2 Quick Start

This section offers a quick introduction to using Oracle HTML DB. This section assumes you have already completed the installation process.

This section contains the following topics:

Understanding Oracle HTML DB User Roles
Logging in to Oracle HTML DB
About the Oracle HTML DB User Interface
Creating an Application Using the Create Application Wizard

See Also:

Understanding Oracle HTML DB User Roles

In the Oracle HTML DB development environment, users log in to a shared work area called a workspace. Users are divided into three primary roles:

Developer
Workspace administrator
Oracle HTML DB administrator

A developer can create and edit applications. A Workspace administrator performs administrator tasks specific to their workspace. An Oracle HTML DB administrator manages an entire Oracle HTML DB development environment instance.

See Also:

Logging in to Oracle HTML DB

When you log in to Oracle HTML DB you log in to a workspace. A workspace is an area within the Oracle HTML DB development environment where multiple developers can create applications.

Topics in this section include:

Requesting a Workspace
Logging in to a Workspace
Resetting Your Password
Logging Out of Your Workspace

Note:

Before users can request a workspace or change their passwords, an Oracle HTML DB administrator must configure Oracle HTML DB environment preferences.

See Also:

"Managing Environment Preferences"

Requesting a Workspace

Note:

This section only applies if your Oracle HTML DB administrator has configured Oracle HTML DB to support workspace requests.

See Also:

"Specifying a Provisioning Mode" for more information on enabling workspace requests

Before you can log in to Oracle HTML DB, an administrator must grant you access to a workspace. Each workspace has a unique ID and name. Only an administrator with the appropriate credentials can create a new workspace.

Whether you should use an existing workspace or request a new one depends upon your development goals. Consider the following general criteria:

Existing Workspace - Use an existing workspace if you are building an application on data that already exists in the database.
New Workspace - Request a new workspace if you are building an application on data that does not yet exist in the database (for example, data from a spreadsheet or desktop database).

To request a workspace:

In a Web browser, navigate to the Oracle HTML DB Login page. By default, Oracle HTML DB installs to the following location:
```
http://hostname:port/pls/htmldb/htmldb
```
Where:
- hostname is the name of the system where Oracle HTTP Server is installed.
- port is the port number assigned to Oracle HTTP Server. In a default installation, this number is 7777. You can find information about your Oracle HTTP Server installation's port number from either of the following files:
  - ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\install\portlist.ini
  - ORACLE_BASE\ORACLE_HOME\Apache\Apache\conf\httpd.conf
- htmldb is the database access descriptor (DAD) defined in the mod_plsql configuration file.
The Login page appears.
Under Tasks, click Request a Workspace.

The Request Service Wizard appears.
Click Continue and follow the on-screen instructions.

See Also:

"Creating a Workspace"

Logging in to a Workspace

Once your workspace request has been approved, an Oracle HTML DB administrator provides you with a workspace name, username, and password.

To log in to Oracle HTML DB:

In a Web browser, navigate to the Oracle HTML DB Login page. By default, Oracle HTML DB installs to the following location:
```
http://hostname:port/pls/htmldb/htmldb
```
The Login page appears.
Under Login, type the following:
- In Workspace, type the name of your workspace
- In Username, type your username
- In Password, type your case-sensitive password
Click Login.

Resetting Your Password

You can reset your password by clicking the Change Password link on the Oracle HTML DB home page.

To reset your password:

Log in to Oracle HTML DB. (See "Logging in to Oracle HTML DB".)
Under Workspace Administration, click Change Password.
In Change Password, type the following:
- In the Password field, type your new password
- In the Confirm Password field, type your new password again
- Click Apply Changes

Note:

All users (developers and administrators) can use the Change Password link on the Oracle HTML DB home page to reset their password.

See Also:

"Changing a User Password"

Logging Out of Your Workspace

To logout of Oracle HTML DB, click the Logout icon in the upper right corner of the window.

About the Oracle HTML DB User Interface

Once you log in to Oracle HTML DB, the Workspace home page appears as shown in Figure 2-1.

Figure 2-1 Workspace Home Page

Description of the illustration htmldb.gif

The Workspace home page consists of five primary components:

Application Builder. Use Application Builder to assemble an HTML interface (or application) on top of a database objects such as tables and procedures.
SQL Workshop. Use SQL Workshop to view and manage database objects from a Web browser.
Data Workshop. Use Data Workshop to import data into and export data from the hosted database.
Applications List. Select an existing application name to open it in Application Builder.
Workspace Administration. Use this list to manage user accounts, monitor workspace activity, review log files, manage session state, view reports, and manage development services.
Workspace Schemas. Use this list to view details about the schemas accessible to the current workspace.

To access Application Builder, SQL Workshop, or Data Workshop, click the large icons in the center of the page.

