Oracle Form Items

Input Items

Input item is a generic term for Forms Builder item types that accept user input. These item types include the following

 Text Item

 Check box

 List Item

 Radio group

You can interact with the database through input items in any of the following ways:

 Insert values

 Update existing values

 Delete existing values

 Query existing values

Text Item

A text item is an interface object through which you can query, insert, update, and delete data. A text item usually corresponds to a column in the database table. When an item is first created, its default type is text.

 Database Item

 Column Name

 Primary Key

 Query/Insert/Update Allowed

 Query Length

 Case Insensitive Query

Check Box:

A check box is a two-state interface object that indicates whether a certain value is ON or OFF. The display state of a check box is always either checked or unchecked.

Data Type

Label

Access Key

Initial Value

Value When Checked

Value When Unchecked

Check Box Mapping of Other Values

List Item:

A list item is an interface object that displays a predefined set of choices, each corresponding to a specific data value. You use the list item at run time to select a single value. List choices or elements are mutually exclusive; one and only one can be selected at a time.

Pop list: The poplist style list item appears initially as a single field (similar to a text item field).  When the end user selects the list icon, a list of available choices appears.

Tlist: The Tlist style list item appears as a rectangular box which displays a fixed number of values.  When the Tlist contains values that cannot be displayed (due to the displayable area of the item), a vertical scroll bar appears, allowing the end user to view and select undisplayed values.

Combo Box: The combo box style list item combines the features found in poplists and text items. It displays fixed values and can accept a user-entered value.

Radio Group:

A radio group is an item where a set of radio buttons represents the possible values for the item. These values and hence their corresponding radio buttons are mutually exclusive.

Provide a choice between two or more static values

Provide an alternative to list items with two or three choices

Provide a choice between two alternatives, where choice is not On/Off or Yes/No

Non-Input Items:

Non input items is a generic term for item types that do not accept direct user input. However, you can set the value of some non-input items by programmatic control. Non-input items can be divided into two groups those that can display data and those that cannot.

Non-input items that can display data:

Display items

Image items

Calculated items

Hierarchical tree items

Non-input items that cannot display data:

Push Buttons

Display Items:

A display item is similar to a text item, except that it cannot be edited or navigated to at runtime. A display item is a read-only text box whose value must be fetched or assigned programmatically.

Display additional, non-database table information

Display derived data values

Image Items:

An image item is a special interface control that can store and display vector or scanned images. Just as text items store and display VARCHAR2, number, or date values, image items store and display images

Database

File

Push Buttons:

Initiate an action. A push button is usually displayed as a rectangle with a descriptive label inside. Push buttons cannot store or display values. Use Buttons

Invoke an editor

Invoke another window

Commit data

Issue a query

Perform calculations

Calculated Items

Any item that can store a value can be used as a calculated item by setting its required property values. They are based on calculations and calculated items are read only

LOVs and Record Groups:

LOV: The list itself, which presents one or more column values from the supporting record group in the LOV window

Record group: A Forms Builder object that is used to store the array of values that are presented by an LOV

Editors:

If the user needs to use an editor on text values, the default Forms Builder editor is usually sufficient for most items. However, you can design your own customized editor as an object in a form module, and then attach it to the text items that need it.

Associating Editor with Text item:

To associate an editor with a text item, you must specify the editor in the Property Palette of the text item. Select the text item in the Object Navigator from which the editor is to be accessible.

Content Canvas:

A content canvas is the base canvas that occupies the entire content pane of the window in which it displays. The content canvas is the default canvas type. Most canvases are content canvases.

Stacked Canvas:

A stacked canvas is displayed on top of, or stacked on, the content canvas assigned to a window. It shares a window with a content canvas and any number of other stacked canvases. Stacked canvases are usually smaller than the window in which they display.

1.    Content canvas

2.    Stacked canvas

3.    Viewport X/Y position

4.    Viewport height

5.    Viewport width

Toolbar Canvas:

A toolbar canvas is a special type of canvas that you can create to hold buttons and other frequently used GUI elements.

1.    Vertical toolbar

     2. Horizontal toolbar

Tab Canvas:

A tab canvas is a special type of canvas that enables you to organize and display related information on separate tabs. Like stacked canvases, tab canvases are displayed on top of a content canvas.