Oracle Reports: Generate output into Spreadsheet Excel Format

Most end-users use Excel as a very generic tool, because of their familiarity and the control in analysing data using the power of MS Excel.
Customers request converting lot of reports to excel.
As you can imagine, converting all reports to excel is a mammoth task using BI (XML) Publisher.

There is a trick to capture Oracle Reports output (text output) into a excel sheet.

This trick uses the power of XML and MS Excel to format the data. This is trick is a simple and effective work around.


Basic Steps :
1) Set the output format for the report to XML
2) Run the report to generate output.
3) Save the output file locally as a XML file.
4) Open the file using MS Excel.
5) To make it more beautiful, you may use a MS Excel Template.

The Excel Templates can be used to do complex data analysis and formatting. Displayed example below is a simple excel template, to make the point.

Example URL:

http://127.0.0.1/reports/rwservlet?server=rep_APPSER_FRHome1&report=C:\MYREPORT.rdf&desformat=xml&destype=cache&userid=%77%61%68%2F%77%61%68%40%73%65%72%31%38&paramform=No&maximize=Yes

By mentioning destination, you can directly save the xml output into .xls excel file.

Example URL:

http://127.0.0.1/reports/rwservlet?server=rep_APP-SER_FRHome1&report=C:\MYREPORT.rdf&desname=c:\myfile1.xls&desformat=xml&destype=file&userid=%77%61%68%2F%77%61%&paramform=No&maximize=Yes

Another Technique is:

1. The SELECT statement should produce a string of data separated by commas.
For example:

select deptno||','||dname||','||loc the_string
from dept;

2. The report must be created as a Character Mode report, and the output
filename must have a .csv extension. Set the following System Parameters
under the Data Model node in the Object Navigator. Make column size large
enough to hold the data.

System Parameter                    Name Initial Value
---------------------------------- ------------------------------

MODE                                           Character
DESTYPE                                     File
DESNAME                                   x.csv
DESFORMAT                              dflt

3. Now, run the report; it will create the output file x.csv.

The file x.csv can be imported into MS Excel. There will be three columns
of data.

NOTE: This information is valid up to, but not including Reports 6.0,
where desformat=delimited, is all that is required.

Oracle Forms: Multiline Text Counter

What is a multi line text counter you ask? It is a method to keep a running total of the number of characters that have been typed into a Multi-line Text-Item in an Oracle Form. There is no built-in method to determining how many character are left in a text item, so I created one. The attached document and Oracle Forms source file demonstrates how to add a Forms widget to display a running total of the number of characters a user has typed into a Multi-line Text-Item. As a user types, the counter display will update every 2 seconds to show how many characters are remaining. For example:

Remaining: 427 of 500 characters

 

This sample form was created using Oracle Forms 10 g R2 (10.1.2.0.2), but the methods used are not specific to this version.  Therefore, you could take the code samples included and use them in a Forms 6i form.

 

I hope this sample form is useful.  If you find any bugs or if you have any suggestions, please let me know.

 

---

 How to: Display a decremented count of the number of characters remaining in a text field.

The idea for this sample form came to me from the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) user forums.  The question was asked: Is there a way to count the number of characters a user has typed into a multi-line Text-Item and display the number of characters remaining?  I knew this could be done with a timer, but had never seen it done nor had I done it myself.  So, I decided it was time to figure out how to do it. 

I hope you find the following sample Form useful.  The code included is not specific to any version of Oracle Forms, however, I have only tested the code with Oracle Forms 10g R2 (10.1.2.0.2).  The supplied sample form is written using this version, but you should be able to use the supplied code in Forms 6i or higher.

The following sample will walk you through creating a non-base table form that employs a timer to count the number of characters that have been entered in a multi-line Text-Item and display how many characters are left.  It is assumed that you have a basic working knowledge of Oracle Forms

If you find bugs with the supplied form or code, please let me know.

