1 Custom Workflows, Menus, and Image Handling

The Oracle Clinical data entry process can be integrated with external workflow and imaging systems. Oracle Clinical communicates with the external system through a library of functions (RXCLBCLI.PLL) shipped with the product (in the admin directory on the CD-ROM) that you can customize. Also shipped with the functions is a set of menu options that you can enhance or supersede to modify the standard Oracle Clinical menus.

The Oracle Clinical functions that support integration with an external system—demonstrated here by an imaging workflow system—are on the product CD-ROM in the admin directory as a library. RXCLBCLI.PLL is the basis of the API. These integrating functions can be programmed in the library, using OLE, C, PL/SQL, or DDE. The PLL shipped with Oracle Clinical contains code that can be activated to see the simple workflow system used to test the functionality.

Also provided are five menu stubs—Custom Program Units— that can be customized for use with the external system. This is done by naming and displaying the menu items, and to writing the code to fully implement them.

Note:

The existing Oracle Clinical function Get Image, which can be invoked from Data Entry, Discrepancy Database, and from the DCF, has been moved to the PL/SQL library. This enables the integration of the external flow with Oracle Clinical's Data Entry System. This external flow need not necessarily be an imaging system.

For more information, see:

• Usage Overview
  
• Enabling External Systems
  To enable an external workflow system, set the INVOKE_WORKFLOW option to Y in the OCL_STATE reference codelist. To enable an imaging system, you set the INVOKE_IMAGE option to Y in the OCL_STATE reference codelist.
• Menu Customization
  
• Some Possible Ways to Work with the API
  
• Workflow API Functions