Changes in This Release

The following features are new in this release:

• REST Enabled SQL Support

  Use REST Enabled SQL references to execute SQL queries or PL/SQL defined at the component-level on a remote database. Create or update classic reports, interactive reports, CSS calendars, or charts to point to data on a remote database using a REST Enabled SQL reference.

  See "Managing REST Enabled SQL References."

• Web Source Modules

  Create and maintain Web Source Modules within Shared Components that function as references to REST services.

  See "Managing Web Source Modules."

• New Create App Wizard

  • Add application-level features to your application. Available features include: About Page, Access Control, Activity Reporting, Configuration Options, Feedback, and Theme Selection.

  • Customize user interface options such as Theme Style, application icon, and page icons.

  • Select lookup display values for foreign-key based columns.

  • Select drill down report columns to declaratively link data in one report with another.

  • Application blueprints: View an application blueprint and directly edit the application definition in JSON format.

  • Modify application attribute defaults: Control labels and form controls by pointing and clicking or using JSON application defaults.

  See "Creating Database Applications"

• Enhanced Create Page Wizard

  • Add application-level features to your application. Available features include: About Page, Access Control, Activity Reporting, Configuration Options, Feedback, Job Reporting, Login Page, and Theme Selection.

  See "Managing Pages in a Database Application."

• Global Search

  • Provides quick navigation and a unified search experience across Oracle Application Express.

  • Activate by clicking Search from header or by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Quote (‘) (US Keyboards only)

  • Navigate to most screens within App Builder and quickly jump across applications and pages.

  • Search in Page Designer by focussing on page components.

  See "Global Search."

• Page Designer Improvements

  • Updated user interface to improve usability.

  • When an attribute has focus, the group becomes highlighted.

  • Quickly access a group, by clicking Go to Group and selecting the group. To return the default display, click Go to Group again and select Expand All.

  • Click Pin Filter on the right side of the search field to have search terms you enter remain persistent (or “sticky”) as you click around Page Designer. Click Pin Filter again to disable it.

  See "Right Pane of Page Designer (Property Editor)."

• Developer Toolbar Enhancements

  • If a page has one or more JavaScript errors, a red error button displays on the left side of the Runtime Developer toolbar. If you have enabled Auto Hide, the Runtime Developer toolbar displays indicating the error.

  • New Page Info option includes two options:

    • Show Layout Columns toggles between Show Layout Columns and Hide Layout Columns.

    • Show Page Timing displays the Page Performance Timing dialog. Click Copy to copy the data in table form and then paste it into another application. Click Clear to remove the current timing events.

  See "Runtime Developer Toolbar."

• Universal Theme and User Interface Enhancements

  • Includes Font APEX 2 which features two sets of icons: Small and Large.

  • UI Optimizations:

    • New Top Navigation Tabs template that can be used when the navigation position is set to top. Provides a simplified tabs-like UI and on small screens is automatically positioned near the bottom of the screen.

    • Standard Region and Carousel Region templates now support placing an icon in the region header.

  • General Enhancements

    • Tweaked and polished several templates, template options, and styles.

    • Required asterisk for form items is now consistent across label templates.

    • Carousel regions now support touch swipes.

    • Cards have a new "Block" template option with more color.

• General Mobile Improvements

  • Universal Theme has been optimized for mobile devices. Desktop UI now supports all mobile friendly components such as List View region, Column Toggle Report region, and Reflow Report.

  • Support touch for jQuery UI mouse interactions including draggable, droppable, and sortable. This can be seen in various places such as in Page Designer drag and drop and adjusting splitter positions.

  • Expose touch events through Dynamic Actions for all apps.

• Advisor Improvements

  • New Accessibility checks to check your apps for common accessibility issues.

  • New Performance check for inclusion of compatibility JavaScript.

  See "Running Advisor to Check Application Integrity" and "Testing Apps for Accessibility" in Oracle Application Express Accessibility Guide.

• Social Sign-In

  • Social Sign-In preconfigured authentication scheme supports authentication with Google, Facebook, and other social network that supports OpenID Connect or OAuth2 standards.

  • New authentication scheme attribute "Switch in Session" for schemes that can be set in the current session.

  See "Establishing User Identity Through Authentication."

See "Deprecated Features" and "Desupported Features" in Oracle Application Express Release Notes.

The following are additional changes in the release:

• All content has been updated to reflect new functionality. Desupported functionality has been removed.

• Screen captures and graphics have been added and updated to reflect current release user interface enhancement.

• In this publication legacy application components are grouped together. Legacy application components are components Oracle still supports but does not recommend using.

  See "Managing Application Legacy Components."