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Release Notes

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This document includes preliminary information for the WebLogic Workshop 8.1 Service Pack 6 (SP6) release. This document is subject to change without notice.

Before you install and use WebLogic Workshop 8.1 SP 6, please review the following information:

For updated release note information, go to the BEA documentation Web site at the following URL:

http://www.oracle.com/technology/documentation/index.html

 

Platform Support and System Requirements

For information on platform support, including hardware and software requirements, see the Supported Platforms page at the following location:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13196_01/platform/suppconfigs/index.html

Struts Version

Page flows in WebLogic Workshop 8.1 SP4 are based on Struts 1.1, which is a part of the Jakarta™ Project by the Apache Software Foundation™. Note that this is the released Struts 1.1 software, not the Struts 1.1 "Release Candidate" software. The programming framework that is provided by WebLogic Workshop page flows adds many enhancements, including the automatic generation and synchronization of XML configuration files, plus a sophisticated graphical IDE to define, build, deploy, and maintain the web application. If you have existing Struts applications that you want to interoperate with page flows, you must use Struts 1.1. For more information, see the topic Interoperating With Struts and Page Flows in the WebLogic Workshop Help.

JSP Character Set Encoding

By default, the JSP page that is provided in WebLogic Workshop is encoded in UTF-8. UTF-8 stands for Unicode Transformation Format-8. It is an octet (8-bit) encoding of Unicode characters. In the IDE, after you select File --> New --> JSP File, the lines near the top of the generated file contain:

   <!--Generated by WebLogic Workshop-->
   <%@ page language="java" contentType="text/html;charset=UTF-8"%>

 

Release Notes for WebLogic Portal and WebLogic Integration

For the release notes for WebLogic Portal, see the following link:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13218_01/wlp/docs81/relnotes/index.html

For the release notes for WebLogic Integration, see the following link:

http://download.oracle.com/docs/cd/E13214_01/wli/docs81/relnotes/index.html

WebLogic Workshop Enhancements

Service Pack 4 includes the following enhancements to WebLogic Workshop 8.1:

 

Migrating from Previous Versions of WebLogic Workshop

The following instructions apply to users migrating applications from Workshop 7.0 and 8.1 Beta. There is no need to migrate applications from Workshop 8.1 SP1 to 8.1 SP2 or to 8.1 SP4.

Note that .work files from previous versions of WebLogic Workshop are not supported in WebLogic Workshop 8.1.

To migrate an application from a previous version of WebLogic Workshop to WebLogic Workshop 8.1, follow these steps:

  1. Launch WebLogic Workshop.

  2. Create a new application by choosing File-->New-->Application.

  3. Choose Empty Application, then enter a name for the new application.

  4. Import the projects and files from your existing WebLogic Workshop application into the new application.

Also note that the first time you access a page flow that was built before SP4, WebLogic Workshop will either automatically update it with several changes, or you will be prompted about pending changes.

Using Source Control with Your WebLogic Workshop Applications

WebLogic Workshop offers integrated source control with Perforce P4, Rational ClearCase, and CVS. If you are using a source control system with your WebLogic Workshop application, there are certain files that you should not check in, because they are generated or updated dynamically. You should also not edit these files. They include:

Using 'DDL in Transaction' Option for Sybase Databases

If your web application uses the following combination of components, you must set the Sybase database option 'DDL in transaction' to true. This setting will enable database table create commands to work properly:

For example, in an SQL script:

   exec master.dbo.sp_dboption WEBLOGIC, 'ddl in tran' ,true
   go
   use WEBLOGIC
   go
   checkpoint 
   go

Known Limitations

Installing WebLogic Workshop

Installing WebLogic Workshop Into a Directory Containing a Space on Windows May Result in Unexpected Behavior Starting Server

If you install WebLogic Workshop into a directory whose name contains a space, you may see unexpected results when you try to start WebLogic Server from the IDE. The server may not appear to start, and the progress dialog may not be dismissed.

Workaround: Install WebLogic Workshop into a directory whose name contains no spaces.

