Finding all Items in the layout-editor at once

To find all items, which are displayed in the layout editor at once in the Object Navigator, press Ctrl+A, for select All.



After the Ctrl+A you have all Objects marked in the Tree:



have fun
Gerd

New Oracle Designer ?

I can't believe it...

Oracle SQL-Developer is announcing modeling-support in an upcoming release.

Here are the top features:

Database Data Modeling to support:

    * Designing logical Entity Relation Diagrams
    * Building physical schema designs
    * Generating and executing DDL scripts
    * Reverse and forward engineering of existing relational data structures
    * Data domain administration
    * Naming standardization
    * Model formatting (font, colors)
    * Importing data models from CA Erwin and Oracle Designer
    * Compare and merge facilities
    * Multiple database support
          o Oracle Database
          o DB2 (Mainframe & UDB)
          o Microsoft SQL Server
    * Logical and physical multi-dimensional modeling
    * Object relational Data Types
    * Spatial Modeling
    * Multi-level logical and physical design environments
    * Model validation rules
    * Offline (file based) and Repository based modeling

what a wonderful news. The old designer is not the best choice today, since it got the codefreeze years ago.
Gerd

Talk2Gerd in a new Look

Those of you with sharp eyes can see the golden gate bridge to the left. I shot the picture Sept. 2005, Shorebird Park, Oakland.

Faster compilation in Forms Builder

You can speed up the time for a "Compile All", when you close all nodes in the Object Navigator, so that the form shows only the name of the form. Then you press Ctrl+Shift+K for Compile All.


Compile-Times of a normal pl/sql-library with 70 program units

closed nodes :  2 sec
open nodes   : 18 sec

Compile-Times of a big pl/sql-library with 130 program units

closed nodes :  2 sec
open nodes   : 34 sec

Compile-Times of a medium form with 14 blocks

closed nodes :  3 sec
open nodes   : 12 sec

Compile-Times of a big form with 24 blocks and much sourcecode

closed nodes :  6 sec
open nodes   : 37 sec

With this little trick you can compile really fast !
try it
Gerd

Compile or Compile All ?

What is the best way to compile a form? Before I answer this question here are some explanations:

Compile Incremental      :         Ctrl + K
Compile All              : Shift + Ctrl + K
Compile Module (Generate):         Ctrl + T
Run                      :         Ctrl + R

In the older versions of Forms the Compile Module was known as Generate. I prefer this, because the Ctrl+T generates the FMX.

During my daily work I open forms and maintain them. If I use the Ctrl+T to generate the FMX, then Oracle Forms starts implicitly a Compile Incremental before the Generate.

And that's the problem. In 9 of 10 cases the generated FMX is OK, but sometimes the automatical Compile Incremental didn't work properly. It results in non-reproducable errors at runtime.

My solution for this problem is:

After opening a form I start immediately a Compile All. Each Incremental Compile and each Generate now works without runtime-problems.

Try it
Gerd

Forms Shutdown

In the article forms-startup I wrote last year how to hide the browser-window, while starting a forms-application. Another problem is: How can we close the browser-window after exiting the forms-application. Here is my favorite solution:

1) Create a new html-file e.g. close.html in your html-directory. This is the main routine, which closes the browser-window.

< BODY onLoad="window.close();" >

2) Set the formsweb.cfg parameter HTMLbeforeForm in the server-directory. This eliminates the security-question "Do you want to close the browser-window".

HTMLbeforeForm=< SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" >window.opener = top;< /SCRIPT >

3) The form, which closes the main-application needs a POST-FORM-trigger. /forms/html is a virtual-directory, which points to the close.html.

web.show_document ('/forms/html/close.html', '_self');

Used directories:

< DevSuite-Home >      : Your Developer-Suite Home Directory
html-directory         : < DevSuite-Home >\tools\web\html
server-directory       : < DevSuite-Home >\forms\server
virtual-html-directory : /forms/html      defined in forms.conf

Many thanks to Duncan Mills, Frank Nimphius and Richard Squires, who posted this code in the OTN years ago.

