Creating Image Definitions

This chapter provides an overview of image definitions and discusses how to:

Click to jump to parent topicUnderstanding Image Definitions

Image definitions are image files that you import, store, and manage using PeopleSoft Application Designer. Image definitions, similar to field definitions, are reusable. After you create image definitions, you can associate them with page controls and reference them in code as often as you want. Most images that you see in PeopleSoft applications are image definitions. Image definitions appear throughout PeopleSoft applications, and serve many purposes, such as:

PeopleSoft Application Designer enables you to import all types of graphics or image files and store them in the image catalog. After you finish this process, you can access the image definition and use it throughout the PeopleSoft application.

Note. PeopleTools includes many image-related features. Image definitions are discussed in this chapter; the other image-related features, such as fields and page controls, are discussed separately in this PeopleBook.

See Specifying Image Field Attributes, Specifying ImageReference Field Attributes, Setting Static Image Properties, Setting Image Properties.

Image Catalog

PeopleSoft Application Designer stores all image definitions in the PSCONTDEFN PeopleTools table. The collective set of image definitions that exist in this table is the image catalog. The image catalog holds all PeopleTools image definitions in addition to any image definitions that you create.

Image File Types

Image file types or formats are a systematized means of storing digital images. File types vary in purpose and quality based on factors such as compression and color palette. You might want to use different file types for different images because of business or technical considerations that apply to your PeopleSoft implementation or because quality is more important to you than file size. The three most common file types that developers use most often to display images on the Internet are Graphics Interchange Format (GIF), Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) (JPG), and Portable Network Graphics (PNG).

Some developers believe, for example, that JPG is the best format for photographic images because it provides the greatest compression of any bitmap format in common use. However, some believe that the JPG file type is not as effective in compressing text and drawings as it is at compressing photographs. Similarly, many designers consider the GIF file type the optimal format for line drawings and text because it limits the color palette and compresses text in a way that retains the sharpness of images such as logos. The GIF file type also supports features such as image transparency and animation. These same characteristics of limited color and text compression make this file type less than optimal as the format for photographic images. Due to the proprietary nature of the GIF format, the PNG file type evolved as the free open-source response to the patented GIF format. The robust PNG file type supports more colors than the GIF, offers excellent online viewing, and streams well on modern displays.

While PeopleSoft Application Designer can create image definitions from image files that use the wireless bitmap (WBMP) format, these image definitions are not visible in the runtime environment. You must view them through a mobile device at runtime. Because WBMP image types do not appear in the design time environment, PeopleSoft Application Designer offers you the option to provide an alternate image type of the image, such as JPG, for viewing purposes only. The image that you view at runtime in the wireless application is still the original WBMP image.

See Importing and Creating Alternate Image Types.

You should make your choice of file types by weighing the benefits and detractors of the image file types in the context of your implementation and technical requirements. PeopleSoft Application Designer can process image files regardless of file type, convert them into image definitions, and mantain them in the image catalog.

Image File Size

The maximum image file size depends on the database platform that you are using. Some database platforms support much larger image sizes, while others limit the size. PeopleSoft Application Designer displays a warning message if the image size is greater than 32 kilobytes.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUnderstanding the Image Catalog

PeopleSoft Application Designer stores all image definitions in the PSCONTDEFN PeopleTools table. The collective set of image definitions that exist in this table is the image catalog. The image catalog holds all PeopleTools image definitions in addition to any image definition that you create. The image catalog stores all image definitions and makes them available for use by developers.

PeopleTools Image Definitions

In general:

A list of the PeopleTools images most common to all PeopleSoft application is located in an appendix in this PeopleBook.

Click to jump to parent topicCreating Image Definitions

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicCreating Image Definitions

To create an image definition from an image file:

  1. Select File, New.

  2. Select Image.

  3. Click OK to access the Open Image File dialog box.

  4. Select an image file.

    Note. PeopleSoft applications support animated GIF files. You will not see the animation in PeopleSoft Application Designer at design time; however, you will see the animation on the page at runtime.

    Note. Some browsers do not support all image types.

    See Troubleshooting Browser Limitations available on the My Oracle Support website. support.oracle.com

  5. Select an image file name.

    PeopleSoft Application Designer displays a warning message if the image size is greater than 32 kilobytes. The maximum image size depends on the database platform that you are using. Some database platforms support much larger image sizes, while others limit the size.

  6. Select Open.

    The image appears as an image definition in the definition workspace.

  7. Select File, Save to save the image definition in the PeopleSoft image catalog.

    The Image Properties dialog box appears.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSetting Image Properties

After you create a new image definition, you can set the image properties.

To set image properties:

  1. Access the Image Properties dialog box.

    If it is not already open, select File, Definition Properties.

  2. (Optional) Enter a description on the General tab.

  3. Select the Use tab to view image use properties.

    Image Format

    Specify the main and alternate image formats. The main image format, which appears at runtime, is the format in which the image was imported, such as BMP. The alternate format is the optional image format that you can specify if you want a WBMP image as the main image format that appears at runtime.

