Wednesday 30 April 2008

Cascading Select List in a Tabular Form

This is something the most of the ApEx Developers have a problem with. How do I create a cascading select list in a tabular form? There are several examples (also in my Demo Application) on how to do that in a simple form. However, there is only one example arround showing how this can be done - in Vikas application, but I don't like that approach. I have also been asked several times to create such an example. Here we go! In my Demo Application you will find a working example showing also how to create an update and delete process + some javascript for checking and highlighting of all rows in your tabular form:

http://htmldb.oracle.com/pls/otn/f?p=31517:176



This approach is using apex_item + the same javascript (ajax) code as for the "simple" cascading select list.

Apply for an account if you would like to see all of the code behind this example.


Monday 28 April 2008

XE Webfolder with Vista

If you work with Vista and would like to create a Web Folder according to this tipp from Dietmar Aust, you will not be successful. In Vista there are some changes made and the path described in the above post will give you a view only.

In Vista you need to do the following:

1. Open Windows Explorer and go to Menu Tools / Map Network Drive

2. There, you click on "Connect to a Web site that you can use to store your documents and pictures"

3. Click two times on "Next" (don't ask me why!)

4. Enter http://127.0.0.1:8080/i where it asks you for an Internet or Network address,

5. Enter system / password

6. Give your connection a name

7. Finish.

Now, the images directory will appear in your Windows Explorer under Webfolder:




Sunday 6 April 2008

ApEx Training - München 02.06.2008 - 04.06.2008

Liebe ApEx-ler,

Unser nächstes Training - Fortgeschrittene Techniken aus der Praxis - wird in München im Arabella Sheraton Westpark Hotel stattfinden. Die Details für die Anmeldung findet Ihr auf Opal Consulting.

Wir versprechen (und halten):

- Interessante und neue Inhalte
- hohen Praxisbezug
- Kompetenz in Oracle und ApEx Themen
- Antworten auf alle Ihre Fragen

und freuen uns Euch dort begrüssen zu dürfen.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our next Training will be held in Munich from 02.06.2008 to 04.06.2008 in Arabella Sheraton Westpark Hotel. The details you can find on Opal Consulting. Please note that places are limited and there has been a great deal of interest in the training following the previous event in March 2008. We advise you to register a.s.a.p.


Tuesday 1 April 2008

ApEx Training - followup

This was my first ApEx-only training. I can't remember when I last time spoke in front of that many people (at school perhaps). However, this was an amazing experience. ApEx is really something special - amazing people, exciting topics and a lot of enthusiasm. Also, there were 8 female attendees at our training which I think is great quote. Here some pictures from our training (actually, we were so busy that we managed to take only these two ;)):






The program schedule was quite well loaded and we didn't manage to elaborate on everything. Our schedule was also quite aggressive - training from 9 - 17.30 and QA Sessions from 19 to 21 (planned time - indeed it was 23 when we quit). Amazing to see 80% of the attendees sitting there at 7 in the evening preparing for the QA.

Tomorrow, we will post the details of our next training in Munich.

Manual Tabular Form

Today, I answered an interesting question in the ApEx Forum. Basically, the requirement was to have a tabular form which allows only new records to be edited. Tabular forms are a powerful feature but also something the most of the ApEx developers have a problem with. The manual from the How-To's is outdated, confusing and it is also incorrect in several issues. Also, there are not many other resources in the community dedicated to the problem of operating with tabular forms. This is why I decided to create an example showing several important techniques for mastering this topic. I also posted the most of the code you need to get it working that way:

- highlighting selected rows
- validating the checksum
- disabling columns not allowed for editing
- adding rows to tabular form (one or multiple)
- operating with apex_item package

See the example in my Demo Application. If you want to see more, you may send me an email and join the group of 250 registered users of my Workspace.



A similar example was one of the topics in our training two weeks ago and was created by Patrick Wolf and myself.