4 Building Your Application

4.2.1 Previewing Your Application

You preview your application by running it. Running the application displays the rendered version of the application as end users would see it.

As you create pages, you can view them by running the page individually or by running the 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.

You can run an application in the following ways:

• To run the application, click the icon Run Application.

  
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• To run a specific page, click the icon Run Page.

  
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To preview your application:

1. On the Application home page, click Run Application.

2. The first time you run an application you are prompted to enter a user name and password. To continue, enter your workspace user name and password and click Login.

   You can run the application using your Application Express login credentials because you chose Application Express Authentication when creating the application. For more information, see "Establishing User Identity Through Authentication" in Oracle Application Express Application Builder User's Guide.

   The Home page of your application appears.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_home.gif
   
   

   The Home page has a link to the Departments page because you set up that hierarchy.

   The Home page has the Developer toolbar at the bottom because you ran the application in the development environment. The Developer toolbar offers a quick way to edit the current page, create a page, region or page control, view the session state, or toggle in and out of Debug mode.

3. Click the link Departments.

   The Departments report appears.

   
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4.3.1 Run the Report to View Added Columns

To see how the page looks to end users, run the page. When you run a page, the Application Express engine dynamically renders and processes the page to display viewable HTML.

To run the page:

1. In the upper right corner, click the icon Run Page.

   
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   The revised Departments report appears.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_deptexp.gif
   
   

   The Manager Id and Location Id columns are not available. Also, the three new columns do not display on the revised report: Number of Employees, Manager Name, and Location.

2. To add the new columns, click the menu Actions.

   The list of Action options appears.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_addcolumn.gif
   
   

3. From the Actions menu, select Select Columns.

   The columns that were added by the new SQL query are in the Do Not Display box.

4. To add these three columns to the Display in Report box, click the icon Move All, which resembles two forward arrows.
   Description of the illustration bldap_moveall.gif
   
   

5. Verify that the columns are in the following order. If they are not, click up and down arrows to the right of the Display in Report list to change the order:

   • Department Id

   • Department Name

   • Number Of Employees

   • Manager Name

   • Location

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_reorder.gif
   
   

6. Click Apply.

   The Departments page appears and includes the new columns.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_deptnew.gif
   
   

4.4.1 Save Report Settings as the Default

Both developers and end users can save an interactive report. However, only a developer can save the Primary Default report that initially displays.

There are four types of interactive reports:

• Primary Default (Developer Only). The Primary Default is the report that initially displays. Primary Default reports cannot be renamed or deleted.

• Alternative Report (Developer Only). Enables developers to create multiple report layouts. Only developers can save, rename, or delete an Alternative Report.

• Public Report (End user). Can be saved, renamed, or deleted by the end user who created it. Other users can view and save the layout as another report.

• Private Report (End user). Only the end user that created the report can view, save, rename, or delete the report.

To save current report settings as the default:

1. Click the menu Actions.

2. Select Save Report.

   The Save Report settings appear.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_default.gif
   
   

3. For Save, select As Default Report Settings.

   The Default Report Type settings appear.

4. Select Primary and click Apply.

   The report shows all columns when the user selects the Reset option from the menu Actions or when the page is reset by the command Reset Interactive Report (RIR).

   See Also:

   For a description of how to save a report as a Named Report see "Customizing Interactive Reports" in the Oracle Application Express Application Builder User's Guide.

4.4.2 Create a Filter

This exercise shows you how to add a filter to the Departments report. This example creates a filter to show all departments except the department with Id 60.

There are multiple ways that a user can create a filter. The user can add a filter from the:

• Search Bar

• Actions Menu

• Column Heading

The Actions menu offers more options than the others. For a quick filter using the equals operator, the Search Bar or Column Heading are the quickest methods. For anything else, use the Filter option from the Actions menu.

To create a filter for all departments not equal to 60:

1. Click the menu Actions.

2. Select Filter.

   The filter settings display. You can also click the column heading link to create a filter for that column. Creating a filter from the column heading menu, however, is limited to the equal operator.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_filter.gif
   
   

3. From Operator, select the not equals operator (!=).

4. From Expression, select 60.

5. Click Apply.

   The Departments report is displayed with the Department_Id!=60 filter applied. All departments, except for the IT department with a Department Id of 60, are included in the report.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_dept60.gif
   
   

   The filter displays at the top of the report. You can edit, disable, or delete this filter. To edit, click the filter name. To disable, deselect the check box. To delete, click the Delete icon that looks like an X over the filter icon.

