only one authorization to an entire application. However, you may assign an authorization scheme to individual pages, page controls (such as a region, a button, or an item), or a shared component (such as a menu, a list, or tab). An authorization scheme is a binary operation that either succeeds (equals true) or fails (equals false). If it succeeds then the component or control can be viewed, if it fails then the component or control cannot be viewed or processed. When you attach an authorization scheme to a page and it fails, an error message displays instead of the page. However, when you attach an authorization scheme to a page control (for example, a region, a button, or an item) and it fails, no error page displays. Instead, the control either does not display or is not processed or executed.

Session Management

Use Session Management when establishing your authentication and session management infrastructure. Table 7-2 describes all session management attributes.

To view details about a selected authentication scheme, click mange next to Authentication: SCHEME.

Theme

Themes are collections of templates that can be used to define the layout and style of an entire application. Each theme provides a complete set of templates that accommodate every user interface pattern that may be needed in an application.

Globalization

Use Globalization attributes to specify globalization options such as the primary application language. Table 7-3 describes theses attributes.

Application Availability

Use these attributes to manage your application by defining an application status and build status. For example, if you select the status Restricted Access, you can specify which users who have access and can run the application. Table 7-4 describes these attributes.

Global Notifications

You can use the Global Notifications attribute to communicate system status to application users. For example, you can use this attribute to notify users of scheduled downtime or communicate other messages regarding application availability. If your page template contains a #GLOBAL_NOTIFICATION# substitution string, then the text entered here displays on each page.

To create a global notification:

1. Include the #GLOBAL_NOTIFICATION# substitution string in your page template.

2. Navigate to the Edit Application Attributes page and enter a message in the Global Notifications attribute.

3. Click Apply Changes.

Virtual Private Database (VPD)

VPD provides an application programmatic interface (API) which enables developers to assign security policies to database tables and views. Using PL/SQL, developers can create security policies with stored procedures and bind the procedures to a table or view by means of a call to an RDBMS package. Such policies are based on the content of application data stored within the database, or are based on context variables provided by the Oracle database. In this way, VPD permits access security mechanisms to be removed from applications and centralized.

The PL/SQL you enter in this field is executed immediately after the user is authenticated. V('USER') is accessible from this function. Session state for the current call is not yet initialized when this call is made. If your application does not need to employ VPD to support multiple customers in the same database, leave this attribute null.

Static Substitution Strings

Use these fields to define static substitution strings for your application. You can use static substitution string for phrases or labels that occur in many places within an application. Defining static substitution strings centrally enables you to change text strings in multiple places in your application by making a single change to the Substitution Value defined on this page.

Logo

Use these attributes to identify an image to be used as the logo for this application. In Image identify the image name. If you identify an image in the Image attribute and include the #LOGO# substitution string in your page template, the HTML DB engine generates an image tag. Use Logo Image Attributes to identify specific image attributes for the logo image. For example:

width="100" height="20" alt="Company Logo"

Build Options

Use Build Options to enable or disable functionality. Most application attributes have a build option attribute. Do not specify a build option unless you plan on excluding that object from specific installations. Build Options have two possible values: INCLUDE and EXCLUDE. If you specify an attribute as being included then the HTML DB engine considers it at runtime. However, if you specify an attribute as being excluded then the HTML DB engine treats it as if it does not exist.

Application Template Defaults

Application Template Defaults list the default templates for this application. To specify a new template at the application level, you can either:

• Select a new theme

• Select a new default page template on the Define Theme page

You can also override this default by making a selection from the Page Template list on the Page Attributes page.

Table 7-5 describes Application Template Defaults for the current application.

Wizard Template Defaults

Wizard Template Defaults identify default templates Application Builder uses when running wizards. You can override these settings on the attributes page for each control or component. Table 7-6 describes Wizard Template Defaults for the current application.

Application Comments

Use this attribute to record developer comments about the current application.

Viewing a Page Definition

You can view, create, and edit the controls and components that define a page by accessing the Page Definition.

To view the Page Definition for an existing page:

1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.

2. From the Applications list, select an application.

   Application Builder appears. The list of pages in the current application appears at the bottom of the page.

