book

Expert Oracle Application Express

Name: Expert Oracle Application Express
ISBN: 9781430235125

by John Edward Scott, Dietmar Aust, Martin Giffy D'Souza, Doug Gault, Dimitri Gielis, Roel Hartman, Michael Hichwa, Sharon Kennedy, Denes Kubicek, Raj Mattamal, Dan McGhan, Francis Mignault, Anton Nielsen

May 2011

Intermediate to advanced

618 pages

14h 42m

English

Apress

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Copyright
Foreword
About the Authors
About the Technical Reviewers
Acknowledgments
1. OHS, EPG, and APEX Listener Compared
1.1. Why Should I Care About This Chapter?1.2. Web Server Basics1.3. The Oracle HTTP Server (OHS)1.3.1. Installing the OHS1.3.2. Configuring the OHS1.3.3. Digging into HTTPD.CONF1.3.4. Configuring Virtual Hosts1.3.5. Prefork or Multi-Processing Module?1.3.6. Web Server Compression1.3.7. Expiry Headers1.4. Embedded PL/SQL Gateway1.4.1. Compression and Expiry Headers with the EPG1.4.2. Configuring SHARED_SERVERS1.4.3. Configuring EPG Parameters and DADS1.4.4. Debugging Issues with the EPG1.4.5. Configuring Virtual Hosts with the EPG1.5. The APEX Listener1.5.1. Stand-Alone Installation1.5.2. Installing via Glassfish or Web Logic Server1.5.3. Compression with the APEX Listener1.5.4. Interesting APEX Listener Features1.6. Conclusion
2. Oracle APEX 4.0 Charts Inside Out
2.1. HTML Charts2.1.1. Using the HTML Charts Wizard2.1.2. The Result2.1.3. Debugging and Performance2.1.4. Behind the Scenes2.1.5. Inline HTML Charts in Report2.2. Flash Charts2.2.1. Background2.2.2. Creating a Flash Chart2.2.3. The Result2.2.4. Understanding the Chart Region2.2.5. Understanding the Chart Attributes2.3. Adding Multiple Series and Combined Charts2.4. Different Flash Chart Types2.5. Behind the Scenes2.6. Debug and Performance2.7. Upgrading Oracle APEX 3.x Flash and SVG Charts2.8. Screen Reader Mode and Charts2.9. Extending Flash Charts2.9.1. Customizing Charts by Using Custom XML2.9.2. Customizing Charts by Using Custom XML, Dynamic Actions, and JavaScript2.9.3. Creating Charts Manually2.10. Drill-Down Charts, Dashboards, and Interactivity2.10.1. Simple Dashboard with Submit2.10.2. Simple Dashboard with JavaScript2.10.3. Complex Dashboard with Actions2.11. Most Common Issues2.11.1. Search for a Specific Feature2.11.2. Invalid #HOST# with Reverse Proxy or HTTPS2.11.3. Flash Security Error2.12. Charts in the Future2.13. Resources2.14. Conclusion
3. Tabular Forms
3.1. Changes in APEX 4.03.2. Constraints3.3. Purpose of Tabular Forms3.4. Tabular Forms Are Not Spreadsheets3.5. New Features in APEX 43.5.1. New Item Types3.5.1.1. Single Checkbox3.5.1.2. jQuery Date Picker3.5.1.3. Radio Group3.5.1.4. Popup Key LOV3.5.2. Declarative Validations3.5.2.1. Validations Created by Tabular Form Wizard3.5.2.2. Highlighting Validation Errors3.5.3. Other Features3.5.3.1. Lost Update Protection3.5.3.2. Client-Side Add Row Functionality3.5.3.3. Reduced Number of Processes3.5.4. Future Features We'd Like to See3.6. Custom Coding in Tabular Forms3.6.1. Processing the Correct Rows3.6.2. Data Integrity3.6.2.1. Checksum3.6.2.2. Validations3.6.3. Manual Tabular Forms3.6.4. Tabular Forms and Collections3.6.4.1. Creating a Collection3.6.4.2. Using Instead of Trigger3.6.4.3. Writing Packaged Update Procedures3.6.4.4. Updating a Collection via an On-Demand Process3.7. Interesting Techniques3.7.1. Simple Autocomplete3.7.2. Autocomplete Returning Key Value3.7.3. Clone Rows3.8. Summary
4. Team Development
4.1. Milestones4.1.1. The Basics4.1.2. Extending Milestone Functionality4.2. Features4.2.1. The Basics4.2.2. Extending the Features Functionality4.3. To Do's4.3.1. The Basics4.3.2. Extending the To Do Functionality4.4. Bugs4.5. Feedback4.5.1. Feedback Process4.5.2. Enable Feedback4.5.3. Exporting Feedback to Development4.5.4. Importing Feedback into Development4.5.5. Processing Feedback4.5.6. Exporting Response to Deployment4.5.7. Importing Response into Deployment4.5.8. Extending Feedback: Create a Report4.5.9. Extending Feedback: Feeding Back the Follow Up4.5.10. Further Enhancements4.6. Wrap Up
5. Globalization
5.1. Loading Languages5.2. Translating Applications5.2.1. Application Language Derived From5.2.2. Mapping5.2.3. CSV Encoding5.2.4. Translating an Application5.2.4.1. Seed Translatable Text toTranslation Repository5.2.4.2. Download Translatable Text from Repository to Translation File (XLIFF File)5.2.4.3. Translate Text5.2.4.4. Apply XLIFF Translation File to Translation Repository5.2.4.5. Publish Translated Application5.2.5. Manually Translate an Application5.3. Translating Data in the Database5.4. Dynamic Translations5.5. Translating APEX Internal Text5.6. Copying Translations to Other Environments5.6.1. Copying Only the Applications5.6.2. Copy the Primary Application and Publish5.6.3. Changing the Application ID5.7. Localization5.7.1. SINCE Format Mask5.7.2. Numeric Formats5.7.3. Time Zones and Territories5.8. Switching Languages5.9. Translation logs5.9.1. Developer Log5.9.2. Dashboard5.10. Conclusion