6. Deselect the check box next to the Department Id!=60 filter to disable it.

   The report shows data for all Department Ids.

4.4.3 Change the Sort Order

In this exercise, you learn how to reorder the data for each column.

To change the sort order:

1. Click the menu Actions.

2. Select Format and then Sort.

   The sort settings are displayed. This option is also available for each column by clicking the column heading. The Actions menu is quicker when changing the sort order for multiple columns.

3. For the first column entry, select Department Name.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_actionsort.gif
   
   

4. Click Apply.

   The report shows the Department Name column in ascending alphabetical order.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_ascend.gif
   
   

   The Up Arrow icon after the Department Name indicates that the column has been sorted in ascending order. You can click this arrow to re-sort the column.

4.4.4 Add a Controlled Break

Another way to reformat a report is to create a controlled break. A controlled break enables the user to delineate data into clearly visible groups.

To add a controlled break:

1. Click the column heading Location.

   The column heading menu appears.

2. Click the icon Control Break (shown below).

   This option is also available from the menu Actions, Format.

   
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   The report is reformatted to show a break after each group of rows that have the same location.

   
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   The Location control break report setting displays under the Search bar.

4.4.5 Display the Single Row View

You can also display details for a row by selecting the Edit icon.

To display a single row view:

1. In the first row, locate the Edit icon .

   
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2. In the first row, select the Edit icon.

   The details page for the first row appears.

   
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4.4.6 Reset Report Settings

You can revert the report settings to the saved default settings. When an interactive report is reset, the default settings are applied to the report. An interactive report can be reset by the user and by the developer under the following conditions:

• A user can reset an interactive report if the Reset option is available from the Actions menu. This option is enabled or disabled by the developer. For further details, see "Customizing Interactive Reports" in the Oracle Application Express Application Builder User's Guide.

• A developer can specify that an interactive report be reset when it is called from another page. The Reset Interactive Report command, RIR, is used for this purpose. For further details, see "Customizing Interactive Reports as a Developer" in the Oracle Application Express Application Builder User's Guide.

To return to the default settings:

1. Click Report View.

2. Click the Actions menu and select Reset.

3. When prompted to restore the default settings, click Apply.

   The report goes back to the default report settings saved in the previous section.

4.5.1 Previewing the Pages

To preview the two pages you created, run the current page. From the Employees report, you can then preview the form.

To preview the pages:

1. Click Run Page.

   
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   The Employees report appears.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_emprpt.gif
   
   

   Note the following about the Employees report:

   • The Search Bar with the Actions menu appears at the top. For more information, see "Using an Interactive Report".

   • The column headings are links that enable the user to quickly perform various sorting, filtering, and reformatting operations. For more information, see "Using an Interactive Report".

   • The Edit icon you selected appears in each row. You can click the Edit icon to update the employee record. Because you created a form based on a table with a report, the wizard automatically linked the report to the form. If you create only a report, as described in the previous section, "Creating the Initial Application", the wizard automatically links the report to the single row view.

   • The Create button appears in the upper right corner. You can click the Create button to add an employee to the underlying table.

   • The Employees report includes the columns you specified. When you selected the columns and applied the changes, Oracle Application Express created the appropriate SQL code in the background to produce this result.

   Your data might appear in a different order. If so, ignore this difference.

2. To review the form you also created, click the Edit icon in an Employee row.

   The Create/Edit Employee form appears. For example, if you click the Edit icon for the employee Steven King:

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_empeditfrm.gif
   
   

   Note the following about the Create/Edit Employee form:

   • The Hire Date field displays a calendar, which is included because the data type of the underlying column is DATE.

   • Fields with red asterisks are mandatory and cannot be blank or null.

4.6.1 Create a Function

First, create a function to calculate employees' salaries.

To create a function:

1. On the Developer toolbar, click Home.

2. Click SQL Workshop and then SQL Commands.

   SQL Commands provides a window where you can run SQL commands (including those that create PL/SQL subprograms).

