Integrating Oracle iSupport with the Oracle Applications Framework (OAF)

This chapter covers the following topics:

Overview of Integration with Oracle Applications Framework

Interoperability with Oracle Applications Framework

Oracle iSupport is based on an existing, fully supported Oracle HTML standard, JTT. Other Oracle applications are based on a newer Oracle HTML standard, Oracle Applications Framework, OAF. Applications based on OAF, such as Oracle Internet Expenses, can initiate service requests through Oracle iSupport by using the interoperability feature that Oracle iSupport provides. More generally, OAF-based applications can call all the Oracle iSupport service request pages. Basically, all the FND functions associated with the Oracle iSupport service request pages have been changed to type INTEROP so that OAF-based applications can properly render the JTT-based service request pages.

Selected Oracle iSupport pages have a Cancel or a Return button whose function is to return the application focus to the destination page defined by the parameter ibuReturnURL. OAF-based applications must pass this parameter to Oracle iSupport as defined in Conventions for Interoperability with OAF-Based Applications.

The Oracle Shared Service Request Bin

The sharable service request (SR) bin is an Oracle Applications Framework (OAF) region. Any OAF page can include this sharable region through personalization. No code is needed to include this region. This chapter contains the steps on how to include the sharable SR region in an OAF page as well as how to personalize your sharable service request bin. The guidelines require that you have a full understanding of the functionality of the shared service request bin as well as OAF personalization.

Conventions for Interoperability with OAF-Based Applications

For the integration of Oracle iSupport and Oracle Application Framework (OAF), Oracle iSupport establishes the parameter ibuReturnURL to carry the return URL for Cancel buttons in the service request module. When a user clicks these Cancel buttons, the focus of the application goes to the destination page provided by this parameter. Therefore, an OAF-based application must specify this parameter and pass it to Oracle iSupport in a URL so that page flow can go back to the desired page.

For interoperability with OAF-based applications, Oracle iSupport has the following conventions for the ibuReturnURL parameter. The value for ibuReturnURL has this format: ibuReturnURL=PageFunc%26param1=v1%26Param2=v2%26param3=v3. For security reasons, ibuReturnURL must point to an FND function name instead of an actual JSP name or JRAD file name. PageFunc can be either a JTT function pointing to a JSP file or an OA function pointing to a JRAD file. You can also define the parameters inside the function as usual. Extra parameters like param1, param2, and param3 can be used as dynamic runtime parameters. Interoprability requires “%26” in front of these extra runtime parameters instead of ‘&’. “%26” is the standard encoded value for “&” and will be converted back to “&” automatically when Oracle iSupport gets the value from the requesting object. Whenever the Oracle iSupport code uses Redirect and needs to put ibuReturnURL inside the URL, the code will convert “&” to “%26” again so that it can be passed correctly.

To return successfully to the page specified by parameter ibuReturnURL for both JTT and OAF cases, Oracle iSupport has the following logic for the Cancel button on the service request creation and detail pages. If the actual value for ibuReturnURL does not contain “OA.jsp”, then Oracle iSupport treats it as one JTT page and uses Forward to return to that page. If it contains “OA.jsp”, then Oracle iSupport treats it as one OAF page and uses SendRedirect to return. If the parameter ibuReturnURL is null, then it returns to the home page by using Forward.

In some integration cases, Oracle iSupport service request pages may be launched on a new window. In such cases, when a user clicks the Cancel button on the service request creation page or the main service request detail page, the new window should be closed instead of returning to the destination URL. For this requirement, Oracle iSupport has the parameter ibuCloseWindow. If this parameter is set and its value is ‘Y’ and a user clicks the Cancel button, then the application closes the window regardless of whether the parameter ibuReturnURL is passed or not.

The service request confirmation page has a Return button. The functionality behind this button is the same as that for the Cancel button on the service request creation flow and detail flow. When user clicks the Return button, the focus returns to the destination page defined by parameter ibuReturnURL. If this parameter is null, then it goes back to the home page by default. Also, if parameter ibuCloseWindow is passed and its value is ‘Y’, then this parameter takes a higher priority, and the window is closed when the user clicks the Return button. Besides the logic included with this button, Oracle iSupport also includes the item IBU_CF_RETURN in the seeded region IBU_CF_SR_CR_CONFIRMATION_BTN. By default its show flag is set to be false.

Setting Up an Oracle Shared Service Request Bin

Adding the Sharable Service Request Bin to Your OAF Page

Use the following steps to include the sharable service request bin into your OAF page:

  1. Ensure that the shared service request bin library is included in your class path. OAF cannot include this bin if it is not in its class path.

