Gerd Volberg

Today we will take a look at the help topics in Forms 14.

 

At first glance, the Help Navigator looks exactly like the old Navigator. Only when you look at the details you see differences.

 

BUILT-IN-Packages:

Record Group Built-ins

REST Built-ins

Tree Built-ins 

 

BUILT-INS

A-C:

Add_Tree_Data

Add_Tree_Node

 

D-E:

Epoch_from_Date

Epoch_from_Timestamp

Epoch_to_Date

Epoch_to_Timestamp

Delete_Tree_Node

 

F:

FHTTP.Issue_Request

FHTTP.Set_Server_Option

Filter_Block_Summary

Find_Tree_Node

FJSON

FScratchPad

 

FTree

The remaining areas are now compared here.

 

OBJECT GROUP: No changes



 
PARAMETER: No changes

 

POPUP-MENU: No changes

 

PROGRAM UNIT: No changes

 

PROPERTY CLASS: No changes

 

RECORD GROUP: No changes

 

REPORT: There are 7 new areas

BI Publisher

FTP

Fax

Mail

Local File

Print

WebDAV

VISUAL ATTRIBUTE: No changes

 

WINDOW:

Center on Startup Property

Show Titlebar Property

 

In the last post, we took a closer look at the properties for form, trigger, alerts and blocks. Now we continue with the remaining areas.

 

ITEM:

Conceal Data Button Property

Record Orientation (Item) Property

LOV Button Property

Specified Border Sides Property

Show Border Color Property

Rollover Border Color Property

Display Character Counter Property

Rendered Property

 

Placeholder Property

Persistent Placeholder Property

CANVAS:

Border Bevel Property (Umriss)

EDITOR:

Display Character Counter Property

 

EVENT:

Database Event Type Property

LOV: No changes

Next, we compare all the properties of the object navigator with each other. Which ones were there in Forms 12 and which ones are there now in Forms 14?

Forms 12

 

Forms 14

At first glance, everything looks the same.

 

FORM:

Application Name Property

Use 3D Controls Property

 

TRIGGER: No changes

 

ALERT: No changes

BLOCK:

Maximum Records Displayed Property

Autosize Block Property

Records per Tile Group Property

Tile Group Distance Property

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you take a closer look at the menus, you will find some new menu items:


Menu File: The last 9 files are now displayed, no longer four as in Forms 12.

 

 

Menu Edit: No changes

Menu View: No changes

 

Menu Layout: No changes

 

Menu Program: No changes

 

Menu Debug: No changes

 

Menu Tools: There is now a REST Package Designer. A great new tool for communicating with REST interfaces.

 

Menu Window: No changes

 

Menu Help: No changes

Some of the new features that I found in Forms 14 are described below. And many things that have not changed.

First of all, there is the Object Navigator. On the left we see Forms 12, on the right Forms 14.

There are no recognizable changes.

 

There are also no new features in the menu or the toolbar:

The time has come! Oracle Forms 14c was launched today.

After more than 10 years, there is finally a major release with many new features. I will be reporting on this in detail over the next few days.

 

 

Next year there will be another Oracle Forms Day under the umbrella of DOAG.

February 21

Link zur Anmeldung: DOAG Forms Day 2019

Next week at the German Oracle User Group (DOAG) conference, we have a Forms community meeting Tuesday night at 6 pm in the Galileo Lounge.

As a preparation, we would like to ask you to send us questions, so that we get them answered by Michael Ferrante.

We are all looking forward to a great conference. Forms is coming again!


Please send your questions till November, 19th to gerd.volberg@forms12c.de.


See you in Nuremberg
Gerd

This morning was the last day for Oracle Forms in Firefox, I thought...

At 9:00 AM I had no problems starting my Forms-Runtime. Firefox 51.0 was the actual version at that point.

After lunch and restarting my Firefox I was running 52.0 with the new feature "no JAVA please" :-)

Very bad is, that firefox didn't give you any hint, when starting a Forms-URL. The only thing you see is an empty screen.


If you have this problem, here is the workaround:

Start the URL "about:config" in your Firefox. After the message, that from now on you are responsible for all things you are doing in the settings, you see all Firefox config-parameters.

Here you have to right mouse click and use "New"-"Boolean"


The name of the new parameter is: plugin.load_flash_only
The value of the new parameter is: false

Now you have a new Firefox-parameter, which lets you run Oracle Forms as before!


