Oracle Forms : Multiple Forms

Creating Multiple Form Applications
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Objectives
• Describe the different ways of invoking additional forms
• Open, call, and close forms
• Navigation between forms
• Control opened forms and called forms
• Manage transaction processing for opened forms and called forms
• Choose the most appropriate method for invoking forms
• Pass form parameters

OPEN_FORM Built-in
A B
OPEN_FORM(’form_name’, activate_mode,
session_mode, data_mode, paramlist);
• Modeless
• Different transaction scopes

Characteristics of OPEN_FORM
• Restricted
• Not valid in Enter Query mode
• No savepoint issued
• Modeless with respect to other opened forms
• Session run time option: FORMS60_SESSION

Navigating Between Forms
Built-ins for navigation between forms:
• NEXT_FORM
• PREVIOUS_FORM
• GO_FORM

Navigating Between Forms
Navigation and validation aspects:
• Each open form has a current item.
• There is no validation when navigating
between forms.
• No triggers fire when navigating
between forms, except the When-Window-Activated/Deactivated and
When-Form-Navigate triggers.
• Click the noncurrent item in the other form.

Open Forms with the Same Session
• Commit processing in all forms within
the same session, in a certain order
• If error occurs, then focus set to
initiating form
• Messages per open form within the
same session
• CLEAR_FORM usually causes a
ROLLBACK statement

Open Forms in Different Sessions
Runform Server
Connection
A
B
C
Session

CALL_FORM Built-in
A B
CALL_FORM(‘form_name’, display,
switch_menu, query_mode,
data_mode, paramlist);
• Modal
• Returns to calling form

Characteristics of CALL_FORM
• Unrestricted
• Valid in Enter Query mode
• Savepoint issued
• Modal with respect to calling form
• Does not cause navigation and validation
• Forms called from query-only form are
always query-only
• Exiting a called form

Save Not Allowed in
Post-Only Mode Form
A calling form has unapplied changes.
Save not allowed.

Transaction Processing for Called Forms
• Characteristics of Post-Only mode:
– Commit not allowed, only a post
– Full rollback not allowed, only a
rollback to savepoint
• Rollback behavior of called forms
• Call savepoints and post savepoints

IF <form called> THEN
POST;
ELSE
COMMIT_FORM;
END IF;
• Examples of adjusting default
transaction processing:
• Key-Commit on form

Key-Exit on form
Adjust labels of corresponding buttons and menu items
IF <form called> THEN
EXIT_FORM
ELSE
EXIT_FORM;
END IF;

NEW_FORM Built-in
A B
NEW_FORM(’form_name’, rollback_mode,
query_mode, data_mode,
paramlist);
Replaces calling form

Controlling Opened and Called Forms
Form A
CALL_FORM
Form B
Form C
OPEN_FORM
Form D
OPEN_FORM
CALL_FORM
Form E
Form F
CALL_FORM
Form A+B+E = Call form stack

Different Ways of Invoking Forms
• When to use OPEN_FORM
• When to open a form in a new session
• When to use CALL_FORM
• When to use NEW_FORM

Closing a Form
• CLOSE_FORM:
– form_name
– form_id
• Characteristics of CLOSE_FORM:
– Restricted
– Not valid in Enter-Query mode
– CLOSE_FORM or EXIT_FORM
– Cannot close a form that called
another form

Using Form Parameters
• What is a
form
parameter?
• How to
create a
form
parameter?

Passing Values to Form
P1
P2
P3
Runform
command line
Design-time
parameters
Form B
Parameter
list
OPEN_FORM
CALL_FORM
NEW_FORM
Form A
Run time

Using Form Parameter Values
• Passing a form parameter at run time:
from command line.
• ifrun60 module=empl.fmx userid=scott/tiger@trn9
dept_id=30
• Referencing form parameters from
within a module:
– :PARAMETER.parameter_name
– ‘PARAMETER.parameter_name’

Parameter Lists
OPEN_FORM( …, )
CALL_FORM( …, )
NEW_FORM( …, )
DEPT_ID
CUST
TEXT_PARAMETER
DATA_PARAMETER
‘30’
‘CUST_RG’
Parameter List
The default parameter list is DEFAULT

Parameter List Built-ins
DEPT_ID
CUST
TEXT_PARAMETER
DATA_PARAMETER
‘30’
‘CUST_RG’
Key Type Value
ADD_PARAMETER
GET_PARAMETER_ATTR
SET_PARAMETER_ATTR
DELETE_PARAMETER
DESTROY_PARAMETER_LIST
Name
Parameter
list ID
CREATE_PARAMETER_LIST

Passing Data Between Forms
P1
P2
P3
P1
P2
P3
OPEN_FORM(*)
1. If a parameter list exists, destroy it.
2. Create a parameter list.
3. Add a text parameter to a list with the value
of an item.
4. Open a form with this parameter list.
Design-time
parameters
Form B
Run time
parameters
Form A

Passing Data Between Forms
• Characteristics of form parameters:
– Can be used only as input parameters
– Have data type CHAR, NUMBER, or DATE
– CHAR parameter can be up to 64 K long
– Can be design-time objects
• Characteristics of global variables:
– Are programmatic constructs
– Have type CHAR(255)
– Are visible to all forms in the current
Runform session

Summary
• Open, call, and close forms:
– OPEN_FORM, CALL_FORM, and CLOSE_FORM
– Multiple database sessions
• Navigate between forms:
– NEXT_FORM,
PREVIOUS_FORM, and GO_FORM
• Identify restrictions on the call form stack
• Passing parameters to forms.

Oracle Forms : Multiple Forms

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