3

Working in the Forms

Developer Environment

Copyright © 2004, Oracle. All rights reserved.

 Objectives

After completing this lesson, you should be able to do

the following:
• Describe Forms Builder components
• Navigate the Forms Builder interface
• Identify the main objects in a form module
• Customize the Forms Builder session
• Use the online help facilities
• Identify the main Forms executables
• Describe the Forms module types
• Set environment variables for design and run time
• Run a form from within Forms Builder

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 Forms Builder Key Features

With Forms Builder you can:

• Provide an interface for users to insert, update,
delete, and query data
• Present data as text, image, and custom controls
• Control forms across several windows and
database transactions
• Use integrated menus
• Send data to Oracle Reports

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 Forms Builder Components:
Object Navigator

• Client-side and • Icons to

server-side represent
objects objects
displayed • Fast
hierarchically search
• Toolbar feature
to create,
delete or
unload, expand
or contract

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 Forms Builder Components:
Layout Editor

Toolbar

Tool
palette

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 Getting Started in the Forms
Builder Interface

• Start Forms Builder

• Connect to the database:
– Menu:
Select File > Connect
Or
– Toolbar:
Click Connect

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 Forms Builder: Menu Structure

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 Blocks, Items, and Canvases

Canvas 1 Canvas 2

Items Items
Block A Block B

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 Navigation in a Block

Canvas 1 Canvas 2

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 Data Blocks

A B C
Master Data Block
2
A B C D

Table 3

4
1 Detail Data Block
5
X Y Z

X Y Z

Table

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 Forms and Data Blocks

Block 1 Block 1 Block 1

Form C
Block 2 Open Form
Block 2
Open Block 1
Block 3 Form
Form A Form B

Block 4 Multiple Form Modules

Single Form
Module

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 Form Module Hierarchy

Module

Database
Table

Blocks
Column

Trigger
Trigger Item
Frame Item
Program
Program Canvas
Units Item
units

Trigger
Trigger

Window

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 Customizing Your Forms Builder Session

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 Saving Preferences

Existing
Preferences File

Modified
preferences

Motif:
prefs.ora
Updated, merged Windows:
Preferences File cauprefs.ora

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 Using the Online Help System

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 Forms Developer Executables

Forms Builder

Forms
Forms Compiler
Services
Definitions

Run files

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 Forms Developer Module Types

PL/SQL Object
Library Library

Menus Forms Libraries

Oracle Forms Developer

components
Data sources Database

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 Defining Forms Environment Variables
for Run Time

Set on middle-tier machine (used at run time):

• FORMS90_PATH
• ORACLE_PATH
• CLASSPATH

For Forms deployment,

the settings in the
environment control file
override system settings.

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 Defining Forms Environment Variables
for Design Time

Set on Developer Suite machine (used by Forms

Builder):
• FORMS90_BUILDER_CLASSPATH
• UI_ICON
• UI_ICON_EXTENSION
• FORMS90_HIDE_OBR_PARAMS

Windows: Modify in
Registry
(REGEDIT.EXE or
REGEDT32.EXE)

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 Environment Variables and
Y2K Compliance

• NLS_DATE_FORMAT
• FORMS90_USER_DATE_FORMAT
• FORMS90_USER_DATETIME_FORMAT
• FORMS90_OUTPUT_DATETIME_FORMAT
• FORMS90_OUTPUT_DATETIME_FORMAT
• FORMS90_ERROR_DATE_FORMAT
• FORMS90_ERROR_DATETIME_FORMAT

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 Forms Files to Define Run-Time
Environment Variables

Environment control file:

• \forms90\server\default.env or
• Other file specified in Forms configuration file
Forms configuration file:
• \forms90\server\formsweb.cfg or other
• Used to specify:
– System parameters, such as envFile and
workingDirectory
– User parameters, such as form and user ID
– Settings for the Java client
– Other settings

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 Testing a Form: The Run Form Button

• With the Run Form menu command

or button, you can:
– Run a form from Forms Builder
– Test the form in a three-tier environment
• The Run Form command takes its settings
from Preferences:
– Edit > Preferences
– Runtime tab
– Set Web Browser
Location if desired
– Set Application Server
URL to point to Forms
Servlet:
http://127.0.0.1:8889/forms90/f90servlet

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 Summary

In this lesson, you should have learned that:

• Forms Builder includes the Object Navigator, the
Property Palette, the Layout Editor, and the
PL/SQL Editor
• You can use the Object Navigator or the menu and
its associated toolbar icons to navigate around the
Forms Builder interface
• The main objects in a form module are blocks,
items, and canvases
• The Edit > Preferences dialog box enables you to
customize the Forms Builder session

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 Summary

• The Help menu enables you to use the online help

facilities to look up topics, or you can invoke
context-sensitive help
• The Forms Developer executables are the Forms
Builder and the Forms Compiler
• The Forms Developer module types are forms,
menus, and libraries
• You can set environment variables in the Forms
environment file (for run time) or on the
development machine (for design time).
• You can use the Run Form button to run a form
from within Forms Builder

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 Practice 3 Overview

This practice covers the following topics:

• Becoming familiar with the Object Navigator
• Setting Forms Builder preferences
• Using the Layout Editor to modify the appearance
of a form
• Setting run-time preferences to use OC4J to test
applications
• Running a form application from within Forms
Builder
• Setting environment variables so the Layout Editor
in Forms Builder displays .gif images on iconic
buttons

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