Form Building in APPS

1) The TEMPLATE form is the required starting point for all development of new forms

2) Copy TEMPLATE.fmb file from $AU_TOP/forms/US folder to a local directory

3) Copy All PL/SQL Libraries from $AU_TOP/resource folder & APPSTAND.fmb file from $AU_TOP/forms/US folder to desktop path where Form is installed

4) PRE-FORM trigger Contains below code. Modify all the values from ( ). This values are displayed in Front-end menu- 'Help > About Oracle Applications'.

FND_STANDARD.FORM_INFO ('$Revision: (Number)$',
'(Form Name)', '(Application Shortname)', '($Date: (YY/MM/DD HH24:MI:SS) $', '$Author: (developer name) $');
APP_STANDARD.EVENT('PRE–FORM');
APP_WINDOW.SET_WINDOW_POSITION('WINDOWNAME', 'FIRST_WINDOW');

Remember below points while modifying Pre-Form Trigger
a) Modify the application short name. The application short name controls which application’s online help file is accessed when the user presses the window help button on the toolbar.
b) Give the form name is the user form name (form title). This is for your reference only, and is not used elsewhere.
c) Oracle Corporation uses a source control system that automatically updates the values beginning with ”$”. If you are not using it, you should modify those values with your own development information.
d) Modify the APP_WINDOW call to use your own block name (your first block) instead of BLOCKNAME.
e) Do not modify the string FIRST_WINDOW

5) APP_CUSTOM is a PL/SQL package which contains below two procedures
a) open_window
b) close_window
Remember below points while modifying App_Custom Package

a) You can add your own logic in any of the above procedures for opening & closing of the form window
b) You must include the name of your first form window in close_window procedure

6) Property classes are sets of attributes that can be applied to almost anyOracle Forms object.
The TEMPLATE form automatically contains property classes, via references to APPSTAND, that enforce standard cosmetic appearances and behaviors for all widgets and containers

7) Below steps are used to attach Standard Calendar to date text item,

a) Attach Property class to date field as TEXT_ITEM_DATE
b) Attach LOV as ENABLE_LIST_LAMP
c) Create KEY-LISTVAL item level trigger & add following code into it calendar.show;

8) Form coding Standards are as below:

a) Create the item handler procedures in program units and call the procedures from specified item level triggers. This applies to all items except display-only.
b) Use default value property for all items when user first creates a new record in oracle forms designer.
c) Always use APP_ITEM_PROPERTY.SET_PROPERTY to set the field properties DISPLAYED, ENABLED, ENTERABLE, ALTERABLE, INSERT_ALLOWED, UPDATEABLE, NAVIGABLE, REQUIRED & ICON_NAME.
d) Never use Oracle Form built in SET_ITEM_PROPERTY to set the field properties.
e) Do not use FND_GLOBAL routine to set WHO columns, as this are the stored procedures in the database and would cause extra roundtrips to the database.
f) Use FND_STANDARD.SET_WHO in block level trigger PRE-INSERT & PRE- UPDATE to set WHO COLUMNS.
g) Do not create Menu for any of the forms in Oracle Applications. The default menu with menu entries common to all forms is contained in $AU_TOP/resource/US folder as FNDMENU file. Do not ever modify this file.
h) Always use CUSTOM.pll to add additional menu entries in customized form

9) Form deployment steps are as below:

a) Rename the form module name as file name and save it.
b) Transfer the customized form (.fmb file) in binary mode to $AU_TOP/forms/US folder using FTP command
c) Compile the form using 'f60gen' command as below example:
f60gen Module=XXPOCF.fmb Userid=apps/apps Module_Type=form Batch=no Compile_All=special Output_File=$CUST_TOP/forms/US/XXPOCF.fmx