See Also:

Navigating Using Breadcrumb Menus

As shown in Figure 2-2, a breadcrumb menu appears at the top of every page in Oracle HTML DB. Each menu entry indicates where the current page is relative to other pages in the Oracle HTML DB development environment. Additionally, you can click a specific entry to instantly link to a previous page.

Figure 2-2 Breadcrumb menu

Description of the illustration breadcrum.gif

Accessing Online Help

Most pages in Oracle HTML DB include page level help. Page level help displays in a text box on the right side of the page and offers a brief description of the page functionality. Oracle HTML DB also includes two other forms of online help:

Procedural online help. You can access an HTML-based online help system by clicking the Help icon in the upper right corner of the window.
Field level help. Most lists of values, select lists, check boxes, and fields in Oracle HTML DB include item help. When item help is available, the item label appears highlighted when you pass your cursor over it. Clicking the item label displays a description in a separate window.

Creating an Application Using the Create Application Wizard

A quick way to make data in the Oracle database accessible to an end user is to run the Create Application Wizard. This wizard creates a basic application based upon a table and contains the following pages:

Standard report
Insert form
Update form
Success form (indicates when a record is successfully inserted)
Analysis menu page
Analysis reports
Analysis charts
Login page

The Create Application Wizard assumes you have a single table for which you want to create a report and update and insert data. Once the application is generated, you can modify it using Application Builder.

To create an application based on an existing table:

Log in to Oracle HTML DB. (See "Logging in to Oracle HTML DB".)
When the Workspace home page appears, click the Create Application button.
On Select Creation Method, click Based on an Existing Table.
On Identify Table/View Owner, select the table or view owner on which your application will be based and click Next.

Each application is based on a table or view owned by a specific database schema.
On Identify Table/View Name, select the table or view on which your application will be based and click Next.
On Table User Interface Defaults:
1. In Singular Name, enter a singular name of the table. This name becomes the form region title.
2. In Plural Name, enter the plural name of the table. This name becomes the report region title and tab label.
3. If this is the first time you are creating an application on a given table, go to step e.
4. For Save user interface defaults, specify whether to save user interface defaults.
  
  Selecting Yes, saves table properties, column properties, summary columns and aggregate by columns selections to user interface defaults. User interface defaults enable you to assign default user interface properties to a table, column, or view within a specified schema.
5. For Column User Interface Defaults, edit the column labels (optional).
6. Click Next.
On Summary By Column, select the columns that should have a detail report and chart and click Next.
On Aggregate By Column:
1. From Columns to Aggregate, select the columns for which values will be aggregated.
2. For Aggregate Function to Use, select aggregate method (Sum, Average, or both).
3. Click Next.
On Application Options:
1. For Application Name, enter a name for the application.
2. For a Create Mode, select Read and Write.
  
  Read Only prevents users from changing the data in the underlying table. Read and Write enables users to change the data in the underlying table (that is, perform inserts and updates).
3. For Chart Type, select a chart type.
  
  The wizard creates a chart page for each summary column you selected in the previous step.
4. Click Next.
On Identify Primary Key, enter the name of the primary key column for the table and click Next.
On Primary Key Source, select a source type for the primary key column. Valid options include:
- Existing Trigger - Select this option if a trigger is already defined for the table. You do not need to define a primary key column source for existing columns. Existing columns already have a primary key.
- Custom PL/SQL Function - Select this option if the source is a PL/SQL function returning the key value.
- Existing Sequence - Select this option if an existing sequence is defined for the table. If that is the case, the sequence next value would be used.
On Select Theme, select a theme for this application and click Next.

A theme is a named collection of templates used to define the user interface of an application.
Confirm your selections and click Create.

A confirmation page appears, displaying two icons:
- Run Application
- Edit Application
See Also:
- "Managing User Interface Defaults" for more information on assigning default user interface properties to a table, column, or view
- "Editing Application Attributes" for more information on application attributes

Running Your Application

You can run your application by clicking the Run Application icon on the Create Application Success page.

To run your application from the Quick Application Confirmation page:

Click Run Application.

The Login page appears.
Log in to your application by typing your workspace username and password and clicking Login.

Your application appears. Note the Developer toolbar at the bottom on the page. (See Figure 2-3.)

Figure 2-3 Application Builder Developer Toolbar

Description of the illustration d_toolbar.gif

The Developer toolbar offers a quick way to edit the current page, create a new page, control, or component, view session state, or toggle edit links on an off.
Explore your application.
To exit your application and return to Application Builder, click Edit Page on the Developer toolbar.

As shown in Figure 2-4, the Page Definition appears.

Figure 2-4 Page Definition

Description of the illustration pg_def.gif

A page is the basic building block of an application. You use the Page Definition to view, create, and edit the controls and components that define a page.
To return to Application Builder home page, select the Application Builder tab.

See Also: