1. App Builder User's Guide
  2. About Item Types

A About Item Types

Learn about key attributes that control item functionality.

An item can be part of an HTML form or used in an interactive grid column. An item can be a text field, text area, password, select list, check box, and so on. Developers can control how a page item works by editing the page item attributes. To learn more about specific item attributes, select the attribute in Page Designer and select the Help tab.

See Also:

A.1 Available Item Types

The following table describes available item types in App Builder and notes important attributes that control item behavior.

Tip:

Your application may also include plug-in items. Plug-ins display as <My Plug-in> [Plug-in]. See "Implementing Plug-ins."

Table A-1 Available Item Types

Item Type Description

Check Box

Displays a single check box, enabling the user to check or uncheck it. The check box item always has one of two values the checked value or unchecked value.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Settings - Select whether application-level component settings are used, or if custom settings are used for this item. Options include: Use Component Settings or Custom. If Settings is set to Custom, the additional attributes display. You can configure the Checked and Unchecked value. The default checked value is 'Y' and the default unchecked value is 'N'.

Check Box Group

Displays multiple values as check boxes, enabling the end user to select multiple values. A list of values is required for items displayed as check boxes. The values corresponding to the checked boxes are stored in a single colon-delimited string.

Note: For Yes/No check boxes (that is, a check box with only one value), Oracle recommends using a Check box or a Switch item type.

The following example displays employee names (ename), but returns employee numbers (empno): 

SELECT ename, empno FROM emp;

See Also: "APEX_UTIL" in Oracle Application Express API Reference for information about breaking up returned values

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

  • Settings, Number Columns - Enter the number of layout columns used to display the check boxes. For example, a value of 2 would display two columns of check boxes. By default, all values display in one column.

See Also: "Creating a Cascading List of Values"

Color Picker

Displays a text field with a color picker icon. End users can either enter a HTML color code directly, or click the icon to display a color palette popup. The end user can click a color from the palette which returns the corresponding HTML color code for the selected color.

Note: When creating a new item of this type, first select Popup List of Values and then Color Picker.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

See Also: "Configuring Color Picker Display"

Date Picker

Displays a text field with a calendar icon. End users can either enter the date directly into the text item, or click on the calendar icon to select a date, and optionally a time, from the calendar popup.

Time is only displayed in the calendar popup if the Format Mask for this item includes time components.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Highlighted Date - Enter a default date value to be highlighted when the calendar pop-up displays. See Help for more details.

  • Settings, Minimum Date - Enter the minimum date that can be input or selected.

  • Settings, Maximum Date - Enter the maximum date that can be input or selected.

  • Settings, Show - Select when the date picker pop-up calendar displays.

  • Settings, Show other Months - Specify whether the leading dates from the previous month and the trailing dates for the next month display. The leading and trailing dates fully populate the first and last lines of the calendar.

  • Settings, Navigation List for- Select whether select lists are provided within the calendar pop-up for the month and/or year.

  • Appearance, Format Mask - Enter a date format mask to apply to this component.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Display Image

Displays an image stored in a database BLOB columns, or based on an image URL.

Note: Not supported for interactive grid columns.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Based On - Determines where the item is retrieved from. To learn more about an attribute, see field-level Help.

  • Settings, Alternative Text Column - Enter the uppercase page or application item name which holds the alternative text for this image. This text is read by screen readers when an end user navigates to this item.

  • Settings, Filename Column - Enter the uppercase page or application item name that holds the filename column value associated with the BLOB column.

  • Settings, BLOB Last Updated Column - If specified, the column is used for browser caching. It identifies if the image changed since the last browser request. If not entered, no caching is done. Note: This attribute is case sensitive and the column must be of type DATE.

Display Only

Displays a non-enterable text item.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Send On Page Submit - Specify whether the current item value should be sent when the page is submitted.

  • Settings, Based On - Specifies what gets displayed in the field. Options include:

    • Page Item Value - The current value of the page item displays.

    • Display Value of List of Values - The current value of the page item maps to a different display value using a list of values.

    • Output of PL/SQL Code - The specified PL/SQL code takes care of emitting the necessary output for the page item.

    Settings, Show Line Breaks - Select On to convert line breaks in the display value to an HTML line break and display them in HTML output.