6. Debugging
6.1. Principles of Code Instrumentation6.2. Debugging Basics6.2.1. Page Processing and Rendering6.2.2. Enabling Debug6.2.3. Debug Information6.2.3.1. Developer Toolbar6.2.3.2. Application Utilities6.3. Benefits of Debug Mode6.3.1. Graphs and Charts6.3.2. Interactive Reports6.4. APEX Debugging API6.4.1. APEX_DEBUG_MESSAGE6.4.1.1. ENABLE_DEBUG_MESSAGES Procedure6.4.1.1.1. Syntax6.4.1.1.2. Parameters6.4.1.1.3. Usage Notes6.4.1.2. DISABLE_DEBUG_MESSAGES Procedure6.4.1.2.1. Syntax6.4.1.2.2. Usage Notes6.4.1.3. REMOVE_SESSION_MESSAGES Procedure6.4.1.3.1. Syntax6.4.1.3.2. Parameters6.4.1.4. REMOVE_DEBUG_BY_APP Procedure6.4.1.4.1. Syntax6.4.1.4.2. Parameters6.4.1.5. REMOVE_DEBUG_BY_AGE Procedure6.4.1.5.1. Syntax6.4.1.5.2. Parameters6.4.1.6. REMOVE_DEBUG_BY_VIEW Procedure6.4.1.6.1. Syntax6.4.1.6.2. Parameters6.4.1.7. LOG_MESSAGE Procedure6.4.1.7.1. Syntax6.4.1.7.2. Parameters6.4.1.7.3. Usage Notes6.4.1.8. LOG_LONG_MESSAGE Procedure6.4.1.8.1. Syntax6.4.1.8.2. Parameters6.4.1.8.3. Usage Notes6.4.1.9. LOG_PAGE_SESSION_STATE Procedure6.4.1.9.1. Syntax6.4.1.9.2. Parameters6.4.1.9.3. Usage Notes6.4.2. Programmatic Debugging6.4.3. Instrumenting Your Own Code6.4.3.1. Logging Custom Messages6.4.3.2. Logging Session State6.5. The Data Behind Debugging6.5.1. Tables and View6.5.2. Examining the Debug Data6.5.3. Using Debug Data for More Than Debugging6.6. Debugging Dynamic Actions6.7. What Debug Doesn't Capture6.7.1. AJAX Calls6.7.2. FLASH Charts6.7.3. Reports6.8. Summary
7. Dynamic Actions
7.1. Custom JavaScript vs. Dynamic Actions7.1.1. Manual (Old Method)7.1.2. Dynamic Action (New Method)7.2. Dynamic Actions in Detail7.2.1. Identification7.2.2. When7.2.3. Advanced7.2.4. Actions7.2.4.1. Identification7.2.4.2. Execution Options7.2.4.3. Settings7.2.4.4. Affected Elements7.3. Dynamic Actions in Action7.3.1. Business Case7.3.2. Setup7.3.3. Create Department Employee Report7.3.4. Refresh Department Employees Report7.3.5. Highlight Row7.3.6. Row Click7.3.7. Emphasize Employee Change7.3.8. Modal Window7.4. Summary
8. Security
8.1. Tools and Techniques8.2. Authorized Access8.2.1. An APEX Example8.2.1.1. The Details8.2.1.2. The Easy Fix8.2.2. The Real Solution8.3. Denial of Service8.3.1. Denial of Service in an APEX Environment8.3.2. The Details8.3.3. The Fix8.4. SQL Injection8.4.1. A SQL Injection Primer8.4.2. Custom Developed Applications vs. Commercial Off the Shelf Products8.4.3. SQL Injection in an APEX Environment8.5. Password Cracking8.6. Cross Site Scripting8.7. Conclusion
9. Lifecycle Management
9.1. Challenges9.1.1. Working Concurrently on the Same Source Code9.1.2. Propagating All Required Changes for a New Release9.1.3. Parallel Development on Different Application Versions9.1.4. What Is the Current Status?9.1.5. Which Requirements Were Implemented in This Release?9.2. The Sample Application9.3. The Approach9.3.1. Version Numbering Scheme and the Overall Delivery Process9.3.2. Storing Files on the Application Server9.3.3. Requirements for Designing the Server Environments9.3.3.1. Hotfixes9.3.3.2. Consolidating Environments9.4. Project Management Related Aspects9.4.1. Version Control9.4.1.1. Shared Instance vs. Local Sandbox9.4.1.2. Subversion