Windows: Use WebLogic Workshop as User with Administrator Privileges

You should install and use WebLogic Workshop on Windows as a user with Administrator privileges. Otherwise, you may encounter the following error when running a WebLogic Workshop application.

      java.lang.SecurityException: Could not open windows registry node Software\JavaSoft\prefs at root 0x80000002: Access Denied

WebLogic Workshop IDE

WebLogic Workshop Fails to Start on Linux for Some Locales

On a Linux machine, WebLogic Workshop fails to start for the following LANG settings: ja_JP.eucjp (Japanese), ko_KR.euckr (Korean), and zh_CN.gbk (Chinese). The following error will be thrown:

Error occurred during initialization of VM
java.lang.Error: java.lang.IllegalStateException: recursive invocation

Workaround: Download and install JDK1.4.2_05 or later. Open [WEBLOGIC_HOME]\workshop\Workshop.sh and edit the path "[BEA_HOME]\jdk142_04/jre/bin/java" to point to the newly installed JDK. Reboot WebLogic Workshop.

Enabling Ctrl-Tab for Cycling Files in a Linux Environment

The Ctrl-Tab key combination cycles through files open in WebLogic Workshop. Linux systems may have already mapped Ctrl-Tab to different functionality. On Linux installations of WebLogic Workshop, you may want to disable the existing mapping for the Ctrl-Tab key combination in order to use Ctrl-Tab to cycle through windows in the Workshop IDE.

Case Insensitivity When Compiling XML Schemas

On Windows installations of WebLogic Workshop, compilation of XML schemas in a Schemas project is case insensitive. This can result in namespace collisions if your schema file contains element names that differ only in case.

Invalid EJB-link Value Can Result in 503 Error

EJB controls that contain invalid EJB-link values, can cause a deployment error that results in a 503 returned to the user.

Build errors for Multiple WSDLs that Implement Conversations

When multiple WSDLs that implement conversations are placed in the same Schema project, the build will fail with a Duplicate global type error message. You can solve this problem by creating a separate Schema project for each WSDL that implements a conversation.

Test Browser's Test XML Tab Does not Support SOAP 1.2

The Test Browser's Test XML tab does not support testing of SOAP 1.2 web services. You should use the Test Form tab or another test client to test SOAP 1.2 web services.

IDE Does Not Support Editting of Application Source Files While Server Processes Requests To That Application

When WebLogic Server is processing requests to an application, the IDE does not support editting of the source files of that application. Doing so may result in failed deployment of the application to the server.

Workaround: stop and restart WebLogic Server.

Using log4j in Applications Deployed to the Same Server as Workshop Applications

When Workshop applications are deployed to WebLogic Server with other applications (not necessarily Workshop applications) that user log4j, then all applications on the server should use log4j version 1.2.8. Use of another version of log4j may conflict with WebLogic Workshop's use of log4j.

Build Can Fail for Very Large Applications

When building a very large application, the compilation process might run out of memory and fail. If you encounter this problem, try creating several smaller applications instead of one large application.

The WebLogic Workshop Debugger Console Window Should Not Be Closed

When you test your application in WebLogic Workshop, you will see a console window opened for the WebLogic Workshop Debugger. This console loads when you start WebLogic Server and closes when you stop the server. You should not close this window manually; doing so may cause unexpected results.

Large Applications May Require Additional Memory Allocation

If you are building and testing a large application, WebLogic Workshop may run out of memory, which can cause it to run slowly or shut down.

Workaround: You can increase your memory allocation by modifying the Workshop.cfg file, located in the BEA_HOME\weblogic81\workshop\ directory. Add this flag to the command-line arguments:

VM flag -Xmx512m

Large Schema Projects May Require Additional Memory Allocation

When compiling large Schema projects, you may encounter an out of memory error. In this case, you can manually edit the build process to allocate more memory to the Schema build.

Workaround: Export the build.xml file for the Schema project. (To export the build.xml file, right-click the Schema project, select Properties, click Build, and click Export to ANT file.) In the exported ANT file, search for the following element.

<xmlbean
classgendir="${classes.dir}"
schema="${src.path}"
classpath="${class.path}"
memoryInitialSize="8m"
memoryMaximumSize="256m"
fork="true"
failonerror="true" />

Edit the memoryMaximumSize attribute to allocate more memory to the Schema project compilation, save the build.xml file, and re-compile the project.

