Oracle Forms Record and Play - Creating a Load

Having completed the Oracle Forms Setup to enable forms recording and playback you are ready to create your load.

As soon as you start an Oracle Forms session using the record parameter all your actions are recorded to a log file. DataLoad will later be editing this file and it is important that you follow certain rules to help DataLoad correctly interpret what it is you want to do. DataLoad interprets the file in two sections. The first is the header which is run once for your load. Typically this will log you in to Oracle Applications, open the form you will be working in and put the cursor in the first field used for your load. It can also be used to run any actions that should only be run once at the start of the load. The next section is the repeating section. When you open the file in DataLoad each record you entered will be loaded in a DataLoad row. Similarly, each additional row you add in DataLoad will later result in a record being loaded into Oracle. Any fields in the header section of your recording will be available to edit in DataLoad's header grid, which is located immediately above the main grid.

DataLoad interprets a row as all your actions from the first time a value is entered into a field until the next time you navigate into that same field. Since you may have to do certain actions in the form before you enter data into a field it is important that these same actions are repeated before you click back into that field at the end of your first "record". For instance, if you are querying back records and changing values, when you enter your first value the form will be in Query Enter mode. After the data has been queried back and changed it is vital that the form is again in Query Enter mode before you navigate back to the original field. Actions that are in the header will be executed only once and the Editing section describes how to define what actions and fields are in the header and which are in the repeating section. The advice above concerning the navigation and commands at the beginning and end of each record applies to the data in the repeating section and not the header.

Although DataLoad may work if you do just one cycle of work, it helps DataLoad to calculate what actions are required if the process can be repeated twice. That is, you enter two records, or query back and update two records, for example. The form you are using must not be closed and re-opened between records. At the end of the second record you should navigate to the point where you are ready to create the third record, but not actually create the record and instead close the form and exit Oracle. It is vital that you exit the Applications because when DataLoad processes the file it uses the exit action to determine when you have finished your work. To exit the Applications select 'Exit' from the Action (10.7 or 11.0) or File (11i) menu. Alternatively, in 11i you can exit the Applications by clicking the 'X' icon at the top right of the parent window, not the form. Additionally, Applications can be exited by closing the Navigator, however if this is used to close Applications then two records must have been entered. It is not supported to enter just one record then close the Navigator, but the other exit options described above are supported if just one record is entered.

While DataLoad will attempt to work with recorded files where just one record was entered, and these files will often work, it is strongly recommended that two records are entered. Most users of DataLoad will want to be able to load multiple records with their forms playback and a reliable forms playback is far more likely if two records are entered during recording rather than just one.

In general, where multiple records are entered each record must use the same navigation and commands to the same fields and in the same order. However, at the end of the final record you may want to alter the commands entered. For instance, instead of saving your work at the end of every record you may wish to do so only at the end of the load. DataLoad fully supports this and where a different sequence of commands was entered after the last field on the final record these commands will be used at the end of every load in place of the navigation and commands otherwise used at the end of every record. To make use of this functionality at least two records must be entered during forms recording. The navigation between records one and two will be used to navigate between all records while the commands at the end of the final record will be used at the end of the final record during playback.

Once you have exited the Applications when recording a file you should retrieve the file created and open it using DataLoad. If you are running Smart Client then the file will almost certainly already be on your PC, however in NCA the file will have been produced on the middle tier and must be copied from a server to your PC. If your server has access to the same network drives as you do then the forms server HTM file could be setup so that the forms software writes the file to a shared directory. If this is not possible and the file is written to the middle tier server then you must copy the file from that server. If the server is running Windows then you may be able to map a drive from your PC, otherwise you will have to use file transfer software such as FTP. Your DBA or system administrator may be required to help you do this.

When recording a load any navigation, keystrokes and mouse clicks can be used and DataLoad will process these for use in a future load. However, DataLoad Support recommends that care is taken when using pick lists or 'list of values'. In general, data should be directly entered into a field rather than be selected from a pick list. This is because the Oracle Forms support for pick lists on playback appears to be poor and problems have been identified where on playback either the value is not inserted into the field or the wrong value is inserted. To avoid such problems it is strongly recommended that data is not picked from a list of values in order to populate a cell during forms recording. Where a pick list must be used the behaviour of the pick list on playback should be carefully tested to ensure the field is populated with the correct data.