and TortoiseSVN9.4.1.3. Version Control of Database Objects9.4.1.4. Parallel Development (Branching and Merging)9.4.2. Naming Conventions9.4.2.1. Naming Conventions for Database Objects9.4.2.2. Prefix Notation for Column Names9.4.3. Naming Conventions for the File System9.5. Rollout Procedures9.5.1. Initialize Patch9.5.2. Making Changes9.5.3. Finalizing the Patch9.5.4. Installation in the Test Environment9.5.5. Update the Documentation9.5.6. Installation in the Production Environment9.6. Summary
10. Working with APEX Collections
10.1. When to Use APEX Collections10.1.1. Session State Management: A Quick Overview10.1.2. Session State Managed Tables10.1.3. Logically Walking Through a Web Shopping Cart Implementation10.2. A Look Under the Covers10.2.1. Private Collections Objects Inside the APEX Engine10.2.2. Public Collections Objects Inside the APEX Engine10.3. Getting Started with Collections10.3.1. Initializing a Collection10.3.2. Adding and Removing Data from Collections10.3.3. Using the Collection Contents10.3.4. Expanding Our Example10.3.5. Passing Data to the Form10.3.6. Creating a Tabular Form to Be Validated10.3.7. Collecting and Processing Submitted Data10.4. Summary
11. Plug-Ins
11.1. The APEX Plug-in Architecture11.1.1. Create/Edit Page for Plug-ins11.1.1.1. Name11.1.1.2. Subscription11.1.1.3. Settings11.1.1.4. Source11.1.1.5. Callbacks11.1.1.6. Standard Attributes11.1.1.7. Custom Attributes11.1.1.8. Files11.1.1.9. Events11.1.1.10. Information11.1.1.11. Help Text11.1.1.12. Comments11.1.2. PL/SQL APIs11.1.2.1. APEX_PLUGIN11.1.2.2. APEX_PLUGIN_UTIL11.1.2.3. APEX_CSS11.1.2.4. APEX_JAVASCRIPT11.1.2.5. APEX_WEB_SERVICE11.1.2.6. Other Packages11.2. Other Tools of the Trade11.2.1. jQuery UI Widget Factory11.2.2. jQuery UI CSS Framework11.3. Plug-in Tutorials11.3.1. Developing a Process Plug-in11.3.2. Developing a Dynamic Action Plug-in11.3.3. Developing an Item Plug-in11.3.4. Developing a Region Plug-in11.4. Best Practices for Developing Plug-ins11.5. Conclusion
12. Architecture
12.1. Oracle APEX Engine12.2. Installing and Upgrading12.3. Applications12.4. Application Pages12.4.1. Session State Management12.4.2. Connection Management12.4.3. Application Logging12.4.4. Running SQL and PL/SQL Contained Within an Application12.4.5. Workspaces and Multi-Tenancy12.5. Automatic Data Manipulation Language (DML)12.6. Application Extensibility12.6.1. Customizing User Interface Templates12.6.2. Using Static HTML12.6.3. Using PL/SQL to Generate HTML12.6.4. Plug-Ins12.7. Separation of Presentation and Logic12.8. Conclusion
13. Advanced Interactive Reporting
13.1. Creating a Report13.2. Data Formatting13.2.1. Report and Column Attributes13.2.2. Column Groups13.3. Including Links13.3.1. Filtering Using Items13.3.2. Column List of Values13.4. Creating Default and Saved Reports13.5. Charting13.6. Linking to Saved Interactive Reports13.7. Report Settings13.7.1. Report-Level Settings13.7.2. Column-Level Settings13.8. Utilities13.8.1. APEX_UTIL functions13.8.1.1. IR_CLEAR and IR_RESET13.8.1.2. IR_FILTER13.8.1.3. IR_DELETE_REPORT13.8.1.4. IR_DELETE_SUBSCRIPTION13.8.2. User Interface Defaults13.8.3. Activity Log13.9. Security13.10. Performance13.11. Conclusion