3. From the Pages list, select a page.

   As shown in Figure 7-5, the Page Definition appears.

   Figure 7-5 Page Definition

   
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Understanding the Page Definition

As shown in Figure 7-6, a breadcrumb menu displays at the top of each Page Definition. Breadcrumb menus appear on every page in Oracle HTML DB. Each menu entry indicates your location relative to other pages in the current application and functions as a navigation path. You can instantly link to another page by clicking a breadcrumb menu entry.

Figure 7-6 Page Definition (Top)

Description of the illustration pg_def_top.gif

The current page number displays on the far right side of the page, next to a small button that resembles a traffic light. Clicking this button to runs the current page and renders it into viewable HTML.

A page navigation bar appears next. (See Figure 7-6.) Options available on the page navigation bar include:

• Page. This field displays the current page number. To access another page directly, enter a page number and click Go. To access the previous or next page number, click the arrow buttons.

• Delete. Deletes the currently selected page.

• Copy. Creates a copy of the selected page within the current application.

• Edit Attributes. Links to Page Attributes. Use this page to edit high-level page attributes such as the page name, an optional name alias, and view information about defined tab sets, specified templates, and authorization schemes.

• Create. Links to a wizard for creating a new page.

The page name and last update date appear next.

The center of every Page Definition is divided into three sections as described in Table 7-7.

Additional Page Definition Features

Each Page Definition contains the following row of buttons at the top of the page:

• Event View links to a report that details currently defined page controls and processes

• Object References displays a list of database objects referenced by the current page

• Export enables you to export the current page

• History displays a history of recently changed pages

Accessing a Page Definition

You can view, create, and edit the controls and components that define a page by accessing the Page Definition.

To view the Page Definition for an existing page:

1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.

2. From the Applications list, select an application.

   Application Builder appears. The list of pages for the selected application appears at the bottom of the page.

3. From the Pages list, select a page name.

   The Page Definition appears.

Accessing a Summary View of Controls, Components, and Application Logic

Each Page Definition serves a a central navigation point for all the controls, components, and application logic that defines a page.

You can access a summary view of all defined controls or components by selecting the title (for example, Regions, Button, Items, Computations, Processes, and so on). For example, selecting Regions displays a summary report of all currently defined regions on the current page. Use this summary view to:

• Edit the multiple attributes at once by making new selections from the available fields and select lists

• Link to a definition page by clicking the Edit icon

You can access additional summary views by clicking the buttons at the top of each page. To save your edits to any summary view, click Apply Changes.

You can also view the attributes of a specific control or component by selecting its name on the Page Definition. For example, if your Page Definition contained a region named Customers, clicking the region name displays an attribute page for that region.

Copying or Creating a New Control or Component

You can copy or create new controls or components by clicking the Copy and Create icons. (See Figure 7-8.) The Copy icon resembles two small overlapping pages. The Create icon consists of a plus (+) sign overlapping a small page. Click the Copy icon to make a copy of the current control or component. Click the Create icon to create a new control or component.

Figure 7-8 Copy and Create Icons

Description of the illustration buttons.gif

Editing Page Attributes

Page attributes only apply to a specific page. You access page attributes from the Page Definition.

To edit page attributes:

1. Navigate to the Page Definition. (See "Viewing a Page Definition".)

2. From the navigation bar at the top of the page, click Edit Attributes.

   The Page Attributes page appears. Required values are marked with a red asterisk (*).

The topics that follow describe the specific sections of the Page Attributes page, including:

• Page Identification

• Primary Display Attributes

• HTML Header

• Page Header, Footer and Text Attributes

• On Load JavaScript

• Security

• Duplicate Page Submission Checks

• On Error Text

• Page Help Text

• Comments

f?p=100:home

<html>
<head>
...
</head>
<body #ONLOAD# >

"SHORTCUT_NAME"

f?p=4000:4600:&SESSION::&DEBUG::LAST_STEP:&APP_PAGE_ID

Understanding Page Rendering Controls

Use the Page Rendering section of the Page Definition to specify attributes for defined regions, buttons, items, page rendering computations, and page processes.

