Guide to Oracle10G1 Introduction To Forms Builder Chapter 5

Guide to Oracle10G2 Lesson A Objectives Use a data block form to view, insert, update, and delete database data Create a data block form that displays a single record at a time Become familiar with the Object Navigator, and use the Object Navigator to change form object names Use the Data Block and Layout Wizards to modify form properties Create a tabular-style data block form that displays multiple records

Guide to Oracle10G3 Forms Application with a graphical user interface that looks like a paper form Used to insert, update, delete and view database data Count the number of records a query will retrieve

Guide to Oracle10G4 Using A Data Block Form — Definitions Block: group of related form items, such as text fields and option buttons Data block: corresponds to a specific database table, and contains objects, such as text fields or option buttons, that display values from the table’s data fields Data block form: one or more data blocks Text items: display text input fields

Guide to Oracle10G5 Forms Services Window Form menu contains selections that allow you to manipulate the form Has a toolbar with buttons to insert, view, modify, and delete records At bottom of the window are lines that display information about form status Query button group allows you to query data, has two modes: –Normal mode - can view data records, insert new records, sequentially step through the records, and change data values –Enter Query mode - can enter a search expression in one of the form fields, and then retrieve the associated records

Guide to Oracle10G6 Forms Services Window

Guide to Oracle10G7 Using a Form to View Table Records Retrieve specific table records: –Click the Enter Query button –Type a search expression in one or more of the form text items –Click the Execute Query button Retrieve all of the records in a table –Place form in Enter Query mode and do not type search condition

Guide to Oracle10G8 Using a Form to Insert, Update, and Delete Records To insert: –Use blank record that appears when opening a form or as last line of query results –In normal mode, click the insert record button, type data values and click the Save button To update: –Retrieve record with a query, modify field and save To delete: –Retrieve record with a query, use Remove Record button to delete

Guide to Oracle10G9 Viewing and Interpreting Form Errors Some errors are detected, or trapped, within the form and form issues the error message Other errors are not detected until the form sends the data values to the database and Oracle DBMS issues the error message To view information on database errors: –Click Help menu, Display Error –Dialog box displays error information

Guide to Oracle10G10 Viewing Information About Database Error

Guide to Oracle10G11 Closing a Form and Committing Changes To close a form: –Click Exit button –Click Action on the form menu and then click Exit –Close browser window If unsaved changes exist, dialog box will prompt to save changes

Guide to Oracle10G12 Creating a Data Block Form When creating a form for a table, Forms Builder automatically creates: –Labels –Text entry fields –Insert, update and delete and select queries

Guide to Oracle10G13 The Object Navigator

Guide to Oracle10G14 Creating a New Data Block Form Create a new form module Create a new data block using: –Data block wizard –Manual process Using Data Block Wizard: –Select table name –Move editable fields from Available Columns list to Database Items list Use Layout Wizard to create form layout

Guide to Oracle10G15 Layout Editor Use to customize form display Can add images and static text to enhance form appearance

Guide to Oracle10G16 Layout Editor

Guide to Oracle10G17 Running a Form Click Run Form button Form is compiled into a.fmx file for execution A text file with same name as form and.err extension holds errors that occur when running form

Guide to Oracle10G18 Form Components and the Object Navigator Use Object Navigator to view information about form components Use buttons to expand and collapse form items Use Ownership View to group logically associated components together Use Visual View to group visually associated components Can rename objects

Guide to Oracle10G19 Modifying Forms Using the Data Block Wizard and Layout Wizard Wizards can be used to modify existing forms and layouts in reentrant mode Start wizard when component is selected to modify component

Guide to Oracle10G20 Creating a Form to Display Multiple Records Use tabular layout to edit multiple table records at the same time

Guide to Oracle10G21 Lesson B Objectives Create a data block form that is based on a database view Learn how to modify form properties to improve form appearance and function Create a master-detail form that contains multiple data blocks Format form text items using format masks

Guide to Oracle10G22 Creating a Form Based on a Database View Similar to form based on table but read-only

Guide to Oracle10G23 Modifying Form Properties

Guide to Oracle10G24 Modifying Form Properties Use Property Palette of form object to modify desired properties –To access: right click object, select Property Palette from menu –Intersection mode modifies properties for multiple objects at the same time –To open in intersection mode, select multiple objects before opening Property Palette

Guide to Oracle10G25 Property Palette

Guide to Oracle10G26 Modifying Form Prompts and Prompt Properties Using the Layout Editor Edit prompts by changing text in layout editor Resize frame to realign items and view changes Use layout editor to modify font and point size of prompts

Guide to Oracle10G27 Modifying Text Item Properties Using the Property Palette

Guide to Oracle10G28 Creating a Data Block Form that Displays Data from Multiple Tables Can create data block forms that display data from multiple database tables which have master-detail relationships Master-detail relationship: one database record has multiple related records through foreign key relationships Use data block wizard to create master block (for master table) first

Guide to Oracle10G29 Creating a Data Block Form that Displays Data from Multiple Tables Create detail blocks next and specify relationship on master-detail tab –Use auto-join to allow Forms Builder to decide on join condition –Use manual join to specify join fields Code is added to link form blocks together so that when new master is selected, new detail appears

Guide to Oracle10G30 Multiple Master-Detail Blocks

Guide to Oracle10G31 Using Format Masks to Format Character Strings

Guide to Oracle10G32 Lesson C Objectives Use sequences to automatically generate primary key values in a form Become familiar with different form items that you can use to enter and modify data values

Guide to Oracle10G33 Using Sequences to Generate Primary Key Values Form can be set up to automatically retrieve next sequence number and populate primary key field Form triggers respond to user events or system actions To create a trigger, specify: –Trigger’s object (i.e. specific button) –Trigger event (i.e. button press) –Code that executes Use PRE-FORM event to perform action when form loads Use Triggers dialog box to create triggers for objects

Guide to Oracle10G34 PL/SQL Editor

Guide to Oracle10G35 Using PL/SQL to Create Form Trigger Type code to select next sequence value Refer to form item (ID text entry field) as :block_name.item_name Compile code before use to check for syntax errors Must connect to database before compiling code PL/SQL editor displays syntax errors

Guide to Oracle10G36 Syntax Error in PL/SQL Editor

Guide to Oracle10G37 Representing Data Values Using Other Item Types Use radio buttons and checkboxes instead of text fields for data entry Radio buttons represent small list of mutually exclusive values. Limits user to one of two or more related, mutually exclusive choices To use radio buttons: –Create a radio group containing mutually exclusive radio buttons –Specify radio buttons rather than text for item type when creating form layout –Create individual radio buttons on canvas using radio button tool –Specify initial value for radio group using Property Palette

Guide to Oracle10G38 Creating Checkboxes Use to represent choice of two opposing values (i.e. On/Off) Use label to indicate what checked value represents Configure “Value when Checked” and “Value when Unchecked” to specify actual database values Can specify a third value that checkbox has when unmodified (such as NULL)

Guide to Oracle10G39 Summary Forms Builder is used to provide users with graphical user interface for manipulating database objects Form can represent one or more tables Form can be used to view, create, update and delete table data Form can be used to view data based on database views Use wizards to create and modify form information Use PL/SQL editor to edit, compile and debug code Actions can be associated with form objects and events via Form Triggers