1.      Open Forms Builder and log into any database.

2.      Open Create a new forms module.

3.      Create a new Canvas and set the following properties in the Property Palette:

a.       Name:  MLINE_COUNTER or leave at default name

b.      Width:   380

c.       Height:  250

4.      Create a new “Non-Base table” data block (do not use the Data Block Wizard to create the block) and change the following block properties in the Property Palette:

a.       Name:   MLINE_COUNTER or leave at default name

b.      Database Data Block:   No

c.       Query Data Source Type:  None

5.      Add three Text-Items to the MLINE_COUNTER block and change the following item properties:

a.       ITEM1

i.       Name:  MLINE_TEXT

ii.      Multi-line:  Yes

iii.     Maximum Length:  500

iv.    Database Item:   No

v.     Visible:  Yes

vi.    Canvas:  MLINE_COUNTER

vii.   X Position:  35

viii.  Y Position:  19

ix.     Width:  310

x.      Height:  127

xi.     Show Vertical Scroll Bar:  Yes

b.      ITEM2

i.       Name:  DSP_TEXT_COUNT

ii.      Item Type:  Display Item

iii.     Maximum Length:  100

iv.     Database Item:  No

v.      Visible:  Yes

vi.     Canvas:  MLINE_COUNTER

vii.    X Position:  96

viii.   Y Position:  150

ix.     Width:  188

x.      Height:  14

xi.     Bevel:  None

c.       ITEM3  (This item is not required, but was used during development to prove the concept.  You can skip this step if you want.)

i.        Name:  BTN_COUNT_TEXT

ii.       Item Type:  Push Button

iii.      Label:  Count

iv.     Canvas:  MLINE_COUNTER

v.      X Position:  156

vi.     Y Position:  174

vii.    Width:  68

viii.   Height:  16

6.      Now we will add three Program Units to encapsulate the code for the counting process.  Again, it is assumed that you familiar enough with Oracle Forms to add a program unit to the Program Units node in the Object Navigator.

a.       GET_ITEM_COUNT_F (Function)

i.      Program Unit Text:

FUNCTION get_item_count_f (p_block_item VARCHAR2) RETURN VARCHAR2 IS       nCount      NUMBER := 0;            nItmSize    NUMBER := 0;       nRemaining  NUMBER := 0;       vRetVal     VARCHAR2(100);       BEGIN       nItmSize := Get_Item_Property(p_block_item, MAX_LENGTH);       nCount := length(NAME_IN(p_block_item));       nRemaining := nItmSize - nvl(nCount,0);       vRetVal := 'Remaining: '||nRemaining||' of '||nItmSize;       RETURN vRetVal; END;

b.      MYTIMER (Package Specification)

i.      Program Unit Text:

PACKAGE MyTimer IS       tID               TIMER;            v_block_item      VARCHAR2(61);   PROCEDURE SET_TIMER (p_item  VARCHAR2);   PROCEDURE DEL_TIMER (p_item VARCHAR2); END;

c.       MYTIMER (Package Body)

i.      Program Unit Text:

PACKAGE BODY MyTimer IS   -- The value passed to this procedure should be the value of   -- :SYSTEM.CURSOR_ITEM (if Forms version 6i, use   -- :SYSTEM.CURRENT_ITEM)   PROCEDURE SET_TIMER (p_item  VARCHAR2) AS   BEGIN       IF ( p_item = v_block_item ) THEN              -- tID is a Package level Variable             tID := Create_Timer('MLINE_TEXT',1000,REPEAT);       -- These ELSIF statements are here only to demonstrate       -- how you can extend this procedure to support multiple items       -- in a Form that you use this method on.  They can be excluded       -- if you do not want to include them.       ELSIF ( p_item = 'BLOCK2.Item2' ) THEN             tID := Create_Timer('ITEM2',1000,REPEAT);       ELSIF ( p_item = 'BLOCK2.Item3' ) THEN             tID := Create_Timer('ITEM3',1000,REPEAT);                   END IF;   END SET_TIMER;   PROCEDURE DEL_TIMER (p_item VARCHAR2) AS   BEGIN       IF ( p_item = v_block_item ) THEN              -- tID is a Package level Variable             Delete_Timer('MLINE_TEXT');       ELSIF ( p_item = 'BLOCK2.Item2' ) THEN             Delete_Timer('ITEM2');       ELSIF ( p_item = 'BLOCK2.Item3' ) THEN             Delete_Timer('ITEM3');                    END IF;   END DEL_TIMER; END;

