3 Changed Behavior

Some existing behaviour changes in this release.

• Builder Extension Links
  
• Application Gallery Improvements
  
• Build Options
  
• Usability Improvements Made to "Load More" Pagination
  
• App Builder UI Changes
  
• Compatibility Mode
  
• Enabling Network Services in Oracle Database
  You must enable network services in Oracle Database to send outbound mail, use Web services, or use template-based PDF report printing with BI Publisher in Oracle APEX.

3.1 Builder Extension Links

Workspace administrators can now define links that appear in the main APEX Builder top-level toolbar in the Extensions menu. Links display as entries of a new navigation bar item, and always open in a separate tab or window. Links can point to any URL, and support substitutions for workspace name, workspace id, username, builder session id, current application, and current page.

If you do not configure any links for a workspace, the extension menu is not displayed. For more on configuring links, see Managing Links on the Extension Menu in Oracle APEX Administration Guide.

3.2 Application Gallery Improvements

You can now install applications from the gallery in the background without needing to launch a modal dialog. You can continue to do other tasks while the application installs, or you can start the installation of multiple applications in sequence.

For apps that have been updated since the last time you installed them, there is a new Update option that replaces an existing app with the updated one.

3.3 Build Options

Previously, validations on APEX Builder pages prevented the creation of duplicate build option names. Now, a new unique constraint is added to the database in the Build Options table to enforce uniqueness of build option names.

In cases where existing applications contain duplicate build option names, APEX adjusts the name to ensure the build option names become unique. This modification takes place either during an APEX upgrade or when importing older application.

3.4 Usability Improvements Made to "Load More" Pagination

This change applies to Interactive Grid and Cards regions that support "Load More" pagination through the attribute Advanced Initialization JavaScript Function and the Popup LOV item results list. The button label is changed from Load More Rows to Show More. On click, the focus returns to the last focused cell in the report without changing the scroll offset.

3.5 App Builder UI Changes

Changes to the application builder user interface for this release include:

• When adding a custom target column to an interactive report in Page Designer, the default icon is now Font APEX fa-edit. The fa-edit icon is also available from the quick pick list.
• File Browse is renamed to File Upload
• You can now toggle any component's Build Option property to comment or uncomment the component directly from the tree context menu. This option is available by default for every new application. For existing applications, you must add a Build Option called "Commented Out".
• The Close Dialog process has a new attribute: Show Success Messages. If switched on, success messages display in the top-level frame of the page. By default, this attribute is switched on for new applications and off for existing ones.
• Button templates now have a new substitution string: #BUTTON_NAME#. This string refers to the name of the button in the Page Designer button attributes.
• On the App Home page, the Run and Lock actions are combined into a single Actions column in the report view.
• A new Copy action button is available on most Shared Components pages to allow for quick copying of a specific component.
• A new authentication scheme is no longer automatically made the default one. APEX supports switching the authentication scheme at runtime. Creating an authentication scheme and setting one as default are now two distinct actions.
• Template Directives are now available for use inside the Text, Textarea, and HTML Template Component attributes in Page Designer, as well as in assignments of a {with/} and {apply/} block.
• This release adds general accessibility enhancements to the development environment and implements numerous accessibility-focused bug fixes.

3.6 Compatibility Mode

The application attribute Compatibility Mode controls the compatibility mode of the APEX runtime engine. Certain runtime behaviors change from release to release. You can use the Compatibility Mode attribute to obtain specific application behavior. This section lists Compatibility Mode changes by release. Note that all mode changes are inclusive in that all changes in older releases are included in newer releases.

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 4.1

In Oracle Application Express release 4.1, Automatic DML forms raised an error when rendering the page if the column name of the source of an item was invalid. Prior to Oracle Application Express release 4.1, an invalid column name of the source of an item would not raise an error when rendering the page but it would also not set session state of the item.

Also, in Oracle Application Express release 4.1, there are two new application Security Attributes to control Browser Security: Cache and Embed in Frames. Enabling the Cache attribute enables the browser to save the contents of your application's pages in its cache, both in memory and on disk. The Embed in Frames attribute controls if the browser displays your application's pages within a frame. Applications running in a Pre-4.1 Compatibility Mode function as if the Cache is enabled and as if Embed in Frames is set to allowed. Applications running in Compatibility Mode 4.1 or later respect the specific Browser Security attributes.

Also, in Oracle Application Express release 4.1, because of bug 12990445, the following changes were implemented for Automatic Row Processing (DML) process types. The code which performs the INSERT was changed to determine if the columns should be included in the INSERT statement. Note that these are the same checks which occur before an UPDATE. These new checks include:

• Is the source type a DB Column?
• Is the page item contained in the POST request? For example, if the page item is conditional it will not be contained in the POST request if the condition evaluates to FALSE during page rendering.
• Is the page item not of type Display Only where Save State is set to No?

To enable these behaviors, set the Compatibility Mode to 4.1 or later. For behavior that matches earlier releases, set the Compatibility Mode to Pre-4.1.