Class File Might Not Be Removed from File System When Corresponding Source File is Deleted or Renamed

WebLogic Workshop might not remove a class file from the file system when the corresponding source file is deleted. This can result in unexpected behavior if your code is expecting those classes to no longer be present.

Workaround: Delete old classes from the WEB-INF/classes directory and from the .workshop directory, or run the cleanApp command described above.

WebLogic Workshop Help Topics: Topic URL

The URL for a topic in WebLogic Workshop Help does not appear in the browser address bar. The unique URL for each topic in Help is available at the bottom of the topic. Because these URLs are generated by script at the time of viewing, they are not indexed by the full-text search engine, and thus are not searchable.

EJB Control Wizard Creates EJB Control that Incorrectly References Local Rather Than Remote Interfaces

In you generate an EJB with the EJB control wizard, then the generated EJB control file will always extend the local interface instead of the remote interface, even if you use the wizard to select the EJB's remote JNDI name.

Workaround: After the EJB control file has been created, edit the file to extend the remote home and bean interfaces rather than the local interfaces.

Changes Made through the XQuery Mapper Dialog are not Committed to the Web Service Source File

In some cases, when you edit a XQuery map through the XQuery Mapper dialog, your changes are not saved to the XQuery map in the JWS source file. To ensure that your edits are saved to the JWS file, click the Test tab of the XQuery Mapper dialog before you exit the dialog.

WebLogic Server Startup Scripts

In the SP2 release, the scripts for starting WebLogic Server (<BEA_HOME>\weblogic81\samples\domains\workshop\startWebLogic.sh, etc.) no longer support the -memmax flag. You should use the environmental variables JAVA_OPTIONS and MEM_ARGS instead.

Package Change from weblogic.jws.control.DatabaseFilter to com.bea.control.DatabaseFilter

As of the WebLogic Workshop 8.1 release, the package weblogic.jws.control.DatabaseFilter has been changed to com.bea.control.DatabaseFilter.

Changes to JAR Files Modified Outside of WebLogic Workshop Are Not Automatically Reflected in Application Window

If you modify a JAR file that is used within your WebLogic Workshop application from outside of the IDE, you must close and re-open the application to see the changes made to the JAR file.

The keepgenerated Flag in JSP Configuration Section of weblogic.xml May Not Provide the Expected Behavior

When you set the keepgenerated flag to true within the <jsp-descriptor> element, you may not see the expected behavior, which is that a corresponding .java file is maintained on disk for each JSP file.

To get the generated file, you can configure WebLogic Server to use the WebLogic JSP compiler rather than the WebLogic Workshop JSP compiler. To force WebLogic Server to use the WebLogic JSP compiler, comment out the definition for the jsp-servlet parameter. Begin the comment before the <jsp-param> element.

Compiler May Leave Large CLASS Files on Local Machine

On Windows machines, WebLogic Workshop stores a cache of CLASS and JAR files in the folder C:\Documents and Settings\[user_name]\Local Settings\Temp\. These CLASS and JAR files are contained in folders with the naming pattern javelin-path-cache-xx. You should periodically delete these folders form the Temp folder.

Application Build Fails for References to Schema Components Across Namespaces


The Workshop runtime set the default namespace to xmlns="http://schemas.xmlsoap.org/wsdl/";. The caused type resolution problems
with unqualified schemas in the types section of the wsdl.

Platform Affected: 8.1 SP2, SP3, SP4, SP5

Workaround: Add the wsdl prefix namespace definition to the wsdl. Add the wsdl prefix to all wsdl elements. Redefine the default namespace to an empty namespace.

Web Services

Restrictions on Handlers Used with Web Services

Due to the way inbound SOAP messages are processed by WebLogic Server, there are a few restrictions on the kinds of things you can do to a SOAP message in a handler.

- A handler can't change the intended target operation. The server determines what the operation is before the handler is invoked.

- A handler can't encrypt the value of the SOAP body in a way that prevents the server from determining the operation name.