Overview

Expert Oracle Application Express brings you groundbreaking insights into developing with Oracle's enterprise-level, rapid-development tool from some of the best practitioners in the field today. Oracle Application Express (APEX) is an entirely web-based development framework that is built into every edition of Oracle Database. The framework rests upon Oracle's powerful PL/SQL language, enabling power users and developers to rapidly develop applications that easily scale to hundreds, even thousands of concurrent users.

The 13 authors of Expert Oracle Application Express build their careers around APEX. They know what it takes to make the product sing—developing secure applications that can be deployed globally to users inside and outside a large enterprise. The authors come together in this book to share some of their deepest and most powerful insights into solving the difficult problems surrounding scalability, globalization, configuration and lifecycle management, and more. You'll learn about debugging and performance, deep secrets to customizing your application user interface, how to secure applications from intrusion, and about deploying globally in multiple languages. Expert Oracle Application Express is truly a book that will move you and your skillset a big step towards the apex of Application Express development.

Presents best-practices and development insights from leading experts in the field
Addresses globalization, scalability, security, and other concerns of enterprise-level development
Shows how to customize APEX for your own application needs

What you'll learn

Solve tough problems in scalability in order to serve thousands of users
Design applications to sidestep performance problems and easily scale upwards
Deploy applications globally while respecting linguistic and cultural differences
Customize applications by exploiting APEX's roots in PL/SQL
Reduce the stress of managing application lifecycle and configuration
Secure outwardly-facing applications and their data from intrusion

Who this book is for

Expert Oracle Application Express is aimed at APEX developers who seek the deepest possible knowledge of Oracle Application Express and how to develop with it. Readers should know and be proficient with APEX, and be prepared to expend some mental energy in absorbing the high-end material in this book.

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