7.      Create a Form level When-Timer-Expired trigger and add the following Trigger Text:

DECLARE    vTimer   VARCHAR2(30) := Get_Application_Property(TIMER_NAME); BEGIN    IF ( vTimer = 'COUNTER' ) THEN       :MLINE_COUNTER.DSP_TEXT_COUNT :=              get_item_count_f(:SYSTEM.CURSOR_ITEM);            END IF;  END;

At this point, your form should look similar to the following:

 

You are now ready to compile and run your form.  It is assumed that you are familiar enough with Oracle Forms to configure your installation to allow running Form locally.  For Forms 6i, this is quite simple as the form will run in Client/Server mode Forms Runtime.  If you are using Oracle Forms 9i or higher then you will need to configure your Forms installation to enable running a form from your developer installation of Oracle Forms.  How to configure forms to run locally is covered in a separate document.  You could also deploy this form to a Development environment to test.

Run the form and as you type, your form should look similar to the following:

Oracle Forms: How to Create a Popup Menu

Introduction

If you are like me, you probably haven’t had an opportunity to use a Forms Popup (Context) menu before.  Recently, I was presented with an opportunity where a Popup menu made sense and would make the user experience better.  Since I had never used one before it took me a little time to research how to create and use one.  As I was researching how to do this I discovered that there really wasn’t very much published information on how to use a Popup menu and Popup menu’s are not very well documented in the Forms Help system.  So, I decided to write this little “How to” document to demonstrate how I implemented a Popup menu.

My customer wanted a Popup menu to let them Copy, Cut and Paste a value from one item to another.

First off, I found it strange that Oracle Forms calls this menu a “Popup.”  Standard User Interface (UI) programming refers to this type of menu as a “Context” menu.  Since we are working with Oracle Forms, I will continue to refer to this menu as a Popup instead of the industry standard of Context.

Disclaimer

This demonstration is written using Oracle Developer Suite 10g Release 2 (10.1.2.0.2) with no patches installed.  This makes the demo files included with this article usable by any version of Forms 10g.  The concepts presented in this demo work with Forms 6i and 9i without any changes at all.

This demo assumes you have access to the HR demo schema.

Let’s get started…

Start the Forms OC4J Instance and then Forms Builder and connect to the HR demo schema.  Create a new Forms module and create a new Data Block using the Data Block Wizard.  Select the EMPLOYEES table and accept all of the default settings specified by the data block wizard – to include creating a canvas (selecting the Form layout).  You should have something similar to the following:

 

Now, let’s create the Popup Menu, so scroll to the “Popup Menus” node of the Object Navigator and add (click on the node and click the + toolbar button) a popup menu object.  Once added, right click the object and open the Property Pallet.  Rename the object to “CONTEXT_MENU”.  No other properties need to be changed at this point.

 

Now, let’s add the three menu options; Copy, Cut and Paste so click on the CONTEXT_MENU object and add three new menu items.  Click on the first new object and then open the property pallet.  Change the following properties:

 

1. Menu Item 1:

a. Name = COPY

b. Label = Copy (Ctrl + C)

c. Magic Item = Copy

d. Menu Item Code = COPY_REGION;

2. Menu Item 2:

a. Name:  CUT

b. Label:  Cut (Ctrl + X)

c. Magic Item = Cut

d. Menu Item Code = CUT_REGION;

3. Menu Item 3:

a. Name = PASTE

b. Label = Paste (Ctrl + V)

c. Magic Item = Paste

d. Menu Item Code = PASTE_REGION;

Your form should now look similar to the following:

 

 

Now we need to assign the Popup menu to each item in the EMPLOYEES block.  The easiest way to do this is to select all of the items in the block and open the property pallet.  Scroll to the Popup Menu property and select the CONTEXT_MENU from the List of property values.  For example:

 

 

That’s it!  You’re done!  Now just run your form to test.  Your form should function similar to the following:

 

 

The kicker to this process is that you have to implement the "Popup Menu" on each item you want to use on. 

 

Now that you have completed this little demo, I'm sure you have come to the same conclusion I did; "Boy, that was easy!"