- A handler can't change the conversation ID. The conversation ID is needed by the server to correlate the call with the target instance.

Autogenerated WSDL Files Should not be Used in Production Environment

When you autogenerate a WSDL file from a JWS file the WSDL produced is appropriate for development purposes, but not for a production environment. The development WSDL produced has an endpoint of 'localhost'.

Before the WSDL is exposed in a production application, the ServiceControl element should be configured for the correct target service. How this is done is environment dependent. You may either:

1. Look up (from some external configuration store) the endpoint from the containing component and calling setEndpoint URL_endpoint).

2. Configure the WSDL <location> tag with a value that is resolved correctly using the environment's DNS (e.g. www.some.public.service://servicePath).

XA Drivers and Conversational State

By default, new WebLogic Workshop domains are configured with a non-XA driver for the database where JMS and JWS/JPD conversational state is preserved. If you add a new connection pool and reference it from within a conversational JWS/JPD, you must manually configure it with an XA driver.

MS SQL Users Must Use BEA Driver with Conversation Web Services

Users who deploy conversation web service with a MS SQL database to save conversational state must use the BEA MS SQL Server Driver. The DataDirect MS SQL Driver is not supported for conversational web services.

Arrays of Attachments Not Supported for Web Services

Sending arrays of attachments from the Java proxy to a WebLogic Workshop web service is not currently supported in WebLogic Workshop. Also, sending arrays of attachments from a WebLogic Workshop Service control to a WebLogic Server web service is not supported.

Page Flows

Databinding to Static Variables is not Supported

In JSP pages, databinding expressions such as {pageFlow.myStaticVariable} may not reference static variables. References to static variables cause an IllegalExpressionException. When using databinding expressions, you should ensure that the variables referred to are non-static.

Problem Using securePort Token by Standalone Page Flows in Portal Applications

Page Flows that are deployed standalone in a portal application cannot use a {url:securePort} token defined in url-template-config.xml. In this context, a "standalone" page flow means one that is deployed in a portal project, is accessed directly, but is not aggregated in a portal page. The {url:securePort} token works only when a page flow is aggregated in a portal page. A standalone page flow in a portal cannot use:

https://{url:domain}:{url:securePort}/{url:path}?{url:queryString} url:securePort

The workaround for standalone page flows in portals is to hard code the ports in url-template-config.xml, instead of using the token {url:securePort}.

Databinding to an Interface with non-public Implementation Class not Supported

Attempts to databind to an interface with a non-public implementation classes will cause an IllegalAccessException exception. Ensure that you databind only to those interfaces which have public implementation classes.

Exception Occurs When Using JMS Control in Page Flows

Using a JMS Control with a JMS Message type in a page flow causes the following exception:

weblogic.jms.common.IllegalStateException

Note that the error does not occur when you use a JMS Control of that type in a web service. Also, within a page flow, the error does not occur while sending a TextMessage to a JMS Control that accepts a TextMessage, such as:

testjms.sendTextMessage("Welcome");

A workaround is to create a wrapper control that bundles together the calls to getSession(), createTextMessage(), and sendJMSMessage() within one method. All of the methods are then executed by the same control instance. For more information see Control Lifetime Considerations when Invoking Controls from Page Flows.

Conversion Exception When Using RowSets and Oracle 9.20 TIMESTAMP

The ORACLE 9.20 Sql type TIMESTAMP is currently not supported by the WebLogic Server RowSet. The Oracle TIMESTAMP data is persisted as an 11-byte datum and there is no transformation code that will correctly translate this object into a corresponding java.sql type. To work around this problem, you can create a Rowset Form mapping that will convert the 11-byte representation returned from getObject() into a java.sql.Timestamp object.

Byte Represents
0 Century (119 for 1990)
1 Decade (190 for 1990)
2 Month
3 Day
4 Hour
5 Minute
6 Seconds
7 Nanoseconds
8 Nanoseconds
9 Nanoseconds
10 Nanoseconds

For more information about the oracle.sql.TIMESTAMP class, see its Javadoc on the Oracle site.

Avoid Using Overloaded Actions, Where Possible

If your page flow uses overloaded actions, you must be aware of the run-time behavior to avoid unintended results. For more information, see the remarks in the Help topic for the @jpf:forward annotation.

