8 Desupported in Previous Releases

The following section lists features that were desupported in a previous release.

If a desupported feature has to do with application metadata or APIs, then existing applications may not work as they did previously. Oracle recommends modifying the application to replace the feature.

• Desupported Utilities
  
• Querying Template Component Metadata
  
• Desupported Query Builder
  
• Desupported User Interfaces Removed
  
• Desupported JET Date Picker Item Type Migrated
  
• DOM Object Desupported
  
• Legacy Bulk Utilities Desupported
  
• Desupported Attributes in App Builder
  
• Desupported Properties
  
• Desupported View Columns
  
• FullCalendar 3 Desupported
  
• App Builder Defaults Desupported
  
• Copying Legacy Themes Desupported
  
• CKEditor4 Desupported
  
• Desupported Public Package APIs
  
• Desupported Page Positions
  
• Desupported Region Positions
  
• Custom Page Region Templates with Duplicated Positions Desupported
  
• Legacy Substitution Strings Desupported
  
• Desupported JavaScript Functions
  
• Post Calculation for Page Items Desupported
  
• Show / Hide All Page Items On Same Line Attributes Desupported
  
• apex.server Plug-in and Process Function Async Option Desupported
  
• apex.widget.initPageItem Function Desupported
  
• Popup LOV Template Desupported
  
• Based On - Output of PL/SQL Code attribute Desupported
  
• Syntax {COLUMN_NAME}_LABEL in Interactive Grid Icon and Detail Views Desupported
  
• Removed Content Delivery Network
  
• APEX-Based REST Services Desupported
  

8.1 Desupported Utilities

As of APEX 23.2, the APEXExport utility is desupported and is no longer included with Oracle APEX. Oracle recommends using SQLcl to perform export operations.

8.2 Querying Template Component Metadata

As of APEX 23.2, for template components only, the ATTRIBUTE_01...ATTRIBUTE_25 columns of APEX_APPLICATION_PAGE_REGIONS and APEX_APPLICATION_PAGE_IR_COL public views now return null.

Instead, use the new ATTRIBUTES column that stores a JSON object of all attribute values. Use the attribute's Static ID as the object key. Note that a table alias is always needed when using the JSON dot notation. For example:

select r.attributes.COLOR
  from apex_application_page_regions r
 where r.application_id = 100
   and r.page_id        = 1
   and r.static_id      = 'user_badge';

8.3 Desupported Query Builder

As of APEX 23.1, SQL Workshop Query Builder is now desupported, and will be removed in a future release.

8.4 Desupported User Interfaces Removed

APEX previously defined multiple users interfaces for each application. As of APEX 23.1, this is no longer the case. Desupported user interfaces are cleaned up, which impacts many APEX Dictionary Views:

• Obsolete views:
  • apex_workspace_ui_types
  • apex_appl_user_interfaces
• New view columns:
  • apex_applications.theme_style_by_user_pref
  • apex_applications.built_with_love
  • apex_applications.navigation_list
  • apex_applications.navigation_list_position
  • apex_applications.nav_bar_type
  • apex_applications.nav_bar_list
  • apex_applications.include_legacy_javascript
  • apex_applications.include_jquery_migrate
• Obsolete view columns:
  • apex_applications.ui_detection_css_urls
  • apex_appl_concatenated_files.user_interface_id
  • apex_application_pages.user_interface_id
  • apex_application_pages.page_transition
  • apex_application_pages.popup_transition
  • apex_application_themes.ui_type_id
  • apex_application_themes.ui_type_name
  • apex_application_themes.default_page_transition
  • apex_application_themes.default_popup_transition
  • apex_appl_plugins.supported_ui_types
  • apex_appl_plugin_std_attrs.supported_ui_types
  • apex_appl_plugin_attributes.supported_ui_types
• Removed Page Designer Properties:
  • Page Transition
  • Popup Transition
  • User Interface

Older applications created when APEX could have two User Interfaces now only use the active user interface. Inactive user interfaces are removed from the metadata.

8.5 Desupported JET Date Picker Item Type Migrated

As of APEX 23.1, the Date Picker (JET) item type is now removed. Existing page items and interactive grid columns are automatically migrated to the new Date Picker item type introduced in APEX 22.2.

This impacts any JavaScript customizations made for the JET Date Picker component.

8.6 DOM Object Desupported

As of APEX 23.1, the DOM Object Dynamic Action selector type is desupported. Any page that uses this type for an action now throws an exception in the browser console, and the action does not execute.

Use the JavaScript Expression type instead of DOM Object.

8.7 Legacy Bulk Utilities Desupported

As of APEX 23.1, the Grid Edit tools are now desupported. This includes grid edit tools available in:

• Cross Page Utilities
• Region Utilities
• Button Utilities
• Item Utilities
• Computation Utilities
• Validation Utilities
• Process Utilities
• Dynamic Action Utilities
• Branch Utilities

You can edit items individually through Page Designer, or view them in bulk through the appropriate Utility area.

8.8 Desupported Attributes in App Builder

As of APEX 22.2, the following attributes in App Builder are desupported:

• In Edit Application Definition:
  • Progressive Web App - Icon URL
  • Application Icon - Icon File Name
• In Edit User Interface:
  • Favicon

8.9 Desupported Properties

As of APEX 22.2, the following properties in the property editor are desupported:

• Region Image
• Image Tag Attributes

8.10 Desupported View Columns

As of APEX 22.2, the following view columns are desupported:

• In apex_applications:
  • app_builder_icon_name
  • favicons
  • pwa_manifest_icon_url

8.11 FullCalendar 3 Desupported

As of APEX 22.2, FullCalendar v3 is desupported, including:

• deprecated plug-in attributes
• files and folders specific to v3 or jquery-fullcalendar
• v3-specific logic in PL/SQL and JavaScript

The used library version is now FullCalendar 6.1.8. APEX upgrades the library automatically.