Oracle Forms 10G: Configuration to run forms locally

Introduction

I wrote this document because so many people in the Oracle Technology Network (OTN) Forms Forum have asked “How do I run a form from the Forms Builder?” or “I just installed Forms 10g and all I get is a blank browser window when I run a form.” After I responded to numerous posts (always writing the instructions from scratch) I decided to write this document. As they say, “It is always better to reuse then to recreate!”

Disclaimer

First and foremost, this document targets the following Oracle Developer Suite (Forms/Reports) versions:  10g R1 (9.0.4.x.x) and 10g R2 (10.1.2.x.x). 

Many of the concepts apply to the Oracle Fusion Middleware (FMw) 11g suite (Forms and Reports), but this document is not intended to help you with FMw configuration. 

 

The information in this document could be adapted to Oracle Forms 9i, but I do not currently have access to this version of Forms so there is no guarantee that these methods will work for Forms 9i.

 

Secondly, this document is NOT all inclusive – meaning it is not a full reference to all setup options available.  This document is meant only to get you up and running.  If you need to use features that are not listed in this document, please refer to the appropriate Oracle document available at the Oracle Technology Network (OTN).

 

Lastly, this article assumes you have successfully installed the Oracle Developer Suite (ODS) 10g R2 (10.1.2.x.x).  If you have not already installed the ODS then you will need to do this before you can proceed.

Background

If you have used Oracle Forms long enough, you will remember the day when you could run a Form locally from the Forms Builder with the Forms Runtime.  This was a very nice feature that enabled you to perform incremental development and testing; the Forms Debugger utility; not to mention the Forms Runtime Diagnostics (FRD).  With the advent of Forms 9i – when Oracle made Forms web deployed only – many developers thought the ability to run a form from the Forms Builder was lost.  This is not true; it is just a little harder to do now and requires some configuration setup on your workstation to make it work.  Forms 10g use the OC4J Forms Servlet to emulate a Forms Service web process on your workstation that allows you to “serve” a web form from the Forms Builder.  This is a very generic description of what OC4J is and what it does, but it will suffice for the purpose of this document.  In order to run a form from the Forms Builder, Oracle has included two new program items (among others) in Oracle Developer Suite Program group of the installed Oracle Developer Suite 10g.  These two program items are the “Start OC4J Instance” and “Stop OC4J Instance.”  Both are critical to the running of forms from the Forms Builder. 

Let’s get started…

There are two parts to configuring Forms Builder to run forms.  The first relates to Forms Builder and the second relates to the OC4J Forms Servlet.  Most forms developers will be familiar with configuring the Forms Builder as this involves setting up key environment/registry variables so the Forms Builder can find libraries (PL/SQL libraries [.pll] and Forms Object Libraries [.olb]).  However, fewer developers are familiar with setting up the OC4J environment variables which enable you to run a form from the Forms Builder.

 

There are two Java Runtimes (JREs) supported by Forms Builder;  Oracle Jinitiator and the Oracle (Sun) Java Runtime Environment (Sun JRE).  By default, Forms Builder is configured to use the Oracle Jinitiator and in most cases this should be sufficient for your needs.  Configuration is simply to install the Oracle Jinitiator (make sure you install the right version because each Forms version defaults to different version.  For example, Oracle Forms 10g R2 (10.1.2.0.2) defaults to using Oracle Jinitiator 1.3.1.22.  If you install the version found in your Oracle DevSuite home directory (\%DEV_SUITE_HOME%\jinit) you should be OK.  If you decide to use the Sun JRE, again, you will need to install the appropriate version as the Forms Builder ships configured to a specific version of the Sun JRE.  For example, Oracle Forms 10g R2 (10.1.2.0.2) defaults to Sun JRE version 1.4.2 update 6 (1.4.2_06).  Most likely, you will have to update the default settings as you likely do have the Sun JRE installer for 1.4.2 and it is no longer available for download.  Therefore, you will likely be installing the latest version of the Sun JRE which is Java 6 (1.6.0). 

 

Which JRE you use is also dependent on your Operating System (OS) version and your Internet Browser version.  This document focuses on setup for the Microsoft Windows Operating System and Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox browsers.  The following is the Oracle certified supported configurations.