Flow View Display Problem In Special Case

In the WebLogic Workshop IDE, the Flow View will not show an action being raised by a JSP page when the page flow has a subdirectory with the same name as that action. To workaround this Flow View display problem, either change the name of the JSP's raised action, or change the subdirectory that is in conflict.

Can Create a Page Flow with the Same Name as Another Entity, Without Warning

The Page Flow Wizard does not warn users against creating a new directory with the same name as an existing Java-based file. Using identical names results in packaging conflicts, which cause parse errors in .jws, .jcs, .jcx, and .java files.

Workaround: Avoid naming a directory and a peer Java-based file the same name. If you do this inadvertently, simply rename one of the entities.

The begin() Method and Other Methods in a Page Flow Controller Class

When you access a page flow by specifying its JPF file in the URL, the page flow's begin() method is run. This method determines the first JSP page to load for the current page flow. For example, when the server is running and you access:

http://localhost:7001/WebApp/Controller.jpf

The page flow is initialized and the begin() forwards you to the page flow's first page, which is index.jsp in the /SamplesApp/WebApp project.
You can access methods directly by using <method-name>.do in the URI. For example:

http://localhost:7001/WebApp/specialFlow/ThisWeeksSpecial.do

Note that when you access methods directly, the page flow's begin() method has been bypassed and is not run. This is not a problem, assuming that any prerequisite data or conditions already exist for the execution of a directly specified method. But is an important distinction about the role of a page flow's begin() and other methods in the page flow.

Also note that when an instance of a page flow is created, its onCreate() method is always run. The onCreate runs in either case, whether <page-flow-name>Controller.jpf, or a <method-name>.do, is on the URI.

Warning appears on legitimate Struts action

In some cases, you may see a warning, designated by a green squiggle line, on a legitimate Struts action in a page flow. The warning appears in Flow View and Action View but not in Source View. The warning suggests that the Struts action does not exist. This warning appears in error, and you should ignore it.

To see an example of this erroneous warning, view the strutsInterop sample in the SamplesApp sample application in either Flow View or Action View. This sample can found in the following location:

BEA_HOME/weblogic81/samples/workshop/SamplesApp/WebApp/struts/strutsInterop/strutsInteropController.jpf

XMLMaps and XQuery

Editing an XQuery Map on a Method or Callback May Result in Error

When you attempt to edit an XQuery map on a method or callback by modifying the xquery attribute, you may get an error stating that WebLogic Workshop is unable to locate the schema element.

Workaround: Rebuild the Schemas project by right-clicking the Schemas project in the Application pane and choosing Build Schemas.

Deployment

Redeployment of EAR Using the Console May Fail in Some Cases

Attempting to redeploy an EAR file via the WebLogic Server console may fail if a new EJB has been added to the EAR file. In such cases you may receive a weblogic.management.ApplicationException exception.

In such cases you should redeploy the EAR file using the command line tool, weblogic.Deployer, rather than the WebLogic Server console. Use the -redeploy flag in the command line tool:

java -cp ... weblogic.Deployer -source foo.ear -targets myServer -redeploy

FrontEnd Host

The 8.1 release of WebLogic Workshop does not support WebLogic Server's HTTP FrontEnd features.

Workaround: To set the runtime hostname and HTTP/HTTPS ports for a production application, use the application's wlw-runtime-config.xml file.

Self-Referencing Controls not Supported

Controls cannot currently contain a reference to their own type. Doing so will produce the following error during the build of the project in which the control resides.

ERROR DispCache [ExecuteThread: '11' for queue: 'weblogic.kernel.Default'][]: Exception processing controls.ReflexiveImpl

Throwable: java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
Stack Trace:
java.lang.reflect.InvocationTargetException
at sun.reflect.GeneratedConstructorAccessor153.newInstance(Unknown Source)
at sun.reflect.DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.newInstance(DelegatingConstructorAccessorImpl.java:27)
at java.lang.reflect.Constructor.newInstance(Constructor.java:274)
...

