25.3.2.5 Exporting Application Components

Create a Component Export to back up a component before editing it, or create an export that functions as a patch to another Oracle APEX instance.

Tip:

If you wish to export an application and some components, such as pages, that are not yet ready for testing, Oracle recommends you use Build Options to include or exclude various application components.

To export shared components or page components:

  1. Navigate to the Export page:
    1. On the Workspace home page, select App Builder.
    2. On the App Builder home page, select Workspace Utilities.
    3. Click Export.

      The Export page appears.

      Tip:

      You can also access the Export page by selecting the application, Export/Import, and then Export.
  2. Click the Components tab.

    Configure the Export Components attributes.

  3. Application - Select the application.
  4. Export Format - Select the format for the export file. Options include:
    • SQL - Creates a readable script file with a .sql extension.
    • ZIP - Creates an export as a single SQL file containing all the selected components.

    The attributes that appear depend upon the selected Format.

  5. If Format is SQL, select SQL.
  6. If Format is ZIP:
    1. Format - Select ZIP
    2. Include Installation Files:
      • On - Generates a ZIP archive including installation files specifically for the exported components (for example, install.sql, set_environment.sql and end_environment.sql).
      • Off - Generates a ZIP file without the installation files. Oracle recommends this option when saving the files to a version control system so that application installation files are not overwritten.
  7. Audit Information - Specify the audit information to include in the export file. Audit information includes the Created By User, Created On Date, Changed By User and Changed On Date. Options include:
    • None - (Default) No audit information is included.
    • Names and Dates - Include names and dates in all audit information.
    • Dates Only - Only include date information and exclude user details.
  8. As of - Specify a time in minutes to go to back to for your export. This option enables you to go back in time in your application, perhaps to get back a deleted object.

    This utility uses the DBMS_FLASHBACK package. Because the timestamps to System Change Number (SCN) mapping is refreshed approximately every five minutes, you may have to wait that amount of time to locate the version for which you are looking. The time undo information is retained and influenced by the start up parameter UNDO_RETENTION (the default is three hours). However, this only influences the size of the undo table space. While two databases may have the same UNDO_RETENTION parameter, you are able to go back further in time on a database with fewer transactions because it is not filling the undo table space, forcing older data to be archived.

  9. File Character Set - Identifies the character set in which the export file will be encoded.
  10. Application Components:
    1. Click the Application Components tab.
    2. Use the navigation bar to search for components.
    3. Select the appropriate components and click Add to Export.
      The selected components display in the Components to Export region.
  11. Build Options:
    1. Click the Build Options tab.
    2. Use the navigation bar to search for build options.
    3. Select the appropriate build options and click Add to Export.
      The selected build options display in the Components to Export region.
  12. Review your selections.
  13. To remove selected components from the export, deselect the component in the Components to Export region.
  14. Click Export.
  15. Import the Component Export into the target instance.