Topics in this section include:

• Regions

• Buttons

• Items

• Page Computations

• Page Processes

Understanding Page Processing Controls

Use the Page Processing section of the Page Definition to specify application logic such as computations, validations, processes, and branching. In general, the HTML DB engine runs this logic in the order it appears on the Page Definition.

Creating a Page Computation

You create a page computation by running the Create Page Computation Wizard. For each computation, specify the item for which you are creating the computation as well as a computation type.

To create a page computation:

1. Navigate to the appropriate Page Definition. (See "Viewing a Page Definition".)

2. Under Computations, click the Create icon.

3. Select a category.

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Creating a Page Process

You create a process by running the Create Process Wizard. During the wizard, you define a process name, specify a sequence, the point at which process will execute, and select a process category. You can change nearly all of these attributes on the Edit Page Process page.

To create a new process:

1. Navigate to the appropriate Page Definition. (See "Viewing a Page Definition".)

2. Under Processes, click the Create icon.

3. Select a category. Table 7-11 describes available page process categories.

   Table 7-11 Process Categories

   Process Category	Description
   Data Manipulation	Oracle HTML DB supports the following declarative data manipulation processes: Select Automatic Row Fetch and Automatic Row Processing (DML) to create an automatic DML (Data Manipulation Language) process Use Multi Row Update and Multi Row Delete in conjunction with tabular forms. Use Add Rows to Tabular Form in conjunction with a tabular form
   Form Pagination	Implements pagination through the detail records associated with a master detail form. This process check the master table to determine which set of detail records you are in and determines what the next detail record should be. See Also: "Building a Master Detail Form"
   On Demand	Creates an application level process that can only be executed when called from a specific page. When you create this process type at the page level, it creates a procedure that calls a previously defined On Demand procedure from the application level.
   PL/SQL	Runs the PL/SQL you provide. Use this process type to execute a block of PL/SQL entered directly into the process or to simply call an existing API.
   Report Pagination	Resets pagination back to the first result set. The HTML DB engine keeps track of where the user is within a given result set. This process category returns the user to the beginning result set. In other words, this category resets the counters associated with the report region to return the first part of the result set the next time the result set displays.
   Session State	Sets the values of existing session state items to null. Select this process type to clear the cache for applications, sessions, or items as well as to clear existing user preferences. See Also: "Managing Session State Values" and "Managing User Preferences"
   Web Services	Implements a Web Service as a process on a page. Running the process submits a request to the service provider. See Also: "Invoking a Web Service as a Process"

   
   

4. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Accessing Shared Components

To access the Shared Components page:

1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.

2. From the Applications list, select an application.

3. On the Application Builder home page, click Shared Components.

   The Shared Components page appears. Shared components are grouped into the following categories:

   • Logic

   • Navigation

   • Security

   • User Interface

   • Translations

   • Files

4. To create a shared component, select the appropriate link and follow the on-screen instructions.

How Themes and Page Templates Effect User Interface

The HTML DB engine creates the user interface of an application based on a named collection of templates called a theme. Each templates contains HTML and variables that the HTML DB engine substitutes at runtime with dynamic values. By using themes, you can manage the appearance of your application user interface in one central location.

You can also override the default page level template on a page by page basis. An application can have any number of page templates. If you do not specify a template, the HTML DB engine uses the default template specified in the current theme.

About the Database Object Dependencies Report

The Database Object Dependencies report identifies database objects referenced by the current application.

To view the Database Object Dependencies report:

1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.

2. Select an application name from the Applications list.

3. From the Tasks list, select View Application Reports.

   Application Reports page appears.

4. Under Shared Component Reports, select Database Object Dependencies.

5. To view the components that reference a specific database object, select the Reference Count number.

About the Region Source Report

Use the Region Source report to search through all region source in your application.

To view the Region Source report:

1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.

2. Select an application name from the Applications list.

3. From the Tasks list, select View Application Reports.

   Application Reports page appears.

4. Page Component Reports, select Region Source.

5. To view the components that reference a specific database object, select the Reference Count number.