Moving an Application To a New Domain May Result in EJB Deployment Errors

If you move a WebLogic Workshop application from one domain to another, you may see a number of EJB deployment errors.

Workaround for workshop and integration domains: If you have moved your application the workshop or integration domain that ships with WebLogic Workshop, you can run the cleanApp command to resolve these deployment issues. The cleanApp command is available for Windows (cleanApp.cmd) or Linux (cleanApp.sh). From a command prompt, navigate to the domain directory in BEA_HOME\weblogic81\samples and run cleanApp.

Workaround for platform domain or user-created domain: If you have moved your application to the platform domain or to a domain that you created, follow these steps to run the cleanApp command:

  1. Navigate to BEA_HOME\weblogic81\samples\workshop.

  2. Copy these files to the platform directory or your domain directory:

    • cleanApp.cmd (for Windows) or cleanApp.sh (for Linux)

    • cleanAppUsage.txt

    • cleanApp.xml

  3. Open cleanApp.cmd in a text editor and modify any necessary paths to point to the appropriate location on your machine.

  4. From a command prompt, navigate to the domain directory and run cleanApp.

Oracle: Conversation State Tables Should Store BLOB Data in Tablespace other than USERS

When you create the conversation state tables for a Workshop web service deployed to a production environment, Oracle users should not store BLOB data to the USERS tablespace.
Storing BLOB data in the USERS tablespace can exhaust the tablespace's storage capacity.

Workaround: Create a new tablespace to store the BLOB data. You can use the following table creation script as a template.

CREATE TABLE <*tableName*>(
CG_ID varchar(768) not null,
LAST_ACCESS_TIME number(19,0),
CG_DATA BLOB,
PRIMARY KEY (CG_ID)
)
LOB("CG_DATA") STORE AS ( TABLESPACE <*blobTablespace*> )

TimerControl, JMS Control and Event Control are Present in Every Default Application

Every EAR compiled from a Workshop application contains the following resources, even if these resources are not explicitly referenced in the application.

com\bea\control\TimerControl.jcx
com\bea\wlw\runtime\core\control\jmscontrol\MDBListener.jcx
com\bea\wlw\runtime\core\control\EventControl.jcx

This is the expected behavior of the EAR compiler.

EJB Project

Possible java.lang.AssertionError with EJB Project

An EJB project generates some temporary .java files, which it then deletes. The file system listener may expect such generated files to keep existing, and may return the error "java.lang.AssertionError: added file does not exist". If you encounter this error, use the following procedure to prevent the files from being deleted:
1. Double-click the EJB project's build.xml in the Application view.
2. Use the Source Editor to set the parameter "keepgenerated" to true.

Security

No Warning/Exception when Client Certificate is not Obtained

The transport security methods useClientKeySSL(), setClientCert(), and setKeystore() don't generate a warning or throw an exception when the client certificate is not retrieved successfully, for instance, because the key doesn't exist, a wrong password was used or the keystore was corrupted.

@common:security runAs Annotation

The @common:security runAs annotation is supported on a control file (JCX or JCS file) only when the control is called from a page flow file (JPF), not from a web service (JWS) or business process (JPD).

Workaround: Use the @common:security runAs annotation directly on the web service or business process file, not the controls called from those files.

Database Support

MSSQL XA Drivers

When using the data direct MSSQL XA drivers, JDBC Connection Pools should be configured with TestConnectionsOnReserve="true" and TestTableName="dbo.sysusers".

To do this through the console, in the navigation tree on the left-hand side of the console, navigate to [domain_name] --> services --> jdbc --> connection pools --> [pool_name] , and then clicking "show" for the advanced options under the connections tab. There's a check box for TestConnectionsOnReserve and a box for TestTableName.

WebLogic Server May Hang on Startup When Using Data Direct Driver with MS SQL

WebLogic Server may hang on startup when (1) a data direct driver is used to connect to MS SQL and (2) when transactions are enabled.

Workaround: Ensure that all MS SQL patches are installed and restart MS SQL Server and WebLogic Server.