Pro) This technique works on IE 6 and IE 7, tested with JInitiator and Sun-Plugin.
Contra) No Firefox-Support. Since Firefox 2.0 it isn't allowed to close a window via JavaScript.

Important: The limitations of this blog forced me to write blanks after each "<" and before each ">". Don't write them, when you use this technique !

have fun
Gerd

Sourcecode-Formatting in the OTN-Forum

Nearly each day I see unformatted code in the OTN-Forum. Why?

The problem is, that many poster don't know, how to format sourcecodes. Example:

/*
|| Selecting the sum from all sub-order's
*/
if :control.sub_order_id is not null then
select sum (value)
into :control.sum
from sum_orders
where order_id in (select order_id 
from sub_orders 
where sub_order_id = :control.sub_order_id
and sub_order_type = 'ONLINE');
else
:control.sum := 0;
end if;
/*
|| now we use the sum in the ...
*/

Who can read that? I love puzzling, but not in sourcecodes. How can we solve this problem?

Use [pre] before your sourcecode and [/pre] after the sourcecode. Then it is readable like your original code:

[pre]
...
if :control.sub_order_id is not null then
  select sum (value)
    into :control.sum
...
[/pre]

and here is the solution of the above example after using the preformat-tags:

/*
|| Selecting the sum from all sub-order's
*/
if :control.sub_order_id is not null then
  select sum (value)
    into :control.sum
    from sum_orders
   where order_id in (select order_id 
                        from sub_orders 
                       where sub_order_id = :control.sub_order_id
                         and sub_order_type = 'ONLINE');
else
  :control.sum := 0;
end if;
/*
|| now we use the sum in the ...
*/

This is readable code at it's best!

Try it
Gerd

Open-Form and the Exit-Strategy (2)

Sometimes you use your source-codes since years and think - there is no easier, better and smarter way to do something, like the way in that piece of code.

So here. After writing and testing my last post everything runs well!

Today I refactored some parts of my exit-strategy code and created this much easier solution (normally this is not the goal of refactoring !):

all you need is a

KEY-EXIT in the startform:

COPY ('TRUE', 'GLOBAL.EXIT_IMMEDIATE');
EXIT_FORM (no_validate);

and a WHEN-FORM-NAVIGATE in all other forms

DEFAULT_VALUE ('FALSE', 'GLOBAL.EXIT_IMMEDIATE');
IF :GLOBAL.EXIT_IMMEDIATE = 'TRUE' THEN
  EXIT_FORM (no_validate);
END IF;

Now we have a chain reaction, when exiting the startform. Each closing form will let the focus jump to another open form. Then the WHEN-FORM-NAVIGATE triggers and closes this form too. Because the global variable was set to AUTOCLOSE = TRUE.

After the last form the whole application is closed and that's the best way to close an entire application.

If some of those forms started other forms through call_form, then you have to use the WHEN-WINDOW-ACTIVATED, because the WHEN-FORM-NAVIGATE won't trigger while getting the focus.

Isn't that a really easy solution?
Have fun with it
Gerd

Open-Form needs an Exit-Form-Strategy

This article is for all of us, who work with OPEN_FORM instead of CALL_FORM.

OPEN_FORM has benefits and problems. The user can easily switch between all open forms, but when he closes one of the forms, he only closes the current form.

Solution: Normally all applications have a startform, from where all other forms were opened. When the user is in this form and he presses exit-form, then he wants to close the whole application and not only the startform. In this case we need a method, which loops through all open forms and closes them.

Finding all open forms is a hard job. So, the best way is to store all of them in a global list named GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS. Values are separated by semicolons, like: ;STARTFORM;EMP;DEPT;

We need a PRE-FORM and a POST-FORM-trigger for all forms, except the startform. The Pre-Form appends the name of the current form to the list, the Post-Form erases an entry.

PRE-FORM :

DEFAULT_VALUE (';', 'GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS');
:GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS := :GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS || 
                      :SYSTEM.CURRENT_FORM || ';';

POST-FORM :

:GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS := REPLACE (:GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS, 
                               ';' || :SYSTEM.CURRENT_FORM || ';', 
                               ';');

Now we have the names of all open forms in a global list.

The KEY-EXIT trigger in the startform needs a loop, which closes all other forms and at then startform.


