Web Forms: The Great Leap Forward

1Oracle World 2003 - #36625

Web Forms:The Great Leap Forward

A P Clarke

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AGENDA

• The application

• The migration process

• This web stuff

• The migrated application

• Questions

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The Application

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The starting point

• Government agency

– regulatory authority

– issuing licences

• Core business system

• Richly-featured:

– Third party workflow

– Post Office Address validation

– Complex technical calculations

– Integration with MS Word and Excel

• Developer 1.6.1

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DatabaseDatabase

Client/Server architecture

OLE2Host

Desktop drives

OLE Containers

ORA_FFI

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DatabaseDatabase

Web-deployed architecture

OLE2

Host

ORA_FFI

unix

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Going back to the application…

• The following features will not work with web deployment…

– Third party workflow– Address validation– D2KWUTIL– Calls to .DLL and .EXE files– Integration with MS Word– Production of Excel spreadsheets– Upload files– Reading registry

…without making changes• This is not an upgrade, it is a migration

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Can we build it?

Yes we can!

…er, sort of

The Migration Process

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Forms 4.5 to 9i Forms

• Conversion

– Migration Wizard

– Forms Builder

• OTN Web Site

• Remember to start OC4J!

• Icons: .ICO bad, .GIF good

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Reports 2.5 to 9i Reports

• Pretty straightforward

• RUN_PRODUCT is de-supported in 9i Forms

– RUN_REPORT_OBJECT

– WEB.SHOW_DOCUMENT

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Porting to Unix

• Watch out for :

– case sensitivity

– embedded file names

– directory separators

• O9iDS is less usable on Unix

• Not supported on terminal emulators

unix

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Client interaction

Workflow move to Java API

Address validation move to new product

File upload Forms demo PJC

OLE Intergration JACOB

• D2KWUTIL calls ???

• ORA_FFI calls ???

• HOST ???

• TEXT_IO ???

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This Web Stuff

But where to find it?

Zounds! This web stuff is harder than it looks. If only I had a handy utility to do all

the tough stuff for me.

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Introducing WebUtil

• Oracle Beta Pre-Production software• Client side versions of old favourites

– CLIENT_HOST– CLIENT_TEXT_IO– CLIENT_OLE2– CLIENT_GET_FILE_DIR– CLIENT_TOOL_ENV– CLIENT_WIN_API_ENVIRONMENT

• New features– WEBUTIL_FILE_TRANSFER– WEBUTIL_HOST– WEBUTIL_C_API– WEBUTIL_CLIENTINFO– WEBUTIL_BROWSER

• All straight PL/SQL calls

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Limitations of WebUtil

• Uses Pluggable Java Components

• Require PJC instantiations– Not useable in many triggers Use timers

– Can only use in Forms, not Reports or Menus Create one-off Forms

• Cannot get a Windows handle

• Not always the best approach– CLIENT_TEXT_IO

– CLIENT_OLE2

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So, do I have to become a Java head?

• Must know how Java CLASSPATH works

• ORA_JAVA requires some familiarity with:

– classes

– inheritance

• May need to write your own Java class

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Running on O9iAS

• Current client/server apps now need O9iAS

– licensing

– administration

• Getting this wrong can kill your project

• Complex configuration

• Need experienced O9iAS admin

– Q: What killed the Reports Server?

– A: Permissions on the /tmp directory

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The Migrated Application

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Migrated functionality

• Through ORA_JAVA– Third party workflow– Address validation

• Through WEBUTIL_C_API– Complex technical calculations– Terrain mapping

• Through CLIENT_OLE2– Integration with MS Word– Production of Excel spreadsheets

• Through WEBUTIL miscellaneous– Upload files– Read registry

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Lost functionality

• Help files

• Using Notepad to edit items

• Performance

– Using Forms to launch apps

– Using timers instead of W-N-F-I

– CLIENT_OLE2 time lag

• IDENTIFIED EXTERNALLY

• DLL transactions

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Intangible benefits

• Supported platform

• Easier deployment

• Standardisation of third party products

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Any questions?

[email protected]