 

OS	Java Runtime
Windows	Jinitiator	Sun JRE
Internet Explorer
version 5	1.3.1.x+	1.4.1+
version 6	1.3.1.22+	1.4.2_06+
version 7	1.3.1.28	1.5.0_06+
version 8	1.6.0_16+	1.6.0_16+
FireFox 3.5+	NS	1.6.0_16+

+ = indicates a higher version can be used

NS = Not Supported

 

This list is an abbreviated list.  For a complete list – review the appropriate Oracle Certification Matrix document on OTN.

 

Alright, enough background.  It’s time to get the heart of this document. 

 

This document will be focused into three sections:  Forms Builder config, OC4J with Jinitiator, and OC4J with Sun JRE.

 

Forms Builder Configuration

Forms Builder is dependent on the following variables (there are others, but these are the most important):

• FORMS_PATH

• FORMS_BUILDER_CLASSPATH

• TNS_ADMIN

FORMS_PATH is used by Forms Builder to record the location of attached libraries (.pll) and subclassed objects (such as items from a Template.fmb or Object Library [.olb]).  You can also include your Forms working directory in this variable and Forms runtime will be able to find your compiled Forms binaries when you run a form from the Forms Builder.  This saves you having to modify the “formsweb.cfg” file to include a configuration for each form you develop (I’ll include a brief discussion of custom configurations at the end of this document).

 

This variable is mandatory if you use attached libraries or subclassed objects.

 

FORMS_BUILDER_CLASSPATH is used by Forms Builder to record the location of any Java Pluggable Components or Java Beans that are implemented in a form. 

 

This variable is optional, but you will receive a Forms Builder error during design time indicating that Forms Builder can’t find the implemented Java source.  This is a design time error only and does not affect runtime.

 

TNS_ADMIN is used by Forms Builder to find your TNSNAMES.ora and SQLNET.ora files.  This variable is handy if you have multiple Oracle Homes installed because it allows you to share a single set of TNS configuration files.

 

This variable is optional, but if you have multiple Oracle homes you will have to maintain separate copies of the TNS files for each Oracle home.

 

These variables can be set in either the Windows Registry (Windows XP) through the Windows System Environment Variables.  This document will describe both methods of setting these variables.

 

Windows Registry

1. Open the Windows Registry Editor (regedit.exe or reged32.exe)

2. Navigate to the appropriate Oracle Home

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

• SOFTWARE

• Oracle

• HEY_DevSuiteHome10g

3. FORMS_PATH: In the Key listing, scroll through and find the FORMS_PATH string variable and double-click or right-click and select “Modify” to edit the variable.

a. DO NOT delete the existing value.  Add directory information by separating it with semicolons “;”. 

b. Example:

        FORMS_PATH=C:\DevSuiteHome10g\cgenf61\admin;C:\Forms_Dev\*;

 

        Note: I have found that I can include a wildcard reference in the FORMS_PATH.  This allows me organize all of my Forms development into a
        single directory.  In my Forms_Dev directory, I have a Forms_Lib directory where I store all of my referenced items such as; attached libraries (.pll),
        object libraries (.olb) and object referenced from a Forms Template file (template.fmb).  Additionally, if I am working on different projects, I can
        create a subdirectory for each project.

 

4. FORMS_BUILDER_CLASSPATH:  find the existing entry for this key and open the key editor. 

a. Again – DO NOT delete any existing values

b. Add to the exiting directory and .jar file listing by separating each entry with a semicolon.

5. TNS_ADMIN:  This entry does not exist, you will have to create this entry in each of the Oracle Homes. 

a. In the key listing, right-click somewhere and New => String Value from the context menu

b. This will create an empty string entry.

c. Open the editor for the string and enter the full path to your TNS configuration files.  Eg: C:\DevSuiteHome10g\NETWORK\Admin

 

Windows Environment Variables

1. Open the System Properties control panel applet. (Start Menu => Control Panel => System)

2. Click on the Advanced tab.

3. Click on the Environment Variables button towards the bottom.

4. If more than one person uses the workstation, I recommend you add the FORMS_PATH variable to the set of User Variables rather than add it to the list of System Variables.  This allows each user to set their own preferences.

a. Click on the New button and enter the Variable Name and Variable Value

i. Variable Name = FORMS_PATH

ii. Variable Value = full path to your working and library directories

iii. You do not have to worry about the default value of this variable in the registry as this environment variable augments the registry.