KEY-EXIT in startform :

DECLARE
  V_Form         VARCHAR2 (30);
BEGIN   
  One_Time_Timer.Initialize ('EXIT_STARTFORM');
  DEFAULT_VALUE (';', 'GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS');
  WHILE :GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS != ';'
  LOOP
    V_Form := Substr (:GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS, 
                      2, 
                      InStr (:GLOBAL.OPEN_FORMS, ';', 1, 2) - 2);
    COPY ('J', 'GLOBAL.EXIT_IMMEDIATE');
    GO_FORM (V_Form);
  END LOOP;
END;

The startform is closed through WHEN-TIMER-EXPIRED :

IF One_Time_Timer.Get_Value = 'EXIT_STARTFORM' THEN
  EXIT_FORM (no_validate);
END IF;

All other forms need a WHEN-FORM-NAVIGATE trigger:

DEFAULT_VALUE ('N', 'GLOBAL.EXIT_IMMEDIATE');
IF :GLOBAL.EXIT_IMMEDIATE = 'J' THEN
  EXIT_FORM (no_validate);
END IF;

Now you have a powerful autoclose-method for all opened forms.

Have fun
Gerd


Remember the One-Time-Timer article or use this packages:

PACKAGE Const IS
  gbl_One_Time_Timer CONSTANT VARCHAR2 (61) := 
    upper ('global.One_Time_Timer');
END;

PACKAGE One_Time_Timer IS
  FUNCTION Get_Value RETURN VARCHAR2;
  PROCEDURE Initialize (P_Event IN VARCHAR2);
END;

PACKAGE BODY One_Time_Timer IS
  FUNCTION Get_Value RETURN VARCHAR2 IS
  BEGIN
    Default_Value (NULL, Const.gbl_One_Time_Timer);
    RETURN (NAME_IN (Const.gbl_One_Time_Timer));
  END;
  
  PROCEDURE Initialize (P_Event IN VARCHAR2) IS
    tm_id   timer;
    tm_name VARCHAR2 (30) := 'ONE_TIME_TIMER';
  BEGIN
    tm_id := Find_Timer (tm_name);
    IF ID_Null (tm_id) THEN
      tm_id := Create_Timer (tm_name, 10, NO_REPEAT);
      COPY (p_Event, Const.gbl_One_Time_Timer);
    END IF;
  END;
END One_Time_Timer;

Forms 11g - Poll

After writing the last posts about Forms 11g, I'm very interested in getting your opinion, which of this new features is so important, that you directly include it into your daily work.

And: What other feature do you really need in the next patches and releases?

Please write them as comments to this post.

Thanks
Gerd

Forms 11g new features: Javascript-API

Forms 11g allows the direct communication between the generic java-applet in the browser and the world around. The new JavaScript-API implements this functionality.

In Forms 11g we have a new trigger, system-variables and built-ins for the communication with the JavaScript-API.

The trigger WHEN-CUSTOM-JAVASCRIPT-EVENT fires each time, when JavaScript raises an event to forms. In the trigger we can use the payload which is stored in two system-variables. system.javascript_event_name and :system.javascript_event_value.


Informations, which were transfered from HTML to Forms, can be easily used:


In this little example we transfer in the payload the event-name "NewForm" and in the event-value the name of a form. The data is transfered from the internet-page in this way::

< INPUT id="outside_field_id">
< SCRIPT>
  function set_field (field_id, myValue) {
    document.getElementById(field_id).value=myValue;
  };
  function clickEvent1()
  {
    document.forms_applet.raiseEvent("NewForm", "payload");
  }
< /SCRIPT>
< INPUT id="button1" type="button" onClick="void clickEvent1();" value="NewForm">

Internally the method raiseEvent of the class forms_applet is used. The applet's name has to be assigned in the formsweb.cfg to the parameter applet_name.

applet_name=forms_applet

Forms can communicate bi-directional with the HTML. Therefore we can use the new built-ins web.javascript_eval_expr and web.javascript_eval_function.

 web.javascript_eval_expr
    ('document.getElementById("outside_field_id").value="' ||
     :control.ti_inside || '";');
  web.javascript_eval_expr 
    ('set_field("outside_field_id", "' || :control.ti_inside
     || '")');
  :control.ti_get_value := web.javascript_eval_function
    ('document.etElementById("outside_field_id").value');

This example-code fills in the HTML-page a field named "outside_field_id" through the built-in web.javascript_eval_expr. Two techniques can be used. Direct Assignment or the call of a javascript-function, e.g. „set_field“.
You can read field through web.javascript_eval_function. The returnvalue is the value of the corresponding field in the HTML, in this case "outside_field_id".