3. In the window (the SQL editor), enter the following script:

   CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION calc_remuneration(
       salary IN number, commission_pct IN number)
   RETURN NUMBER IS
   BEGIN
       RETURN ((salary*12) + (salary * 12 * nvl(commission_pct,0)));
   END;
   

   When copying and pasting this SQL, make sure there is not an empty line before the first statement, CREATE OR REPLACE FUNCTION.

4. Click Run.

   The Results section displays this message:

   Function created.
   

4.6.2 Add a Column

Next, add a column to display the results of the employees' salary calculations.

To add a column:

1. Navigate to the Page Definition for the Employees page:

   1. Click the tab Application Builder.

   2. Select the application AnyCo Corp.

   3. Click the Employees page.

      The Page Definition for the Employees page appears.

2. Under Regions, locate Employees.

   
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3. Right-click Employees and select Edit.

   The Region Definition appears.

4. Scroll down to Source, and replace the existing code with the following:

   SELECT "ROWID", 
       "EMPLOYEE_ID", 
       "FIRST_NAME",
       "LAST_NAME",
       "HIRE_DATE",
       "SALARY",
       "COMMISSION_PCT",
       calc_remuneration(salary, commission_pct) REMUNERATION
   FROM "#OWNER#"."OEHR_EMPLOYEES"
   

5. Click Apply Changes.

6. To confirm, click Apply Changes.

   This message appears: "Interactive report query changed successfully."

4.6.3 Previewing the Page

To preview the page, in the upper right corner, click the icon Run Page. The Remuneration column does not appear. You must add the column by using the Select Column action.

To display the Remuneration column:

1. Click the Actions menu.

2. Select the action Select Columns.

3. Move the Remuneration column from the Do Not Display box to the Display in Report box.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_addrem.gif
   
   

4. Click Apply.

   The Employees Report is displayed and includes the Remuneration column.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_empfrmrem.gif
   
   

4.6.4 Changing the Column Format

Next, change the format of the columns that contain numeric values.

To change the column format:

1. On the Developer toolbar (at the bottom of the page), click Edit Page 3.

   The Page Definition appears.

2. Under Regions, right-click Employees and select Edit Report Attributes.

   The Interactive Report Attributes page appears.

3. Locate the section Column Attributes.

   Next, change the format of the value in the Salary and Remuneration columns.

4. To edit the Salary format:

   1. Next to SALARY, click the icon Edit.

   2. For Number/Date Format, from the context menu, select $5,234.10.

      The appropriate format mask appears in the field.

   3. Click Apply Changes.

      This message appears: "Action Processed."

5. Repeat the previous step for REMUNERATION.

6. To preview the page, in the upper right corner, click the Run Page icon.

   The numbers in the Salary and Remuneration columns now appear with the dollar sign and include commas and decimals.

   
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4.8.1 Add a Column

In order to filter the Employees report by department, add a Department column to the report.

To add a column:

1. In the Developer toolbar, click Edit Page 3.

2. Under Regions, right-click Employees and select Edit.

   The Region Definition appears.

3. Scroll down to Source.

4. Replace Region Source with the following SQL:

   SELECT e.ROWID,
       e.EMPLOYEE_ID,
       e.FIRST_NAME,
       e.LAST_NAME,
       e.HIRE_DATE,
       e.SALARY,
       e.COMMISSION_PCT,
       calc_remuneration(salary, commission_pct) REMUNERATION,
       e.DEPARTMENT_ID,
       d.DEPARTMENT_NAME
   FROM OEHR_EMPLOYEES e,
       OEHR_DEPARTMENTS d
   WHERE e.DEPARTMENT_ID=d.DEPARTMENT_ID
   

5. Click Apply Changes.

6. To confirm, click Apply Changes.

   This message appears: "Interactive Report query changed successfully."

   The next section explains how to add the column to the report display and how to use this column to filter employee reports.

4.8.2 Display the Department Name Column in the Report

When you first run this report, use the Select Columns action to add the Department Name column to the display. After this column is visible on the report, make this report the default and filter by department.

To add the Department Name column to the report:

1. Click the icon Run Page.

2. Click the Actions menu and select Select Columns.

3. Move Department Name from the Do Not Display box to the last entry in the Display in Report box.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_deptcol.gif
   
   

4. Click Apply.

   The Employees Report is displayed and includes the Department Name column.