5. Do the same thing for the FORMS_BUILDER_CLASSPATH and TNS_ADMIN variables.

 

This completes the Forms Builder setup. 

OC4J Servlet setup

The OC4J Servlet setup is a bit more complex in that all of the variables are stored one of two files.  These files are:

• DEFAULT.ENV

• FORMSWEB.CFG

These file can be found in the \%DEV_SUITE_HOME%\forms\server directory.  I strongly recommend you make a back up copy of the original file before you modify these files.

 

Note:  These files should only be modified on the application server using the Oracle Enterprise Manager (OEM).  The Developer Suite installation does not include the OEM so modifications must be made manually with a text editor.

DEFAULT.env

– This file is used to set Forms runtime environment parameters.  There are only two parameters that I have had to modify to enable running a form from the Forms Builder. They are:  FORMS_PATH and CLASSPATH.

The FORMS_PATH needs to have the same directories listed as stated above for the equivalent Registry or Environment variable.

The CLASSPATH only need to be modified if you implement a PJC or Java Bean in your form.   You will need to list the full path, to include the file name, in this parameter listing.  This parameter has a maximum character length of 256 characters.

 

FORMSWEB.cfg

– This file contains the parameter values used by the Forms Servlet.  There are two types of parameters: SYSTEM and USER defined.  System parameters are static in that they can not be overridden at run time.  User parameters have an entry in the baseHTML file and can be overridden in the URL query string. 

 

This file is where the bulk of changes are needed the enable running a form from the Forms Builder.  I will not list all of the parameters as there are too many.  Refer to the Application Server Forms Services Deployment Guide (see references) for a complete listing of all parameters and more detailed information.

 

Configuration will be separated by Java Runtime used.  I’ll list Sun JRE first and Jinitiator second.  Bear in mind, that Oracle has retired the Jinitiator and no longer supports its use. 

 

The formsweb.cfg is broke up into separate defined configurations.  Each configuration is named and can be identified by the name in square brackets.  For example, the ‘Default” configuration is listed as: [default].  This is the configuration that is used unless it is overridden through the URL query string. 

 

I’ll list later in the document how you can override a User parameter or specify a custom configuration later in the document.

 

Conventions used:Settings listed in Green are code comments
Settings listed in Blue are original settings
Settings listed in Red are recommend changes
Settings listed in Purple are optional changes

 

Sun JRE
Modify the following settings to use a JRE version different from the default if 1.4.2.  The following JRE changes instruct the Forms Runtime to use the JRE version 1.6.0 update 22 (1.6.0_22).  The following settings are all found in the [default] configuration section.

# System parameter: base HTML file for use with JInitiator client

# baseHTMLjinitiator=basejini.htm

baseHTMLjinitiator=basejpi.htm

Oracle Forms is hardwired (so to speak) to use the Oracle Jinitiator. Therefore, to instruct the Forms Runtime to use the JRE without passing a URL query string parameter, it is recommended you change the “baseHTMLinitiator” parameter to point to the Java Plug-In (JPI) html file. You could also expand the existing [jpi] section and instruct the Forms runtime to use this configuration in the URL. Personally, I find this to be the easier solution.

# Page displayed to users to allow them to download Sun's Java Plugin.

# Sun's Java Plugin is typically used for non-Windows clients.

# (NOTE: you should check this page and possibly change the settings)

# Original setting

#jpi_download_page=http://java.sun.com/products/archive/j2se/1.4.2_06/index.html

# New – points to the generic ( non-version specific) JRE download web site

jpi_download_page=http://www.oracle.com/technetwork/java/javase/downloads/index.html

# Parameter related to the version of the Java Plugin

# Original setting

#jpi_classid=clsid:CAFEEFAC-0014-0002-0006-ABCDEFFEDCBA

# This setting is specific to JRE 1.6.0_22

jpi_classid=clsid:CAFEEFAC-0016-0000-0022-ABCDEFFEDCBA

# Optional – Generic to any version of JRE 1.6.0.   Note the difference between these two settings.

jpi_classid=clsid:CAFEEFAC-0016-0000-FFFF-ABCDEFFEDCBA

# Parameter related to the version of the Java Plugin

# Original setting

#jpi_codebase=http://java.sun.com/products/plugin/autodl/jinstall-1_4_2-windows-i586.cab#Version=1,4,2,06

