Changes in This Release

New Features

The following features are new in this release:

• APEX_COLLECTION

  • Extend collections to support Oracle Database 12c VARCHAR2. Beginning in Oracle Database 12c, database columns of data type VARCHAR2 can be defined up to 32,767 bytes. This requires that the database initialization parameter MAX_STRING_SIZE has a value of EXTENDED. If Application Express was installed in Oracle Database 12c and with MAX_STRING_SIZE = EXTENDED, then the tables for the Application Express collections will be defined to support up 32,767 bytes for the character attributes of a collection. For the methods in the APEX_COLLECTION API, all references to character attributes (c001 through c050) can support up to 32,767 bytes.

• APEX_CSS

  • Support added for media queries and IE conditions to apex_css and apex_javascript APIs. Two new parameters added to the ADD_FILE procedure. See "ADD_FILE Procedure".

  • The ADD_THIRD_PARTY_LIBRARY procedure added to support content delivery networks for jQuery files. See "ADD_3RD_PARTY_LIBRARY_FILE Procedure".

• APEX_DEBUG

  • In Oracle Application Express 4.2, the APEX_DEBUG_MESSAGE package was renamed to APEX_DEBUG. The APEX_DEBUG_MESSAGE package name is still supported to provide backward compatibility. As a best practice, however, use the new APEX_DEBUG package for new applications unless you plan to run them in an earlier version of Oracle Application Express. See "APEX_DEBUG".

• APEX_ESCAPE

  • The HTML_WHITELIST function added to perform HTML escape on all characters in the input text except the specified whitelist tags. See "HTML_WHITELIST Function".

• APEX_IR

  • Prior to Application Express release 4.2, the interactive report API existed in APEX_UTIL. A separate APEX_IR package implemented in Application Express release 4.2 to help developers easily find interactive report methods. See "APEX_IR".

• APEX_JAVASCRIPT

  • Support added for media queries and IE conditions to apex_css and apex_javascript APIs. Two new parameters added to the ADD_FILE procedure. See "ADD_LIBRARY Procedure".

  • The ADD_THIRD_PARTY_LIBRARY procedure added to support content delivery networks for jQuery files. See "ADD_3RD_PARTY_LIBRARY_FILE Procedure".

• APEX_MAIL

  • Implemented easy interface to remove interactive report subscriptions. See "GET_IMAGES_URL Function" and "GET_INSTANCE_URL Function"

• APEX_UTIL

  • Build options are shared components in an Application Express application used to enable and disable functionality. In Application Express release 4.1.1, an API was added to set the build option. In Application Express release 4.2, functions are available to get back the status of a specified build option. There are two flavors of the APEX_UTIL.GET_BUILD_OPTION_STATUS function, one where you specify the build option by ID, and another where you specify the build option by build option name.

  • Session state can be shared between applications of the same workspace by implementing an extension to application items. The following procedures have been modified:

    • APEX_UTIL.SET_SESSION_LIFETIME_SECONDS

      The parameter p_scope is obsolete. The procedure always sets the lifetime for the whole session. See "SET_SESSION_LIFETIME_SECONDS Procedure".

    • APEX_UTIL.SET_SESSION_MAX_IDLE_SECONDS

      The parameter p_scope is obsolete. The procedure always sets the lifetime for the whole session. See "SET_SESSION_MAX_IDLE_SECONDS Procedure".

• APEX_PLUGIN

  • No Data Found Message added as standard region type plug-in setting. See See t_region in "Data Types".

  • Number of custom attributes for region type plug-ins increased to 25. See t_region in "Data Types".

  • Fetched Rows added as standard region type plug-in setting. See t_region in "Data Types".

  • CSS Classes attribute added to regions, buttons, page items and report columns. See t_page_item in "Data Types".

  • Support for HTML5 placeholder attribute added to several item types. See t_page_item in "Data Types".

• APEX_PLUGIN_UTIL

  • Function added to return some of the standard attributes of an HTML element (for example, id, name, required, placeholder, aria-error-attributes, class) which is used if a HTML input/select/textarea/... tag is generated to get a consistent set of attributes. See "GET_ELEMENT_ATTRIBUTES Function".

  • Functions added to better support custom plug-in attributes of type Region Column Name. Instead of passing a column number, for example p_search_column_no, the functions now also support passing a column name, such as p_search_column_name. See "GET_DATA Function Signature 1", "GET_DATA Function Signature 2", "GET_DATA2 Function Signature 1", and "GET_DATA2 Function Signature 2".

• APEX_INSTANCE_ADMIN

  • A new parameter value added to APEX_INSTANCE_ADMIN.SET_PARAMETER and APEX_INSTANCE_ADMIN.GET_PARAMETER named BIGFILE_TABLESPACES_ENABLED. See "Available Parameter Values".

  • Improvements made to failed login handling. The following parameter values added LOGIN_THROTTLE_DELAY, LOGIN_THROTTLE_METHODS, INBOUND_PROXIES. See "Available Parameter Values".

  • Interface to remove interactive report subscription implemented. Two new parameters added: email_images_url, email_instance_url. See "Available Parameter Values".

  • Support for Enable Application Tracing added in Application Express Instance Administration. To support this feature, TRACING_ENABLED parameter value implemented. See "Available Parameter Values".

  • Expose the system preference for Encrypted Tablesapces in Instance Administration and in package APEX_INSTANCE_ADMIN. New parameter value to APEX_INSTANCE_ADMIN.SET_PARAMETER and APEX_INSTANCE_ADMIN.GET_PARAMETER named ENCRYPTED_TABLESPACES_ENABLED. See "Available Parameter Values".

  • Resource Consumer Group available at workspace level. New parameter p_rm_consumer_group added to ADD_WORKSPACE procedure. See "ADD_WORKSPACE Procedure". Also, SET_WORKSPACE_CONSUMER_GROUP procedure and ADD_WORKSPACE procedure added. See "SET_WORKSPACE_CONSUMER_GROUP Procedure" and "ADD_WORKSPACE Procedure".

  • Reports on interactive report subscriptions added to Application Express Administration. The REMOVE_SUBSCRIPTION procedure added. See "REMOVE_SUBSCRIPTION Procedure".

  • Procedure added to enable an instance administrator to set the log switch interval for each of the logs maintained by Application Express. See "SET_LOG_SWITCH_INTERVAL Procedure".

• JAVASCRIPT API

  • Improve AJAX functions because htmldb_get is outdated. The following methods added to the JavaScript library: apex.server.plugin, apex.server.pluginUrl, and apex.server.process. See "apex.server.plugin(pAjaxIdentifier,pData,pOptions)", "apex.server.pluginUrl( pAjaxIdentifier, pData )", and "apex.server.process( pAjaxIdentifier, pData, pOptions )".

Other Changes

• Bug 16410097

  APEX_DEBUG.LOG_DBMS_OUTPUT must have DBMS_OUTPUT.ENABLE.

• Bug 17847306

  Example for PURGE_REGIONS_BY_APP is not correct.

• Bug 17840784

  Example for SET_SESSION_SCREEN_READER_OFF is not correct.

• Bug 17840019

  Example for SHOW_HIGH_CONTRAST_MODE_TOGGLE is not correct.

• Bug 17840613

  Example for SHOW_SCREEN_READER_MODE_TOGGLE is not correct.

• Bug 17854194

  Example for WORKSPACE_ACCOUNT_DAYS_LEFT is not correct.

• Bug 16034677

  APEX.DA.RESUME JavaScript API missing from JavaScript API reference.