Have fun
Gerd

Today, and it's the last day of the old year, I had to announce, that the German Oracle User Group (DOAG) will have a whole day of forms-talks:

DOAG Forms-Day 2017

Come and share your Forms 12c experience with the community.



I wish all of you a good start in the new year
Gerd

Today, and it's the last day of the old year, I had to announce, that the German Oracle User Group (DOAG) will have a whole day of forms-talks:

DOAG Forms-Day 2017

Come and share your Forms 12c experience with the community.



I wish all of you a good start in the new year
Gerd

Let's now look into the Form Builder and what changes we got there.

First we see the facelift in the Open-Dialog. It's now the typical Windows-Dialog, where you have much more flexibility.


New features in the Convert-Dialog:

• New Feature "Converting to and from XML"
• Checkbox "Overwrite"
• Checkbox "Keep window open", if you have to convert many files at once.

Preferences-Dialog, Tab "General":

• The checkbox "Hide PL/SQL Compile Dialog" is new
• Web Browser location (Forms 11g: Tab "Runtime")
• Compiler Output is new

Tab "Subclass": No changes


Tab "Wizards": No changes


 Tab "Runtime":

• The checkbox "Show URL Parameters" is new
• Application Server URL is much bigger!
• The Web Browser location vanished to Tab "General"

Have fun
Gerd

Here are some of the differences which I found in the new Forms 12c version. And some things, that didn't change.

Let's start with the Object Navigator. Left side is Forms 11g, right is Forms 12c.

There are absolutely no changes between the two versions.




Same picture when we look at the menu and toolbar. No changes.



And now we see the big difference between 11g and 12c. The last decades Forms was known as "Forms Builder". And now we have a rebranding to "Form Builder".

Maybe it is only a typo. Let's wait what name it has in Release 2.


After looking at the layout I searched deeper. The help system! The global Content only changed one thing.


Oracle Forms User Interface was renamed to Oracle Form Builder. In this submenu you can now find Installation and Configuration.




Last but not least I compared the index of both help systems.

New help is available for:

• Compiler Output
• Form_Query_Only
• Forms_Abterm_Cleanup
• Forms_C_Stack_Trace_To_File
• Forms_RUEI_Send_Form_Name
• Hide PL/SQL Compile Dialog
• Max_Event_Wait
• Record_Count_Displayed
• Show URL Parameters
• System.Last_Event
• System.Notification_Value
• System.RecMgr_MAlloced
• System.RecMgr_Mapped_In_Use
• System.RecMgr_Mapped_Reserved
• System.RecMgr_Mapped
• System.RecMgr_Written_In_Use
• System.RecMgr_Written
• User_IP_Address

That's it
Gerd

My first installation two days ago wasn't stable. So I had to read the certification matrix to see, what's the problem.


Windows 10 was a little bit to new for my first installation.

So I tried today Windows 8 in a virtual machine. And that's it.

The difference to my first installation is, that the Forms Configuration Manager didn't start.


In Windows 8 the Configuration Manager did start without problems. These steps were shown in the Manager:

1) Instance Configuration

You have to set a Form Builder Instance Path. I created a new directory and wrote it into the path


2) Configuration Progress


3) End of Configuration



After the configuration you can work with the Form Builder


Just use it
Gerd

Some hours ago Oracle launched the new release of Oracle Forms.

And here are my first steps installing the new Forms 12c.

The OS, in which I tried the installation was a VMware with Windows 10 on my iMac.

 1) Welcome

2) Updates


3) Destination


4) Installation-Type


5) Prerequisites


6) Security Updates


7) Summary


8) The End


After the installation: My first start of the new Forms


More about it in the next days.

Have fun with Forms 12c
Gerd

Each application needs a simple way to log errors and find them. The following technique can also be used to debug Forms, Reports and PL/SQL. This version 2.0 has an important change. The username ist stored in the debugging-data and the viewname has changed a little bit.