This is another example of how important the new features in Forms 11g are. Now it's possible for forms to communicate with the world outside the browser's applet!

LOV with splitted data

I found an easy technique to visualize data in lov's like this:



Use multiple UNION ALL's to concatenate the data :

select '---new colleagues---' ename, NULL job, NULL hiredate
 from dual
UNION ALL
select ename, job, to_char (hiredate, 'DD.MM.YYYY')
 from emp where hiredate >= to_date ('01.07.1981', 'DD.MM.YYYY')
UNION ALL
select '---before 07/81---' ename, NULL job, NULL hiredate
 from dual
UNION ALL
select ename, job, to_char (hiredate, 'DD.MM.YYYY')
 from emp where hiredate < to_date ('01.07.1981', 'DD.MM.YYYY')

have fun and use it
Gerd

Hotkey F1 in Forms 10g

Since Forms 10g we have problems with F1. He doesn't work like in the older versions.

The Key-Mapping for KEY-HELP e.g. is now Ctrl+H instead of the good old F1.

If you want to have it work like in Forms 6i, then you can change the fmrweb.res:

The internal ID of F1 is 112, the ID of KEY-HELP-Trigger is 30:

...
113  : 0 : "F2"             : 95 : "List Tab Pages"
112  : 0 : "F1"             : 30 : "Help"
72   : 2 : "Ctrl+H"         : 30 : "Help"

have fun
Gerd

The new german Talk2Gerd

Today I learned from Patrick Wolf, how easy it is to duplicate a blog into another languages. This link here is now the german version of Talk2Gerd.

And last but not least, here is a picture of my company after snowfall... and we had a lot of snow in the last years:

Libraries: PLL vs. PLX

One big problem while developing an application is the question: Should I use attached libraries as *.pll or *.plx?

Let's have a look at some cases:

A) You use pll+plx while developing the application. The Forms Builder uses the working directory C:\Forms and the FORMS_PATH has an additional path to the directory C:\Forms\Lib. The Sourcefiles have the name Lib.pll, the Menu.mmb and EMP.fmb.

If there is a generated Lib.plx in c:\forms or c:\forms\lib, then this is the version, which will be used at runtime.

This is the direction of how Forms searches for attached libraries:

1) If Lib.plx is in your working directory - take it
2) If not found, search in the FORMS_PATH for Lib.plx
3) If not found, search in the working directory for Lib.pll
4) If not found, search in the FORMS_PATH for Lib.pll
5) If the library can't be found - Forms raises an error

This is identical to menu-mmx and forms-fmx

If the plx in the local working directory is an older version than the pll, this will cause big problems while running the forms-application. Finding errors is very tricky, if the developer didn't look on the timestamps of the libraries.

B) You use only pll's in your application.

You have no problems while developing the application or at runtime. If a library in your working directory didn't exist, then the library can be found in the FORMS_PATH.

Summary:

I never use plx because I saw many projects run into the plx-trap.

Many developer say: plx is faster, but I never had performance problems with the pll's.

Other developer say: plx is only the compiled code, so nobody can steal my sourcecode or something valuable from within the code - in that case try this example:

Create a library with a package and this variable:

PACKAGE Const IS
  HiddenPW                     CONSTANT Varchar2 (100) := 'HiddenPW';
END Const; 

Generate the plx and open it in an editor. Search for "HiddenPW". You'll find the name of the variable and the string associated to the var. That's not secure in my eyes. Only the sourcecode is hidden. I think, that a pll on an Application Server is secure enough.

If the application is standard software and not for free, then you must use the plx-technique and wrapped packages in the database.