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 4.2

In Oracle Application Express release 4.2 due to changes for the new grid layout, when a page is rendered, all regions in a certain display point are evaluated before rendering that display point, to find out if they should be displayed or not (so that the grid layout knows how many columns to render). The regions where the evaluation returned true will be executed and displayed. However, this will not work if a PL/SQL based region sets session state which is then used in a subsequent region condition to determine if the region should be displayed. In that scenario, the condition has already been checked before the display point is rendered. Use computations or PL/SQL processes to set session state before any region is displayed. In previous versions, the condition was evaluated right before each region was displayed.

In Oracle Application Express release 4.2, computations and processes with a processing point Before Region(s) do now fire before any region gets rendered. Computations and processes with a processing point After Region(s) fire after all regions have been rendered. In previous versions, the computations and processes fired just before and after the region display point Page Template Body (1-3).

Oracle Application Express Patch Set 4.2.2 added two new Compatibility Mode changes for Compatibility Mode 4.2:

• Text areas were changed to always use the Maximum Width attribute to restrict text input.
• Enhanced security for report column links, where the link contains both JavaScript and references to other report column substitutions, for example:

  javascript:alert( 'Delete #NAME#' );

  In the previous example, NAME is a column name in the report.

Prior to Oracle Application Express release 4.2.1, to protect against possible cross-site scripting vulnerabilities, you would have had to explicitly escape any column values in the report source, so that they could safely be used in JavaScript links. When running in Compatibility Mode 4.2, Oracle Application Express automatically JavaScript escapes column name substitutions referenced in JavaScript links if the column is defined to escape special characters.

To fix this, Oracle recommends that you remove the manual JavaScript escaping from your report source and use of the native escaping.

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 5.0

In Oracle Application Express release 5.0, referencing a Static Application File with #WORKSPACE_IMAGES# no longer returns the application file. Instead, use #APP_IMAGES#.

The API calls to wwv_flow_custom_auth_std.logout, wwv_flow_custom_auth_std.logout_then_go_to_page, wwv_flow_custom_auth_std.logout_then_go_to_url, and apex_custom_auth.logout are desupported and will raise a runtime error instead of logging out from the Oracle Application Express session. Instead, use the apex_authentication.logout entry point.

Prior to release 5.0, developers using data upload did not have the option to choose a date format. Instead, a parser checked for the best format to match the user's entry or an end user could enter their own format. Oracle Application Express release 5.0 includes a new item that enables the user to choose an application date format or user entered format. Because applications created before release 5.0 do not have an item, a Compatibility Mode of 5.0 checks if the user has entered some data. If no data has been entered, it picks the application date format.

When a session timeout occurs and no timeout URL is specified, Oracle Application Express raises an error instead of redirecting to the application's home page. If the session setup for an Ajax requests fails, Oracle Application Express also raises an error. For Ajax requests that expect JSON, the response is a JSON string with members that describe the error. For other requests, the error appears on an error page.

Page items based on a database column where the attribute Source Used is set to Only when current value in session state is null will raise an error when the page item gets rendered. Using this setting for a database column is very dangerous and can result in accidentally overwriting data when viewing and saving multiple records. Always set the Source Used attribute to Always, replacing any existing value in session state.

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 5.1 / 18.1 / 18.2

In Oracle Application Express 18.1, buttons where the Execute Validations attribute is set to Yes also perform some client-side validations (such as item required checks) and will not submit the page until all issues are fixed. In previous versions this flag was just used to determine if server-side validations should be executed.

Tip:

Please pay attention when changing the Compatibility Mode to 5.1/18.1/18.2. Buttons, such as Cancel or Previous, where the Execute Validation flag has incorrectly been set to Yes and which use an After Submit branch, never execute validations when the user clicks the button. You can address this issue by using the new client-side validations, or by setting Execute Validations to No.

In release 5.1, any Ajax-based Dynamic Actions where the "Wait for Result" attribute is set to Yes perform an asynchronous Ajax call. Prior to 5.1, such calls would be made synchronously.

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 19.1

In Oracle Application Express 19.1, the Rich Text editor now enforces validation of the Max Length item attribute. When the length of the HTML markup exceeds the Max Length value, the system produces an error message.

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 19.2 / 20.1 / 20.2 / 21.1

In Oracle Application Express 19.2, Classic Reports render empty column values as an empty cell instead of using a "non-breaking white-space" ( ).

Compatibility Mode Changes in Mode 21.2 / 22.1 / 22.2 / 23.1 / 23.2

Prior to Oracle Application Express 21.2, all processes of the current processing point have been executed regardless of the added errors.

In Oracle Application Express 21.2, calling APEX_ERROR.ADD_ERROR in a process stops further processes from executing and immediately displays the inline errors.

3.7 Enabling Network Services in Oracle Database

You must enable network services in Oracle Database to send outbound mail, use Web services, or use template-based PDF report printing with BI Publisher in Oracle APEX.