Reliable Messaging

The following are known limitations related to reliable messaging:

Clustering

SERVICE FAULT May Result When a Web Service Control is Invoked via a Load Balancer

If a load balancer and a cluster are configured in such a way that the load balancer can talk to the cluster but the cluster cannot talk to the load balancer, a problem may result with an application consisting of a web service control that calls a web service deployed on the same cluster. A SERVICE FAULT exception will be thrown when you try to invoke the application through the load balancer.

Workaround: Configure the network so that the load balancer can talk to the cluster and vice versa.

Tuxedo Control

Tuxedo Control 8.1 SP04

The SP04 release of the Tuxedo Control delivers support for the XATMI buffers and packed decimal support as well as bug fixes.

New Features

XATMI Buffer Support

WTC now supports the XATMI buffer types X_COMMON, X_C_TYPE, and X_OCTET. The Tuxedo Control accepts instances of TypedXOctet as input arguments and return types from control extension methods. TypedXOctet buffers are treated like TypedCArray buffers. The Tuxedo Control also accepts instances of TypedXCommon and TypedXCType as input arguments and return types from control extension methods.

Packed Decimal Support

The FLD_DECIMAL type in a VIEW buffer is supported in both WTC and the Tuxedo Control.
Internationalized Tuxedo Control Messages
All control messages and labels are internationalised, allowing for localization of the control.

Japanese Localization of Tuxedo Control

A Japanese localized version of the message properties files is now available as part of the installation of the TuxedoControl.jar file.

Installing the Tuxedo Control

When you install WebLogic Workshop 8.1 SP04, the Tuxedo Control is not installed by default. The Tuxedo Control is installed the first time you attempt to insert the control into an application. To insert the Tuxedo Control into your application, select Insert -> Controls -> Tuxedo. Once installed, you can access Tuxedo Control samples in the <BEA_HOME>/<WEBLOGIC_HOME>/samples/partners/Tuxedo directory.

Note: If you are migrating from WebLogic Workshop 8.1 but have not used the Tuxedo Control in applications, be sure to delete the Tuxedo directory and all of its contents from the <BEAHOME>/ext_components directory. This will ensure that the 8.1 version is not available for use in applications. However, make sure you do not delete the TuxedoControl.zip file that is contained in that same directory. This zip is the SP04 Tuxedo Control.

Accessing Help Files and Samples

If you do not have any applications that are currently using the Tuxedo Control, simply create a Web Service project in a new empty application. Install the Tuxedo Control by right-clicking on the name of the application in the Application Pane and select Install -> Controls -> Tuxedo. This installs the TuxedoControl.jar file into the application and unpacks the sample files. The samples are available in <BEA_HOME>/<WEBLOGIC_HOME>/samples/partners/Tuxedo directory.

With SP02 and later, the Tuxedo Control help files are available in the WebLogic Workshop help content.

Migrating Applications that Use Tuxedo Control 8.1 to SP04

WebLogic Workshop 8.1 SP04 contains a new version of the Tuxedo
Control. If you previously had WebLogic Workshop 8.1 or 8.1 SP02 or SP03 installed on your
system and you upgrade to WebLogic Workshop 8.1 SP04, follow these steps to upgrade the Tuxedo Control.

1. Delete the Tuxedo Control directory and all of its contents from the <BEAHOME>\ext_components directory. Make sure you do not delete the TuxedoControl.zip file that is contained in ext_components directory.

2. If you have existing applications that use the Tuxedo Control, open each application and perform the following steps:

a. Delete the TuxedoControl.jar file from the Libraries folder in the Application Pane.
b . Right-click on the name of the application in the Application Pane and select Insert->Controls->Tuxedo.

Set field table in the Tuxedo Control Insert dialog when using FML or FML32 reply buffers

Be sure to set the field table definition even for non-FML buffers if the reply buffer from the called service is an FML or FML32 buffer. The field table is needed whenever an FML or FML32 buffer is sent or received and the field table is not available in the Resource section. You can also configure a WTC Resource that gives the field table to be used for FML or FML32 buffers being sent or received.

Known Limitations

Tuxedo Control Import Wizard cannot import services from Tuxedo 7.1

When using the Import Wizard in the Tuxedo Control to import a Tuxedo service, the connection from WTC to Tuxedo 7.1 fails with the error message "Unable to read WSL packet."