   
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   Next, make these report settings the default.

4.8.3 Save Report Settings as the Default

This section explains how to save the current report settings as the Primary Default report. Both developers and end users can save interactive reports. However, only a developer can save the report that initially displays, called the Primary Default report.

To save the current report settings as the default:

1. Run the report page Employees.

2. Click the Actions menu and select Save Report.

3. For Save, select As Default Report Settings.

4. Accept the Default Report Type setting, Primary, and click Apply.

   Note:

   If a reset is performed on this page, these default report settings are used. The Department Name column is displayed by default.

4.9.1 Change Column Value to a Link

To make this change, you edit the report attributes on the Departments report to change the value for the Number of Employees column to a link.

To change the column value to a link:

1. On the Developer toolbar, click Application ID.

2. Click Departments.

3. Under Regions, right-click Departments and select Edit Report Attributes.

   The Report Attributes page appears.

4. Locate the section Column Attributes.

5. In the Column Attributes section, next to Number of Employees, click the Edit icon.

6. Scroll down to the section Column Link.

7. Under Column Link, make these changes:

   1. Link Text - Select #Number of Employees#.

   2. Page - From the context menu, select Employees.

      In the Page field, the number of the Employees page, 3, appears.

   3. Select Reset Pagination.

   4. Clear Cache - Enter:

      3,CIR
      

      The 3 means the cache for page 3 is cleared and the string CIR clears the Employees interactive report of any filters, control breaks, highlights, aggregates, computed columns, chart settings or flashback settings when the report is displayed.

   5. Item 1, Name - Enter IR_DEPARTMENT_ID

      The prefix IR_ associates the URL item with an interactive report column rather than an item on the page.

   6. Item 1, Value - From the context menu, select #DEPARTMENT_ ID#.

      The Column Link section shows the options you selected.

      
      Description of the illustration bldap_setnumlink.gif
      
      

      In summary, these options enable the following behavior when the end user clicks the link:

      • The end user is navigated to page 3 of the Employees report.

      • On the Employees report, the selected department is in focus.

      • The Employees report is cleared—any filters, control breaks, highlights, aggregates, computed columns, chart settings, or flashback settings are removed.

      • The user is returned to the first set of employee records when the user selects another department.

   7. Click Apply Changes.

      This message appears: "Action Processed."

      In the Column Attributes section, the Number of Employees row contains a check mark in the Link column, reflecting the change you made.

4.9.2 Run the Departments Report

Now, run the report and test the Number of Employees column link from the Departments report. The Employees report is displayed, showing all employees that belong to the selected department.

1. Click the icon Run Page.

   The Departments report is displayed. End users can now drill down on the data in the Number of Employees column by clicking the numbers in that column.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_numemplink.gif
   
   

2. In the Executive row, in the Number of Employees column, click 3.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_emplink.gif
   
   

   The Department Id filter is displayed because this report is filtered by the Department Id value for the Executive department, 90, passed to this report from the Departments report. The Clear Interactive Report command is included at the end of the URL in your browser, as shown in this example:

   f?p=100625:3:13870074215647::NO:RP,3,CIR:IR_DEPARTMENT_ID:90
   

4.9.3 Create a Highlight to Test Clear Interactive Report Command

This exercise demonstrates how to use the CIR command to clear a highlight before displaying the Employees report. You highlight any rows containing the first name of Neena, then display the Employees report from the Number of Employees column on the Departments report.

To highlight rows in the Employees report:

1. Click the Actions menu and select Format and then Highlight.

   The Highlight options appear.

2. For Highlight options:

   1. Name - Enter Neena

   2. Background Color - Select [yellow]

   3. Text Color - Select [red]

   4. Column - Select First Name

   5. Operator - Select =.

   6. Expression - Select Neena

   7. Click Apply.

   The Employees report appears with the row for Neena highlighted.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_high.gif
   
   

3. Next, reset the report.

   1. Click the breadcrumb Home.

   2. Click link Departments.

   3. In the Executive row, click Number of Employees.

      The Employees report is displayed with the highlighting cleared, due to the CIR command specified in the column link.