File Browse

Displays a text field with a Browse button. The Browse button enables the user to locate and upload a file from a local file system.

Note: Not supported for interactive grid columns.

See Also: "About Securing File Uploads"

Page Designer attributes:

  • Settings, Storage Type - Identify where the uploaded file is stored. Options include:

    • BLOB column specified in Item Source attribute - Stores the uploaded file in the table used by the Automatic Row Processing (DML) process and the column specified in the item source attribute. The column has to be of data type BLOB. If the file gets downloaded, the table name of the Automatic Row Fetch process is used.

    • Table APEX_APPLICATION_TEMP_FILES - Stores the uploaded file(s) in a temporary location that you can access with the view APEX_APPLICATION_TEMP_FILES. Application Express will automatically delete the file(s) at the end of the session or at the end of the upload request, depending on what you choose for Purge File At.

    If Storage Type equals Table APEX_APPLICATION_TEMP_FILES:

    • Purge File at - Define when Application Express should remove the temporary file.

    • Allow Multiple Files - Specify whether multiple files can be uploaded at once. Multiple file names will be stored as a colon delimited list in the page item..

    • File Types - Specify a comma delimited list of file types which might be used by the browser to restrict which files can be uploaded.

    If Storage Type equals BLOB column specified in Item Source:

    • MIME Type Column - Enter the uppercase page or application item name used to store the mime type of the uploaded file. The mime type is used by the browser to identify which application is used to display the content of the BLOB when the file is downloaded.

    • Filename Column - Enter the page or application item used to store the filename of the uploaded file. .

    • Character Set Column - Enter the uppercase page or application item name used to store the character set of the uploaded file. The character set of the BLOB is not automatically set on upload. End users should set the character set for the document they are uploading.

    • BLOB Last Updated Column - Enter the uppercase page or application item name used to store the current timestamp when a file is uploaded. This date value is used for browser caching..

    • Display Download Link - Specify whether the download link displays when there is a non-empty BLOB associated with this item.

    • Download Link Text - Enter the text that displays as part of the download link. If not specified, the text stored in the Text Message for APEX.FILE_BROWSE.DOWNLOAD_LINK_TEXTwithin Shared Components, displays.

    • Content Disposition - Select how the browser handles the content when downloading.

  • Settings, File Types - Specify a comma delimited list of file types which might be used by the browser to restrict which files can be uploaded.

Hidden

Items that are included within the page source but are not rendered. Hidden item values are saved in session state. They are generally used to store values required by page processing or other page items, but should not be displayed to the end user.

Page Designer attribute:

  • Settings, Value is Protected - Select On to prevent hidden values from being manipulated when a page is posted.

Markdown Editor

Displays a simple text editor that enables you to use Markdown shorthand syntax to add formatting to text.

Note: Markdown Editor is not supported for interactive grid columns.

See Also: Markdown Guide.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Toolbar - Select the number of text formatting icons available within the toolbar: Simple, Full, or None. Simple includes Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Unordered List, Numbered List, Blockquote, Link. Full adds image upload capability to the Simple (default) layout. None removes all icons except the Preview button.

  • Validation, Value Required- If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

List Manager

Displays a text item with a popup list of values icon, Add and Remove buttons, and a list of selected values.

Note: Not supported for interactive grid columns.

You can type in the value or pick from the list of available items. You can then utilize the buttons to manage the values selected. The selected values are stored in a single colon-delimited string.

Page Designer attributes:

  • Settings, Fetch - Select how data is displayed when the Popup LOV is opened.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

See Also: "Creating a Cascading List of Values"

Number Field

Displays a number field. You can configure number range checks for values entered by configuring the Minimum Value and Maximum Value attributes. This item type automatically checks if the entered value is a number. No extra validations are required.

Page Designer attributes:

  • Settings, Minimum Value - Enter the minimum value permitted. The value can be a static value or a dynamic value using substitution syntax.

  • Settings, Maximum Value - Enter the maximum value permitted. The value can be a static value or a dynamic value using substitution syntax.

  • Settings, Number Alignment - Select how to align the number that displays. This setting does not apply when the item is rendered as Read Only or where HTML Form Element Attributes are specified.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Password

Displays an HTML password form element. As the end user enters text a black dot is displayed for that character, instead of the actual character entered.