Workaround: Configure WTC using the WebLogic Server Administration Console to import any needed Tuxedo services from Tuxedo 7.1 so that the services are available to the WebLogic Workshop and the Tuxedo Control.

The Tuxedo Control Wizard will not work when compression is turned on in the Tuxedo application.

If the workstation listener (WSL) is configured with the –c option to turn on compression in the Tuxedo application, the Tuxedo Control Wizard will not work to configure WTC or import services.

Workaround: Configure WTC using the WebLogic Server Administration Console.

The Configuration Wizard in the Tuxedo Control cannot import local and remote domain information from a Tuxedo application running on Tuxedo 7.1.

When using the Configuration Wizard in the Tuxedo Control to configure WTC, you cannot import local and remote domain information from a Tuxedo application running on Tuxedo 7.1. The connection to Tuxedo 7.1 fails and the Configuration Wizard proceeds with configuring a default local and remote WTC domain.

Workaround: Configure WTC using the WebLogic Server Administration.

The Configuration Wizard in the Tuxedo Control fails when importing domain information from a Tuxedo 6.5 application if SECURITY=USER_AUTH.

When importing configuration information from a Tuxedo 6.5 application, if the security level is set to USER_AUTH in the Tuxedo Application, the Tuxedo Control Configuration Wizard fails with TPEPERM – permission error.

Workaround: Configure WTC using the WebLogic Server Administration Console.

The Tuxedo Control does not accept serialize/deserialize circular classes.

The Tuxedo Control currently does not accept Java classes that have circular definitions, that is, where the class contains a reference to itself or to another class that then references the first class.

Clicking the WSL Address panel back button causes a default configuration set up dialog box to display.

When you insert a Tuxedo Control into a web service and try to configure a WTC service, the WSL address panel displays. If you click the Back button, a default configuration set up dialog box displays. You must click the back button twice to cancel the operation. Clicking the Back button will not take you back to the services available panel.

Workaround: None.

The Remote Tuxedo Domain Network Address panel displays twice for Tuxedo applications without a remote domain.

If you initiate a Tuxedo application without domains and try to configure the Tuxedo services, the Tuxedo Control displays a pop up message stating that no domains are available and then displays the Tuxedo Application Network Address panel. If you enter a machine name and port number and click Next, a message pops up stating a default domain will be configured. The Remote Tuxedo Application Network Address panel displays. If you cancel the operation, the Tuxedo Control proceeds into a bad state by remembering that a default configuration was attempted and connection to any other valid Tuxedo application fails.

Workaround: None.

Trailing or leading spaces in Workstation address panel causes connection failure.

If there are trailing or leading spaces in the WSL address in the Workstation address panel, the Tuxedo Control wizard fails to connect to the Tuxedo application..

Workaround: Remove the spaces in the WSL address.

Tuxedo Control Problems Fixed in SP03

CR122600 Tuxedo Control does not serialize/deserialize inherited fields.
CR125169 Tuxedo Control does not accept the WTC TypedBuffer classes directly as input to or return values from control extension methods.
CR128102 The Tuxedo Control configuration wizard does not recognize a WLS domain with fully qualified domain name, for example machine.beasys.com.
CR131562 Tuxedo Control displays an exception error when using old style network address format in configuration.
CR136225 Tuxedo Control does not handle dynamic field tables.
CR176837 Tuxedo Control – Tuxedo service using alias name fails.
CR176963 Tuxedo Control – Service call using the default WTC configuration using the configuration wizard fails.

Tuxedo Control Problems Fixed in SP02

CR106017: Need to support Java primitives instead of just wrapped primitives.
CR106299: Add support for JavaBean style setters and getters.
CR110291: Unable to import services from Tuxedo 6.5.
CR110383: Short data type combination throws an Exception when mapping-strictness is STRICT.
CR111779: Two bad links in Tuxedo Control samples help content.
CR121044: Tuxedo Control samples are broken.
CR122518: Error/Warning messages are not consistent across different data types.
CR124525: Problem serializing an array of non-embedded objects.
CR125147: Tux Control for WLW cannot be serialized, causing error in stateful process.