Global Settings and Objects

Overview

This section describes standard settings and objects that exist in every form. Some of these objects are building blocks that a developer must use (such as Visual Attributes and Property Classes); others are fully encapsulated objects in themselves that require little or no additional work by the developer (such as the Toolbar and Menu).

The coding standards discuss how these objects get placed into each form, and additional logic that is necessary to fully utilize them (see the Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide for more information).

The following topics are covered in this chapter:

Visual Attributes

The Application Object Library includes predefined visual attributes which are used in every form.

Visual attributes which are provided by the Application Object Library include colors and text styles which produce the Oracle look and feel. This look is generally characterized by dark canvases and gray tabs. The following items receive visual attributes from the Application Object Library:

In many cases the attributes are specified as automatic, which causes Oracle Forms to automatically select the proper color.

See the Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide for details regarding these and other visual attributes.

Property Classes

Property Classes are sets of attributes that can be applied to every object. The Application Object Library property classes enforce standard cosmetic appearances and behaviors for all Oracle Forms objects, such as:

Every item in Oracle Forms has a corresponding Property Class that must be applied to it.

For more information on Property Classes, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide.

Libraries

Libraries contain reusable code for forms. They support these standards by allowing the exact same code to be used for all forms to enforce specific validation, navigation, behaviors and cosmetic appearances. The libraries that are available with Oracle Application Object Library are listed in the following table:

Library Name When Used? Library Contents
FNDSQF Always Routines for message dictionary, profiles, flexfields, and various other utilities
APPCORE Always Packages specifically designed to implement these standards, and various other utilities, such as multi-select and Export
APPDAYPK For any form that contains date fields Packages to implement the calendar, used on most date fields
APPFLDR For any form with Folder blocks Reserved for use by Oracle only.
CUSTOM For writing Zooms or other custom code NULL routines until customized

Every form requires several standard triggers and procedures to link the form with the library. Many of these triggers and libraries have a default behavior that a developer overrides for specific items or blocks. The Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide discusses the use of these libraries in detail.

Menus

The Oracle E-Business Suite pull-down menu includes the following menus:

File Menu

The File menu lets you perform several actions in Oracle E-Business Suite:

Variable Description
New Opens a new record in the active form.
Open Opens the detail screen for the current selection. Typically only used with the Tree item.
Save Saves any pending changes in the active form.
Save and Proceed Saves any pending changes in the active form and advances to the next record.
Next Step Updates the Process workflow in the Navigator by advancing to the next step in the process.
Export Exports information in the active block to a tab-separated file which can be opened in a browser or spreadsheet.
Place on Navigator Creates an Icon in the Documents tab of the Navigator which can be used to recall the active form and its current record.
Log on as a Different User... Exits the application and displays the Oracle E-Business Suite login window.
Switch Responsibility... Closes all active windows and displays the Responsibility window.
Print... Prints your current window. An application may override this action to allow printing of one or more specific reports instead.
Close Form Closes all windows of the current form.
Exit Oracle Applications Quits Oracle E-Business Suite.

Edit Menu

Use the Edit menu to edit your data in Oracle E-Business Suite:

Variable Description
Undo Typing Returns the field to the value it had when it gained focus.
Cut Cuts the current selection to the clipboard.
Copy Copies the current selection to the clipboard.
Paste Pastes the contents of the clipboard into the current field.
Duplicate

  • Record Above - Copies all values from the prior record to the current record.

  • Field Above - Copies the value of the current field from the prior row.
Clear

  • Record - Erases the current record from the window.

  • Field - Clears the data from the current field.

  • Block - Erases all records from the current block.

  • Form - Erases any pending changes from the current form.
Delete Deletes the current record from the database.
Select All Selects all records (for blocks with multi-select).
Deselect All Deselects all selected records except for the current record (for blocks with multi-select).
Edit Field... Displays the Editor window for the current field.
Preferences

  • Change Password... - Displays the Change Password dialog box.

  • Profiles - Displays the Profiles form.

View Menu

The View menu provides you with the following options:

Variable Description
Show Navigator Displays the Navigator window.
Zoom Invokes custom defined zooms.
Find... Displays the Find window to retrieve records.
Find All Retrieves all records.
Query by Example

  • Enter - Invokes Enter Query mode to enter search criteria for a query by example.

  • Run - Executes the query by example.

  • Cancel - Cancels the query by example by exiting from Enter Query mode.

  • Show Last Criteria - Recovers the search criteria used in the previous query by example.

  • Count Matching Records - Counts the number of records that would be retrieved if you ran the current query by example.
Record

  • First - Moves the cursor to the first record.

  • Last - Moves the cursor to the last record.
Translations... Displays the Translations window.
Attachments... Displays the Attachments window.
Summary/Detail Switches between the summary and detail views of a combination block.
Requests Shows the Request form.