Page Designer attributes:

  • Settings, Submit when Enter Pressed - Specify whether pressing the Enter key while in this field automatically submits the page.

  • Settings, Does not save state - Specify whether the password is saved in session state.

    Oracle strongly recommends that you do not write the password into session state, for security reasons. The value can potentially be read from browser cache and Application Express session tables. If you do set this attribute to No, consider setting Store value encrypted in session state to Yes.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

See Also: "About Session State and Security".

Percent Graph

Displays the value as a percentage graph. The value retrieved must be between 0 and 100.

Popup LOV

Displays a text item with a popup list of values icon. When the end user clicks the icon, a popup window appears with a search field, and a list of supported values.

Popup LOV is best suited for large lists since end users can enter search criteria to reduce the available values displayed. For relatively small lists Select List is often better suited.

SELECT ename name, empno id 
   FROM emp

If one of the columns is an expression, remember to use an alias. For example:

SELECT ename||' '||job display_value, empno FROM emp

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Display As - Selects how the results are displayed either an inline popup or modal dialog.

  • Settings, Initial Fetch - Select how data is initially fetched for the list of values. This applies only the first time the popup is opened after the page loads or the item is refreshed such as due to a cascade. See also attribute Minimum Characters.

  • Settings, Multiple Values - Specifies if multiple values can be selected or entered.

  • Settings, Manual Entry - Select whether or not manual entry is allowed.

  • Validation, Value Required- If set to On and the page item is visible, Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

See Also: "Creating a Cascading List of Values"

Radio Group

Displays multiple values as radio group options, enabling the end user to select a single value.

The following example displays employee names (ename), but returns employee numbers (empno): 

SELECT ename, empno FROM emp;

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Number of Columns - Enter the number of radio group columns to display. For example, a value of 2 would display two columns. If there were five values then it would display over three rows.

  • Settings, Page Action on Selection - Select what action is taken when a radio group value is selected. See Help for more details.

  • Settings, Execute Validations - This attribute only appears if Page Action when Value Changed is set to Submit Page. Controls the execution of validations when a page is submitted. Set this attribute to Off to prevent the execution of validations and associated error messages. Set this attribute to On to execute all page and built-in validations and associated error messages when the page is submitted.

    See Also: "About Determining When Validations Execute." and "Creating a Cascading List of Values"

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Rich Text Editor

Displays a text area with comprehensive text formatting options. End users can enhance the content displayed in a similar fashion to using a word processor, such as Microsoft Word. End users can also cut and paste documents that are in rich text format (RTF) file format into this item.

Note: Not supported for interactive grid columns.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Toolbar - Select the number of text formatting options available within the editor.

  • Settings, Toolbar Expanded - Specify whether the editor is initially expanded within the text area.

  • Settings, Skin - Select the editor skin used to style the editor.

  • Settings, Toolbar Position - Specify where in the text area the editor displays.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Select List

Displays an item with a built-in list of values selector. When the end user clicks the item, the list of supported values displays directly inline with the current item.

Select List is best suited for relatively small, discrete lists. End users can very quickly select a value from the list without needing to change focus to a popup dialog. For large lists, consider using a Popup LOV.

select [displayValue],
       [returnValue]
  from ...
 where ...
 order by ...

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Page Action on Selection - Select what action is taken when a list value is selected. See help for options.

  • Settings, Allow Multi Selection - Specify whether multiple values or only a single value can be selected from the list of values. Multiple values are returned as a comma-separated list.

  • Settings, Execute Validations - Displays if Page Action on Selection is set to Submit Page. Controls the execution of validations when a page is submitted. Set this attribute to Off to prevent the execution of validations and associated error messages. Set this attribute to On to execute all page and built-in validations and associated error messages when the page is submitted. Use this attribute in conjunction with the validation attribute, Always Execute.

    See Also: "About Determining When Validations Execute."

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Shuttle

Displays as a multiple select list that includes two boxes containing lists. The left list displays the source list of values that have not been selected and the right list shows the currently selected values. End users can select one or more values in a list then use the shuttle controls to move the selected values or all values.