First create the table, sequence and view to store the logging-information:

CREATE TABLE Logging (
  ID                         NUMBER(9) NOT NULL,
  SESSION_ID                 NUMBER(9),
  INSERT_DATE                DATE NOT NULL,
  INSERT_USER                VARCHAR2(30) NOT NULL,
  TEXT                       VARCHAR2(2000) NOT NULL);

CREATE SEQUENCE Logging_SEQ;

CREATE OR REPLACE VIEW Logging_desc_V
         (ID, SESSION_ID, INSERT_DATE, INSERT_USER, TEXT)
AS SELECT ID, SESSION_ID, INSERT_DATE, INSERT_USER, TEXT
     FROM Logging
    ORDER BY SESSION_ID DESC, ID DESC;

You need also a package with some functions to start the logging-process

CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE PK_DEBUG IS
  FUNCTION Debug_allowed RETURN BOOLEAN;
  FUNCTION Next_ID       RETURN NUMBER;

  PROCEDURE Disable;
  PROCEDURE Enable;
  PROCEDURE Destroy;
  PROCEDURE Init  (P_Debug_allowed IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE);
  PROCEDURE Write (P_Text IN VARCHAR2,
                   P_Session_ID IN NUMBER DEFAULT NULL);

  G_Debug_allowed BOOLEAN := TRUE;
  G_Session_ID    NUMBER;
END;
/
CREATE OR REPLACE PACKAGE BODY PK_DEBUG IS
FUNCTION Debug_allowed RETURN BOOLEAN IS
BEGIN
  RETURN (G_Debug_allowed);
END;

FUNCTION Next_ID RETURN NUMBER IS
  V_ID NUMBER;
BEGIN
  SELECT Logging_SEQ.nextval
    INTO V_ID
    FROM DUAL;
  RETURN (V_ID);
END;

PROCEDURE Disable IS
BEGIN
  G_Debug_allowed := FALSE;
END;

PROCEDURE Enable IS
BEGIN
  G_Debug_allowed := TRUE;
END;

PROCEDURE Destroy IS
BEGIN
  Write ('----------------------stopp '
    || to_char (G_Session_ID) || '--');
  G_Session_ID := NULL;
END;

PROCEDURE Init (
  P_Debug_allowed IN BOOLEAN DEFAULT TRUE) IS
BEGIN
  G_Debug_allowed := P_Debug_allowed;
  G_Session_ID := Next_ID;
  Write ('--start ' || to_char (G_Session_ID)
    || '----------------------');
END;

PROCEDURE Write (
  P_Text       IN VARCHAR2,
  P_Session_ID IN NUMBER DEFAULT NULL) IS
  PRAGMA AUTONOMOUS_TRANSACTION;
BEGIN
  IF Debug_allowed THEN
    IF G_Session_ID IS NULL THEN
      Init;
    END IF;
    INSERT INTO Logging (ID,
      Session_ID,
      Insert_Date,
      Insert_User,
      Text)
    VALUES (Next_ID,
      NVL (P_Session_ID, G_Session_ID),
      Sysdate,
      User,
      P_Text);
    COMMIT;
  END IF;
END;
END;
/

You start a debugging-session with INIT and stop it with DESTROY. Error-Messages are logged using WRITE. For example:

pk_Debug.Init;
pk_Debug.Write ('Hello World - ' || V_Test);
pk_Debug.Destroy;

Parts of your debugging can be deactivated with DISABLE and from this point on nothing will be written into the logging-table until you start ENABLE.

The view Logging_DESC_V shows you the debugging-information, group by the newest session-id.

ID Session Insert-Date     Text
============================================
24    21   10.09.-12:38:48 -------stopp 21--
23    21   10.09.-12:38:48 Hello World - 42
22    21   10.09.-12:38:48 --start 21-------

Try it
Gerd

now I need a floppy drive for 3,5"

:-)
Gerd

For nearly six weeks, it is rumored that Oracle Reports will not appear in the version 12c.

Since then, I tried to get information on this topic. After a few emails I got the info I needed.




I hope that this cools down the rumor mill a little bit.

Gerd

The German ADF- (and Forms-) Community released their first book.

The "ADF book" is a compilation of German lectures, articles and workshop tutorials in Oracle ADF (some of the contributions are in English!). The authors are members of the German ADF community. The time frame covers the years 2010 to 2014. The project "ADF book" was implemented by a team of staff from partner companies and Oracle.

40 authors wrote 70 contributions on 1400 pages in this book.

It's a 110 MB PDF and can be downloaded for free from the ADF-Community-Page.


My part in the book has the title "Modernizing Oracle Forms" in which I demonstrate, how easy it is to enhance Oracle Forms with modern frameworks like LAF (Look and Feel-Framework from Francois Degrelle) and how to integrate ADF in Oracle Forms via OraFormsFaces (A framework from Wilfred van der Deijl).

Have fun with the book
Gerd