4. To the right of DepartmentID = 90, click the icon Remove Filter.

5. On the Developer toolbar, click Application ID.

4.10.1 Add a List of Values

In this section, you create a list of values to select which department details to view. This is a dynamic list that queries the OEHR_DEPARTMENTS table for a list of the department names.

To create a list of values:

1. Click Shared Components.

2. Under User Interface, select Lists of Values.

3. Click Create.

4. Accept the default, From Scratch, and click Next.

5. For Name and Type:

   1. Name - Enter DEPARTMENTS

   2. Type - Select Dynamic.

   3. Click Next.

6. For the Query, enter:

   SELECT department_name d, department_id v
       FROM oehr_departments
       ORDER BY d
   

7. Click Create List of Values.

   This message appears: "Dynamic list of values created."

4.10.2 Add an Item to Display List of Values

Now, you create an item in the Department Details region to display the list of departments.

To add an item:

1. Navigate to the Page Definition for the Employees page.

2. Under Region, right-click Employees and select Create Page Item.

3. Select Select List and click Next.

4. For Display Position and Name:

   1. Item Name - Enter P3_DEPARTMENT_ID

   2. Sequence - Enter 10

   3. Region - Select Employee (10)

   4. Click Next.

5. For Item Attributes:

   1. Label - Enter Department

   2. Accept the remaining defaults and click Next.

6. For Settings:

   1. Value Required - Select No.

   2. Page Action when Value Changed - Select Redirect and Set Value.

   3. Click Next.

7. For List of Values, make these changes:

   1. Named LOV - Select DEPARTMENTS

   2. Display Null Value - Select Yes

   3. Null Display Value - Enter:

      - No Department Assigned -
      

   4. Null Return Value - Enter:

      -1
      

   5. Click Next.

8. Click Create Item.

   This message appears: "Item P3_DEPARTMENT_ID created."

4.10.3 Change Employees Report Query

Now, you change the Employees report query to display employees that belong to the selected department.

To change the query:

1. Under Regions, right-click Employees and click Edit.

2. For Region Source, enter:

   SELECT e.ROWID,
           e.EMPLOYEE_ID,
           e.FIRST_NAME,
           e.LAST_NAME,
           e.HIRE_DATE,
           e.SALARY,
           e.COMMISSION_PCT,
           calc_remuneration(salary, commission_pct) REMUNERATION,
           e.DEPARTMENT_ID,
           d.DEPARTMENT_NAME
     FROM  OEHR_EMPLOYEES e,
           OEHR_DEPARTMENTS d
    WHERE  e.DEPARTMENT_ID = d.DEPARTMENT_ID(+) AND 
           (e.DEPARTMENT_ID = :P3_DEPARTMENT_ID or 
           (e.DEPARTMENT_ID is null and nvl(:P3_DEPARTMENT_ID,'-1') = '-1'))
   

3. Click Apply Changes.

   This message appears: "Region Updated."

4.10.4 Change Column Link on Department Report

Because the Employees query has changed, the Number of Employees column link must initialize the P3_DEPARTMENT_ID item to the value of DEPARTMENT_ID.

To change the column link for Number of Employees:

1. Click the breadcrumb Application ID.

2. Click Departments.

3. Under Regions, right-click Departments and select Edit Report Attributes.

4. For Number of Employees, click the icon Edit.

5. Scroll down to Column Link.

6. For Item 1 Name, select P3_DEPARTMENT_ID.

7. Click Apply Changes.

   This message appears: "Action Processed."

4.10.5 Turning Off Pagination

Next, turn off pagination for the Department Details report, because only one record (the department details report) displays at a time. If pagination is on, the region that displays the department details includes the information row 1 - 1.

To turn off pagination:

1. Click the breadcrumb Application ID.

2. Click Employees.

3. Under Regions, right-click Employees and select Edit Report Attributes.

4. Scroll down to Pagination.

5. For Pagination Type, select - No Pagination Selected -.

6. Click Apply Changes.

   This message appears: "Action Processed."

7. Click the Run Page icon.

8. From the Department list, select No Department Assigned.

   
   Description of the illustration bldap_nodptassgn.gif
   
   

   The row for employee Kimberely Grant appears. This employee is not currently assigned to a department.

   Tip:

   If no records initially display, reload the page and try again.