Beginning Oracle Application Express 4.2, Second Edition

Book description

Beginning Oracle Application Express 4.2 introduces version 4.2 of the popular and productive Oracle Application Express development platform. Called APEX for short, the platform enables rapid and easy development of web-based applications that make full use of Oracle Database. The release of APEX 4.2 brings extensive new Flash and HTML 5 charting capabilities, enhanced themes for mobile applications usable from phones and tablets, RESTful web services support, enhanced application packaging, and the many redesigned wizards give a new and fresh feel to the user interface.

Whether you're new to Oracle or an old hand who's yet to test the waters of APEX, Beginning Oracle Application Express 4.2 introduces the processes and best practices you'll need to become proficient with APEX. The book shows off the programming environment, the utilities and tools available, and then continues by walking through the process of building a working system from the ground up. All code is documented and explained so that those new to the languages will not be lost. After reading this book, power users and programmers alike can quickly put together robust and scalable applications for use by one person, by a department, by an entire company.

  • Covers brand-new functionality in APEX 4.2

  • Provides fully documented and explained example code

  • Guides you through creating a working and fully deployable application

  • What you'll learn

  • Design, code, and troubleshoot APEX applications

  • Create forms and generate reports

  • Create charts using Flash and HTML 5

  • Apply best-practices to database and application design

  • Create intuitive navigation that inspires confidence among users

  • Secure your applications from outside attack

  • Deploy applications for one, a dozen, or hundreds of users

  • Choose between desktop and mobile user interfaces for deployed applications

  • Who this book is for

    Beginning Oracle Application Express 4.2 is for programmers and power users wanting to create rich, data-centric applications that are web-based, and that rest on Oracle's industry-leading database technology.

    Table of contents

    1. Title Page
    2. Dedication
    3. Contents at a Glance
    4. Contents
    5. About the Authors
    6. About the Technical Reviewer
    7. Acknowledgments
    8. CHAPTER 1: An Introduction to APEX 4.2
      1. What Is APEX?
      2. A Brief History of APEX
      3. What You Need to Get Started
      4. Summary
    9. CHAPTER 2: A Developer’s Overview
      1. The Anatomy of a Workspace
      2. A Tour of the APEX Modules
      3. Summary
    10. CHAPTER 3: Identifying the Problem and Designing the Solution
      1. Identifying System Requirements
      2. System Design with APEX in Mind
      3. Translating Theory to Practice
      4. Summary
    11. CHAPTER 4: SQL Workshop
      1. Creating Objects with the Object Browser
      2. Loading Data with the Data Workshop Utility
      3. Creating a Lookup Table
      4. Loading and Running SQL Scripts
      5. User Interface Defaults
      6. Summary
    12. CHAPTER 5: Applications and Navigation
      1. The Create Application Wizard
      2. HTML Regions
      3. Public Pages
      4. Navigation Bar Entries
      5. Global Pages
      6. Breadcrumb Regions
      7. Breadcrumb Entries
      8. Lists
      9. List Regions
      10. Template Positions
      11. Lists of Values
      12. Summary
    13. CHAPTER 6: Forms and Reports—The Basics
      1. APEX Forms
      2. Form on a Table
      3. Form on a Procedure
      4. Master-Detail Report and Form
      5. Session State
      6. APEX Items
      7. APEX URL Syntax
      8. Searchable APEX Reports
      9. More on APEX Forms
      10. APEX Help
      11. Declarative BLOBs
      12. Summary
    14. CHAPTER 7: Forms and Reports—Advanced
      1. Tabular Forms
      2. Interactive Reports
      3. Calendars
      4. Charts
      5. Summary
    15. CHAPTER 8: Programmatic Elements
      1. Conditions
      2. Required Values
      3. Validations
      4. Computations
      5. Processes
      6. PL/SQL Regions
      7. Dynamic SQL
      8. Summary
    16. CHAPTER 9: Security
      1. User Maintenance Navigation
      2. User Maintenance Data Entry
      3. Authentication
      4. Custom Authentication Schemes
      5. Conditional Security
      6. Access Control
      7. Authorization
      8. Read-Only Items
      9. Data Security
      10. Session-State Protection
      11. Summary
    17. CHAPTER 10: Application Bundling and Deployment
      1. Identifying Application Components
      2. Supporting Objects
      3. Importing
      4. Summary
    18. CHAPTER 11: Understanding Websheets
      1. Websheet Structure
      2. Navigation
      3. Help
      4. Markup Syntax
      5. User Authentication
      6. User Authorization
      7. Sections
      8. Annotations
      9. Administration
      10. Summary
    19. CHAPTER 12: A Websheet Example
      1. Setup
      2. Creating and Configuring a Websheet Application
      3. Adding Content to a Websheet
      4. Access Controls
      5. Summary
    20. CHAPTER 13: Extended Developer Tools
      1. Page Locks
      2. Application and Page Groups
      3. APEX Views and the APEX Dictionary
      4. Searching in APEX
      5. Monitoring Your APEX Application
      6. APEX Advisor
      7. Build Options
      8. Page-Specific Utilities
      9. APEX and Oracle SQL Developer
      10. Summary
    21. CHAPTER 14: Managing Workspaces
      1. Learning About Your Environment
      2. Managing the Service
      3. Managing Meta Data
      4. Managing Users and Groups
      5. Viewing Usage Reports and Dashboards
      6. Summary
    22. CHAPTER 15: Team Development
      1. Team Development Overview
      2. Team Development Interface
      3. Features
      4. Milestones
      5. To-Do Items
      6. Bugs
      7. Feedback
      8. Team Actions
      9. User Roles for Team Development
      10. Summary
    23. CHAPTER 16: Dynamic Actions
      1. Dynamic Action Benefits
      2. Breaking Down Dynamic Actions
      3. Dynamic Actions in the Help Desk Application
      4. Summary
    24. Index

    Product information

    • Title: Beginning Oracle Application Express 4.2, Second Edition
    • Author(s): Doug Gault, Karen Cannell, Patrick Cimolini, Martin D'Souza, Timothy St. Hilaire
    • Release date: March 2013
    • Publisher(s): Apress
    • ISBN: 9781430257349