The current values are stored in a single colon-delimited string.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Show Controls - Select what data movement controls displays in the middle of the shuttle. Options include: None, Moving Only, Ordering Only, or All.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Note: To create this item type, you must define a list of values. See "Creating Lists of Values at the Application-Level," "Working with Multiple Select List Item," and "Creating a Cascading List of Values."

Star Rating

Displays a star rating (maximum of 10) that end users can click to set a numeric value.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Number of Stars - Set the total number of stars (one to ten) for end users to choose (default five).

  • Settings, Use Defaults - (Default ENABLED.) If enabled, applies the settings defined in the global settings in Shared Components, Component Settings.

    If disabled, additional attributes display for customization. Customizable attributes include:

    • Icon - The icon class to use (such as fa-thumb-up).
    • Active Color - Default color for active stars.
    • Inactive Color - Default color for inactive stars.
    • Tooltip - The template for the tooltip when end users hover the mouse over the item. This rating value replaces the #VALUE# substitution (for example, the movie rating is #VALUE#).
    • Show Clear Button - Choose whether to display the Clear button (x) next to the stars.
    • Show Value - Choose whether to display the numeric value next to the stars.
    • Read Only Display - Choose what to display if the item is read only. Options include: Stars, Value, Stars and Value, Single Star and Value.

Switch

Displays as a flip toggle switch.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Settings - Select whether application level component settings are used, or if custom settings are used for this item. Options include: Use Component Settings or Custom. If Settings is set to Custom, the additional attributes display.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Note: You can configure the default display for this item type. Switch items can display as a flip toggle switch (the default), Pill Button, or Select List. See "Configuring Switch Defaults."

Text Field

Displays the item as a text field.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Subtype - Select the HTML5 text subtype. This enables devices with on-screen keyboards to show an optimized keyboard layout specific to the subtype, for easier data input. The subtype selection is also used to render an appropriate link with the value of the page item, if it is rendered read only. This attribute does not change the text item, or data entry, when using a physical keyboard.

    Note: This HTML5 feature only works in modern browsers. Older, non HTML5-compliant, browsers ignore this attribute and render the page item as a normal text field.

  • Settings, Trim Spaces - Select how the item value is trimmed. This setting trims spaces, tabs, and new lines from the text entered. Options include: Leading, Trailing, Leading and Trailing, or None.

  • Settings, Text Case - Select how the item value text case is transformed. Options include: No Change, Lower, and Upper.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Text Field with autocomplete

Displays a text field that displays a list of possible values, based on the text already entered by the end user, inline with the text item. The list is further refined as the end user types in more text.

select [column]
  from ...
 where ...
 order by ...

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Search - Select how the search against the entered value is performed. When using Lazy Loading this setting can have an impact on query performance. Selecting Contains & Case Sensitive or Contains & Ignore Case prevents the use of column indexes.

  • Settings, Lazy Loading - Specify whether matching values are retrieved from the database using Lazy Loading techniques. Lazy loading retrieves matching records from the database each time the user types a character. Otherwise, all of the list values are loaded on page load. Oracle recommends using Lazy Loading when you have a large select list, as loading a large number of records may impact the time to initially load the page.

  • Settings, Maximum Values in List - Enter the maximum number of items to display in the select box. This value can help avoid performance problems by returning too many rows, and also prevent a very large return set when only a few letters have been entered.

  • Settings, Automatic Fill - Specify whether the text field is filled automatically with the first autocomplete value. See Help for more details.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Text Area

Displays a multiple-row text area.

Page Designer item attributes:

  • Settings, Resizable - Specify whether the text area resizing using the mouse is enabled.

  • Settings, Auto-Height - Specify whether the height of the text area varies based on the amount of text displayed. Use this option to scale the text area to the amount of data.

  • Settings, Character Counter - If set to On include a counter that displays the number of characters entered in the field.

  • Settings, Trim Spaces - Select how the item value is trimmed. This setting trims spaces, tabs, and new lines from the text entered. Options include: Leading, Trailing, Leading and Trailing, or None.

  • Validation, Value Required - If set to On and the page item is visible, Oracle Application Express automatically performs a NOT NULL validation when the page is submitted. See Help for more details.

Parent topic: About Item Types