Folder Menu

The Folder menu lets you customize the presentation of data in a folder:

Variable Description
New... Creates a new folder definition.
Open... Opens an existing folder definition.
Save Saves changes to the current folder definition.
Save As... Saves current folder definition to a new name.
Delete... Deletes an existing folder definition.
Show Field... Displays a field that is currently hidden.
Hide Field Hides the current field.
Move Right Moves the current field to the right.
Move Left Moves the current field to the left.
Move Up Moves the current field up.
Move Down Moves the current field down.
Widen Field Increases the width of the current field.
Shrink Field Decreases the width of the current field.
Change Prompt... Changes the prompt for the current field.
Autosize All... Adjusts all field widths to completely show their data.
Sort Data... Specifies sort order for the first three fields by ascending, descending and no ordering.
View Query... Displays the query criteria for the current folder definition.
Reset Query Erases the current query criteria.
Folder Tools Displays the folder tool palette.

Tools, Reports and Actions Menus

The Tools menu displayed on the left represents the pull-down options available when the Navigator window is active.

Two additional menus with default labels of Reports and Actions may also be used. These menus are not displayed by default.

Each menu may contain up to fifteen product-specific entries. Examples of product-specific entries may include a list of commonly used Inquiry windows in the application, or a commonly used window that a user may want to display for a quick reference.

Window Menu

The Window menu displays the names of all open application windows and window placement options.

Variable Description
Cascade Displays any open windows in a "cascaded" or stair-stepped fashion.
Tile Horizontally Displays any open windows in a horizontally "tiled" (non-overlapping) fashion.
Tile Vertically Displays any open windows in a vertically "tiled" (non-overlapping) fashion.
1 (Open Window) Displays a list of open windows.

Help Menu

Use the Help menu to get additional information about Oracle E-Business Suite:

Variable Description
Window Help Displays help for the current window.
Oracle Applications Library Displays a window that lists all available Oracle E-Business Suite help text.
Keyboard Help... Displays the current key mappings of specific functions and menu options.
Diagnostics All of the entries in these menus are used for debugging. You may be asked to use some of these functions if you need to contact Oracle Support. Before you can use these functions, your system administrator must give you access.

  • Display Database Error - Displays the last database error.

  • Examine - Displays the underlying Oracle Forms block and item corresponding to a field on the form.

  • Test Web Agent - Performs a check of the Web Agent to determine if it is configured properly.

  • Trace - Toggles on or off the SQL Trace facility for the current session. SQL Trace provides performance information on individual SQL statements.

  • Debug - Turns on the Oracle Forms Debugger, provided the form you are currently in was started in debug mode.

  • Properties - Provides diagnostic information for Items and Folders.

  • Item - Displays the values for properties of the current item.

  • Folder - Writes diagnostic information about the current folder to a file in the temporary directory.

  • Custom Code - The Custom Code submenu is an option group, allowing you to change the mode of the custom library.

    Normal indicates that the custom library is used. This is the default.

    The Off setting turns the custom library off, disabling Zooms and any other custom code.
Record History Displays information about the current record.
About Oracle Applications... Displays information about the current application, including version and environment information.

Pop-up Menus

A right-mouse pop-up menu is available on all text items. It replicates a subset of functionality contained on the main pull-down menu, including up to 10 product-specific entries which would also be on the Tools, Actions or Reports menus.

The pop-up menu should only appear if the user does a right-mouse click in the field that already has focus; right-mouse clicking on the noncurrent field should do nothing.

Related Topics

Searching for Information

Customizing the Presentation of Data in a Folder

Toolbar

The toolbar replicates the most commonly used actions on the menu with iconic buttons. Entries on the toolbar are disabled and enabled automatically based on the current context (OMS-71021). Hints for the toolbar buttons are displayed when the mouse moves over each button.

The toolbar is attached to the MDI window.

(OMS-72005) The tool bar consists of the following actions:

(OMS-72006) Additional buttons are available for application-specific functions. These functions would also be replicated on the Tools, Actions, and Reports menus.

For more information on the toolbar, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide and the Oracle E-Business Suite User's Guide.

Status Bar

The status bar contains the message and status line. The status bar is attached to the bottom of the MDI window.

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Calendar

The Calendar is a standard object that allows selection of date and time values from a calendar. It also allows the developer to specify validation rules ensuring that only valid dates can be selected.

The List or Edit function invokes the Calendar on any date field (OMS-74012, OMS-74350).

The Calendar may also be invoked in a display-only mode, where it shows specific date values as highlighted. For instance, it can be used to show the vacation days taken by an employee.

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For more information on the Calendar, see the Oracle E-Business Suite Developer's Guide.

Folder Objects

For each form that contains a folder block, there are several required objects to allow folders to be saved, prompts to be changed, the query to be viewed, and the Folder tools palette to be displayed. These objects appear to the user automatically during normal operation of a folder block.

Related Topics

Folder Blocks