# New – specific to JRE 1.6.0_22

jpi_codebase=http://java.sun.com/update/1.6.0/jinstall-6-windows-i586.cab#Version=1,6,0,22

# Optional – Generic to JRE 1.6.0

jpi_codebase=http://java.sun.com/update/1.6.0/jinstall-6-windows-i586.cab#Version=1,6,0

# Parameter related to the version of the Java Plugin

# Original Setting

#jpi_mimetype=application/x-java-applet;jpi-version=1.4.2_06

# New – specific to JRE 1.6.0_22

jpi_mimetype=application/x-java-applet;jpi-version=1.6.0_22

# Optional – Generic to JRE 1.6.0

jpi_mimetype=application/x-java-applet;jpi-version=1.6.0

Oracle JinitiatorModify the following settings to use a Jinitiator version different from the default if 1.3.1.26.  There  are no optional settings for Jinitiator.

# Page displayed to Netscape users to allow them to download Oracle JInitiator.

# Oracle JInitiator is used with Windows clients.

# If you create your own page, you should set this parameter to point to it.

# jinit_download_page=/forms/jinitiator/us/jinit_download.htm

# Parameter related to the version of JInitiator

jinit_classid=clsid:CAFECAFE-0013-0001-0026-ABCDEFABCDEF

jinit_classid=clsid:CAFECAFE-0013-0001-0028-ABCDEFABCDEF

# Parameter related to the version of JInitiator

# jinit_exename=jinit.exe#Version=1,3,1,26

jinit_exename=jinit.exe#Version=1,3,1,28

# Parameter related to the version of JInitiator

# jinit_mimetype=application/x-jinit-applet;version=1.3.1.26

jinit_mimetype=application/x-jinit-applet;version=1.3.1.28

Default URL Query String and parameters

The default URL query string used by the Forms Builder is:

http://myhost.mydomain.com/forms/frmservlet?

With reference to the aforementioned JPI change for the “baseHTMLjinitiator=” parameter, alternatively, you could pass the JPI configuration in the URL query string.  To do this, simply add “config=jpi” to the default URL query string.  Passing this additional parameter, the default URL would look like:

http://myhost.mydomain.com/forms/frmservlet?config=jpi

However, I prefer to make the change in the formsweb.cfg file as this is a more permanent change. 

Custom Configurations

If you have installed the Oracle Demo’s you will find that Oracle modifies the formsweb.cfg to add a configuration for each form included in the demo.  While this works fine for demo’s, it is a real pain in everyday development to add a configuration section for each form you work on (which is why I edit all of my forms in a directory that is in my FORMS_PATH).  However, there are times when it is good to create a configuration for a specific form.  For example, if I want to run a form with the Forms Runtime Diagnostics (FRD) enabled, I have created a configuration that enables this.  Then I simply add the parameter to the url to enable FRD (?config=my_frd).

To create a custom configuration, open the formsweb.cfg file and scroll to the bottom of the file.  Always add additionally configurations to the end of the file.  Custom configurations will use all of the variables in the [default] section and then override any you specify in your custom configuration.  The following is based on my reference to use Forms Runtime Diagnostics (FRD).  The configuration listed below also uses a configuration specific environment file (default.env) as well.

[my_frd]
otherparams=record=collect log=my_frd.txt
envFile=my_frd.env
form=<YOUR_FORM_NAME_HERE.fmb>

To create a specific environment file, I simply copied the default.env to my_frd.env and added the following variable:

 

FORMS_TRACE_DIR=C:\DevSuiteHome10g\NETWORK\log

 

References:

- Oracle® Application Server Forms Services Deployment Guide – 10g Release 2(10.1.2) (B14032-03 – Feb 2006)
- Oracle® Application Server Certification Information - 10 g Release 2 (10.1.2)  (B25703-62 - April 30, 2010)
- Using the Java Plug-in (JRE/JPI) with Oracle Forms (ID 794710.1)
- How Do the Jinitiator and JPI Parameters Work In a Forms Configuration (ID 444105.1)