  2. Logon as an administrator.

  3. Using personalization, include the shared service request bin.

  4. In the Personalization page, click Create Item for the region in which you want to include the SR bin.

  5. Choose the Site level from the Level LOV.

  6. Choose the Stack Layout style from the Item Style LOV.

  7. In the Extends field, enter /oracle/apps/ibu/shared/sr/webui/SharedSRBin

  8. Click Apply.

  9. Click Return to Application to see the shared SR bin in the OAF page.

    You should now be able to see the shared SR bin in your OAF application.

Creating Seeded Views

Use the following steps to create a seeded view for your service request bin:

  1. Click the Personalize Advanced Table: (SRTableRN) link from the OAF page.

  2. Click Seeded User Views in the Advanced Table region.

  3. Click Create View to take you to the Create View Personalization page.

  4. Do the following in the Create View Personalization page:

    1. Enter a view name.

    2. Select the Set as Default check box if you want this view to be the default view.

    3. Select the columns to be displayed by shuttling the columns to the left or right in the region titled Attribute Properties.

    4. In the region titled Search Query to Filter Data in your Table, provide the necessary criteria for your seeded view . You can additional criteria from the LOV.

    5. Click Apply.

  5. Click Apply again to take you to the Personalization page of the advanced table region.

  6. Click Return to Application to return to your OAF page.

Personalizing Your Service Request Bin

The following are guidelines to further personalize your service request bin. To begin, click Personalize Service Requests from the shared SR bin. In the Personalization page, click Expand All to see all the SR region parameters within the InputParameters region.

Personalizing the Create Service Request Button Destination

The Create Service Request button has a default destination of OA.jsp?OAFunc=IBU_FROM_OAF_CREATE_SR. The IBU_FROM_OAF_CREATE_SR function points to the Create Service Request page of iSupport. If you would like to pass in more parameters to the Create SR page, such as the SR type ID, then create a function that contains the parameters and use this function as the destination for the Create SR button. To do so, click the Personalize icon of the Button: Create Service Request item, and provide an initial value in the Initial Value text input field.

Example

Button: Create Service Request – Destination URI: OA.jsp?OAFunc=IBU_CREATESR_TYPEID

Adding Object Code, Object ID, and Summary Parameters to the iSupport Create Service Request Page

You may want to provide the object code, object ID, and summary parameters to the iSupport Create Service Request page when you click the Create Service Request button. To provide these parameters, you must personalize and type an initial value for the following:

If you do not provide a value for Create SR Source Object Code, then neither the object code nor the object ID parameters are passed to the iSupport Create SR page. Similarly, if you do not provide values for the object code and the object number, then the summary parameter that contains these two values is not passed to the iSupport Create SR page.

Examples

The object code must be defined as a JTF object. Steps to create a new JTF object are as follows:

  1. Login to Forms Application as System Administrator.

  2. Navigate to Task Management Object.

  3. Query an object such as EXPENSEREPORT. Verify whether this object already exists.

  4. If the EXPENSEREPORT object does not exists, then create a new object with name and code for EXPENSEREPORT.

Adding Object Code and Object ID as Additional Search Criteria When Searching for a Particular Service Request

To view only those service requests that are associated with an object code and an object ID, personalize and type an initial value for the following:

  1. Search SR Source Object Code, for the object code

  2. Search SR Source Object ID, for the object ID

If you do not provide a value for Search SR Source Object Code, then neither the object code nor the object ID values are used in the search regardless of whether the Search SR Source Object ID item has an initial value.

Examples

Personalizing the Return Page of iSupport pages:

To specify the appropriate return page of the iSupport pages for creating service requests and viewing service requests, provide initial values using personalization for either of the following items:

The second item, Return to Page for a Particular Object ID (Format: FND_FUNCTION?ObjectID=), accepts an FND_FUNCTION with an additional object ID parameter. If you provide a value to the second item, then you must specify an object ID for both Create SR Source Object ID and Search SR Source Object ID. See examples above for details on these items. The shared SR bin automatically appends the object ID to the value of the second item, and the object ID will be passed to the appropriate iSupport pages as its full return URL

Note: If both items have values, then the second item, Return to Page for a Particular Object ID (Format: FND_FUNCTION?ObjectID=), takes precedence over the first item, Return to Page (Format: FND_FUNCTION).

If you need the object ID to be encrypted for your return page, then specify this by providing an initial value of Y for the Encrypt Object ID item.

Examples

Opening iSupport Pages in a New Window

Suppose that you want to open iSupport pages in a new window, for example, when creating a service request or viewing service request details. To do so, personalize and provide an initial value of Y for the Open iSupport Pages In New Window item.

Example