    Image URL

    Specify a reference to an image on a web server. This reference can be used as an alternative to storing an image definition in the database after an image definition is saved. When a user opens a page containing a control that is associated with this image definition, the application retrieves the image from the URL rather than from the database. Set up URLs in the URL Maintenance utility.

    See URL Maintenance.

    Mirror this image in right-to-left contexts

    Select this property to have the system flip the image horizontally when a language that is read right-to-left (RTL) is in use.

    Pages in languages with an RTL reading order, for example, Arabic, might also display images whose directionality depends on the directionality of the language. For example, an arrow in a margin that points to the text in a left-to-right (LTR) language, such as English, will point to the right; but in an RTL language, the arrow should point to the left.

    Used in Workflow Maps

    Select to filter images that appear in a list box for the Change Icon function for PeopleSoft Workflow designers.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicImporting and Creating Alternate Image Types

To import a WBMP image type:

  1. Select File, New.

  2. Select Image.

    The Open Image File dialog box appears.

  3. Select WBMP from the Files of Type drop-down list box.

  4. Locate the image that you want to import.

  5. Click the Open button.

    The Content Repository Interface dialog box appears, prompting you to select an alternate image.

  6. Select Yes.

    The Open Alternate Image File dialog box appears, prompting you to select an alternate image type. You must have the same image stored in the directory under a different file type, such as JPG, to view the image in PeopleSoft Application Designer. If you select No, you can still open the WBMP image definition, but you cannot see it. Instead, you receive a message that the image cannot be viewed in PeopleSoft Application Designer.

  7. Select the alternate image format and the appropriate file.

  8. Click Open.

  9. Select File, Save As.

    Upon saving, the Image Properties dialog box appears. If you select the Use tab, the Image Format group box shows the main image format as WBMP and the alternate image format as JPG. Now you can view the image in PeopleSoft Application Designer as a JPG image and still display the image at runtime as WBMP.

Click to jump to parent topicOpening Image Definitions

To open an image definition:

  1. Select File, Open.

  2. Select Image from the Definition drop-down list box.

  3. Click Open to view the full list of image definitions and brief descriptions.

Click to jump to parent topicUpdating Image Definitions

This section discusses how to:

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicUpdating Image Definitions

Occasionally, the original image file from which you created an image definition might change. To keep the image definitions current, you might want to update them rather than create entirely new image definitions.

To update an image definition:

  1. To change the image for a saved image definition, right-click the open definition and select Update Image.

    The Open Image File dialog box appears, in which you can select the changed image file to replace the open image definition.

  2. Click Open.

    The previous image in the image definition is replaced with the new image that you selected.

  3. Select File, Save to save the current image definition with the new image.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicChanging an Image Display Size

If an image file is smaller than you want it to appear in the open image definition, you can increase the size by zooming in on the definition workspace. The size of the image in the image catalog does not change.

To change an image definition display size:

  1. Open the image.

  2. Right-click the image and select Zoom to see the different size ratios.

  3. Select a new image display percentage.

    The image automatically changes to that selection.

Click to jump to top of pageClick to jump to parent topicSpecifying an Image Storage Format

You can specify a default format in which image definitions are stored. For example, if JPG is specified as the preferred storage format, then a BMP image is stored as a JPG after it is converted to an image definition.

To specify an image definition storage format:

  1. Select Tools, Options to open the Options dialog box.

  2. Select the Image tab.

    No conversion

    Select to import all image definitions in their original formats. This value is the default.

    DIB and JPG

    Select to convert and store the imported image definitions as either DIB or JPG in the PeopleSoft Application Designer image catalog. GIF and WBMP images cannot be converted to DIB or JPG.

  3. Click the OK button.

Click to jump to parent topicConverting Images to JPGs

Not all browsers support all image formats, but most browsers support the JPG image type. Therefore, PeopleSoft Application Designer has a utility to convert all application images to JPG.

To convert images to JPG format:

  1. Select Tools, Upgrade, Convert Images.

  2. Select one of these check boxes:

    Convert Static Images in Image Catalog

    Converts all image definitions that are stored in the image catalog of the PeopleSoft database.

    Convert Dynamic Images for fields

    Converts all images that are dynamically referenced by PeopleCode to appear in image fields.

  3. Select the fields to convert.

  4. Click the Start button.

    When the process is complete, a confirmation message appears in the Image tab of the output window.

Click to jump to parent topicConsolidating Images

Use the Consolodate Images tool if you create custom image definitions and use them in multiple record definitions. Consolidating images helps you avoid having the same image stored in several places. All image definitions included in the PeopleSoft system have already been consolidated.

To consolidate custom image definitions:

  1. Open an existing image definition in the definition workspace.

  2. Select Tools, Consolidate Images.

  3. Select a target image from the list.

  4. Click Find to gather all of the consolidated image candidates.

  5. Select all of the images.

  6. Click Consolidate.

    The selected image definitions are removed from the Images to be consolidated list box and consolidated into the target image.

  7. Click Close.