8.12 App Builder Defaults Desupported

As of APEX 22.2, developers can no longer define App Builder Defaults from Workspace Utilities, App Builder Defaults. The Create Application Wizard no longer uses the defined attributes.

8.13 Copying Legacy Themes Desupported

As of APEX 22.2, the Copy Theme Wizard no longer supports copying legacy themes. This includes Themes 1 - 26, and the jQuery Mobile theme.

8.14 CKEditor4 Desupported

As of APEX 22.2, Rich Text Editor items based on CKEditor4, which are marked as deprecated since APEX 20.2, are now desupported and will be automatically converted to CKEditor5. CKEditor4 is removed from APEX completely.

Converted items receive the following configuration:

• Format: HTML
• Toolbar: unchanged
• Toolbar Style: Multiline
• Minimum Height: 180
• Maximum Height: null
• Allow Custom HTML: Enabled

The properties Toolbar Position and Skin do not have a CKEditor5 equivalent, and are removed. Any code included in the JavaScript Initialization Code attribute is automatically commented out.

Oracle recommends manually checking the functioning of each Rich Text Editor item.

Note:

With this update, any code referencing CKEditor4 and the CKEDITOR global object no longer works.

8.15 Desupported Public Package APIs

As of APEX 22.2, the following public package APIs are desupported:

• apex_page.is_desktop_ui function
• apex_page.get_ui_type function

8.16 Desupported Page Positions

As of APEX 22.1, the following page positions are desupported and display as Legacy in Page Designer:

• Body 1
• Body 2
• Body 3
• After Header
• Before Footer

8.17 Desupported Region Positions

As of APEX 22.1, the following region positions used for button positioning are desupported and display as Legacy in Page Designer:

• Top of Region
• Bottom of Region
• Above Region
• Below Region

8.18 Custom Page Region Templates with Duplicated Positions Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, custom page template and custom region templates with duplicated positions are desupported. For example, a region template referencing position #CHANGE# twice is not recommended because that duplicate position causes duplicate DOM IDs.

8.19 Legacy Substitution Strings Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the following apex.env substitution strings are desupported:

• APP_IMAGES
• IMAGE_PREFIX
• THEME_DB_IMAGES
• THEME_IMAGES
• WORKSPACE_IMAGES

While the legacy substitutions still function, Oracle recommends developers update their environments to use updated substitutions (listed below).

Legacy	New
IMAGE_PREFIX	APEX_FILES
WORKSPACE_IMAGES	WORKSPACE_FILES
APP_IMAGES	APP_FILES
THEME_IMAGES	THEME_FILES
THEME_DB_IMAGES	THEME_DB_FILES

8.20 Desupported JavaScript Functions

As of APEX 22.1, the following functions are desupported:

Universal Theme JavaScript API function:

• apex.theme42.util.mq (use apex.theme.mq instead)

8.21 Post Calculation for Page Items Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the Post Calculation functionality of page items is desupported.

This functionality remains for existing page items where it has been used, but you can no longer set it for new page items nor add it to existing page items where it has not been used in the past.

8.22 Show / Hide All Page Items On Same Line Attributes Desupported

In Dynamic Actions, the Show and Hide actions have attributes Show all page items on same line and Hide all page items on same line, respectively. These attributes were designed for forms with a table-based layout. Because Universal Theme no longer uses table-based layout, as of APEX 22.1, these attributes are desupported.

This functionality remains for existing Dynamic Actions where it was set to Yes, but developers cannot select it for new Dynamic Actions.

8.23 apex.server Plug-in and Process Function Async Option Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the apex.server plug-in and process function async option are desupported. In a future release, the async option will be ignored and all Ajax requests will be asynchronous.

8.24 apex.widget.initPageItem Function Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the function apex.widget.initPageItem is desupported. Item plug-in creators should use apex.item.create instead.

8.25 Popup LOV Template Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the Popup LOV template type is desupported.

8.26 Based On - Output of PL/SQL Code attribute Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the selection Output of PL/SQL Code of the attribute Based On is now desupported.

8.27 Syntax {COLUMN_NAME}_LABEL in Interactive Grid Icon and Detail Views Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, the &{COLUMN_NAME}_LABEL. syntax, which is used to reference the column label in Interactive Grid Detail and Icon views, is desupported.

Instead, use &{COLUMN_NAME}%LABEL..

8.28 Removed Content Delivery Network

As of APEX 22.1, the attribute Content Delivery Network that could be found under User Interface Attributes, Javascript with options None, Google, Microsoft, and jQuery, has been removed. Enabling this option was only relevant for pulling in a few of the JavaScript libraries that APEX needs.

If you were using this option, it's recommended to instead use the more modern, Oracle-provided CDN approach. For further information, see Announcing Oracle APEX Static Resources on Content Delivery Network.

8.29 APEX-Based REST Services Desupported

As of APEX 22.1, APEX-based REST Services are desupported. Prior to release 18.1, definitions of RESTful services created within Oracle APEX were stored within the metadata tables of the core APEX schema, and referred to as APEX-based REST Services. With release 18.1, we introduced support for Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) -based REST Services, where definitions are stored in the ORDS repository. ORDS-based REST Services continue to be supported for definitions of RESTful Services in Oracle APEX.

The instance parameter APEX_REST_PATH-PREFIX is desupported.

Note:

Oracle REST Data Services (ORDS) release 21.4.2 and newer now ship with migration scripts that enable you to upgrade any remaining APEX-based REST Services to ORDS-based Services. To learn more, see Migration of Oracle APEX Restful Service Modules in Oracle REST Data Services Release Notes.