Note:

The following does not apply to APEX instances running on Oracle Autonomous Database. APEX can communicate with external endpoints over the internet without additional configuration.

• When and Why Network Services Must be Enabled
  Enabling network services enables support for sending outbound mail in Oracle APEX, using REST Services, REST Enabled SQL, or other web services, and using a remote server for report printing.
• Granting Connect Privileges
  
• Troubleshooting an Invalid ACL Error
  Learn how to identify any invalid ACL error by running the query.

3.7.1 When and Why Network Services Must be Enabled

Enabling network services enables support for sending outbound mail in Oracle APEX, using REST Services, REST Enabled SQL, or other web services, and using a remote server for report printing.

By default, the ability to interact with network services is disabled in Oracle Database. Therefore, you must use the DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN package to grant network connect privileges to the APEX_230200 database user. Failing to grant these privileges results in issues with:

• Sending outbound mail in Oracle APEX.

  Users can call methods from the APEX_MAIL package, but issues arise when sending outbound email.

• Consuming REST services and other web services from APEX.
• Making outbound LDAP calls from APEX.
• Using a remote print server for report printing.

Note:

When upgrading APEX, the upgrade automatically configures Network Services based on the configuration of the previous APEX version.

Tip:

To run the examples described in this section, the compatible initialization parameter of the database must be set to at least 11.1.0.0.0. By default, the parameter is set properly, but a database upgraded from a version prior to 11g may require an update. For information about changing database initialization parameters, see Specifying the Database Compatibility Level in Oracle Multitenant Administrator's Guide.

See Also:

About Report Printing in Oracle APEX App Builder User’s Guide.

3.7.2 Granting Connect Privileges

The following example demonstrates how to grant connect privileges to any host for the APEX_230200 database user. This example assumes you connected to the database where Oracle APEX is installed as SYS specifying the SYSDBA role.

BEGIN
    DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE(
        host => '*',
        ace => xs$ace_type(privilege_list => xs$name_list('connect'),
                           principal_name => 'APEX_230200',
                           principal_type => xs_acl.ptype_db));
END;
/

The following example demonstrates how to provide less privileged access to local network resources. This example enables access to servers on the local host only, such as email and report servers.

BEGIN
    DBMS_NETWORK_ACL_ADMIN.APPEND_HOST_ACE(
        host => 'localhost',
        ace => xs$ace_type(privilege_list => xs$name_list('connect'),
                           principal_name => 'APEX_230200',
                           principal_type => xs_acl.ptype_db));
END;
/

3.7.3 Troubleshooting an Invalid ACL Error

Learn how to identify any invalid ACL error by running the query.

If you receive an ORA-44416: Invalid ACL error after running the previous script, use the following query to identify the invalid ACL:

REM Show the dangling references to dropped users in the ACL that is assigned
REM to '*'.

SELECT ACL, PRINCIPAL
  FROM DBA_NETWORK_ACLS NACL, XDS_ACE ACE
 WHERE HOST = '*' AND LOWER_PORT IS NULL AND UPPER_PORT IS NULL AND
       NACL.ACLID = ACE.ACLID AND
       NOT EXISTS (SELECT NULL FROM ALL_USERS WHERE USERNAME = PRINCIPAL);

Next, run the following code to fix the ACL:

DECLARE
  ACL_ID   RAW(16);
  CNT      NUMBER;
BEGIN
  -- Look for the object ID of the ACL currently assigned to '*'
  SELECT ACLID INTO ACL_ID FROM DBA_NETWORK_ACLS
   WHERE HOST = '*' AND LOWER_PORT IS NULL AND UPPER_PORT IS NULL;

  -- If just some users referenced in the ACL are invalid, remove just those
  -- users in the ACL. Otherwise, drop the ACL completely.
  SELECT COUNT(PRINCIPAL) INTO CNT FROM XDS_ACE
   WHERE ACLID = ACL_ID AND
         EXISTS (SELECT NULL FROM ALL_USERS WHERE USERNAME = PRINCIPAL);

  IF (CNT > 0) THEN

    FOR R IN (SELECT PRINCIPAL FROM XDS_ACE
               WHERE ACLID = ACL_ID AND
                     NOT EXISTS (SELECT NULL FROM ALL_USERS
                                  WHERE USERNAME = PRINCIPAL)) LOOP
      UPDATE XDB.XDB$ACL
         SET OBJECT_VALUE =
               DELETEXML(OBJECT_VALUE,
                         '/ACL/ACE[PRINCIPAL="'||R.PRINCIPAL||'"]')
       WHERE OBJECT_ID = ACL_ID;
    END LOOP;

  ELSE
    DELETE FROM XDB.XDB$ACL WHERE OBJECT_ID = ACL_ID;
  END IF;

END;
/

REM commit the changes.

COMMIT;

Once the ACL has been fixed, you must run the first script in this section to apply the ACL to the APEX_230200 user.