Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
APEX Instance
If you're using a corporate database or a personal instance, you'll need to ensure that a recent version of
APEX is installed. To follow along with the examples in this topic, you will need APEX 4.1 or above. The
following query identifies the current version of APEX installed on your database:
SELECT *
FROM apex_release
If you don't have APEX installed or need to upgrade it, you can download it from OTN:
www.oracle.com/technetwork/developer-tools/apex/downloads/index.html
. Th
e download page has
links to detailed instructions on how to install or upgrade APEX. If you are using
apex.oracle.com
, you do
not need to install or upgrade APEX.
Development IDE
When developing plug-ins, it's highly recommended that you use a good PL/SQL and SQL IDE. SQL
Developer is a free, Java-based, PL/SQL, and SQL IDE developed by Oracle. You can download SQL from
Developer provides syntax highlighting, allows you to quickly browse all the database objects,
implement unit tests, and debug code. There are other third-party tools, such as Toad from Quest
software.
A good text editor will help when creating and modifying web files such as CSS, JS, and HTML. There
Web Browser
APEX officially supports the following major browsers: IE 7+, Firefox 3.5+, Google Chrome 4.0+, and
Safari 4.0+. You can use any of these browsers to develop plug-ins, but some may be easier than others.
This topic assumes that you will be developing plug-ins with either Firefox 4.0+ or Google Chrome
11.0+. When using Firefox, Firebug (
http://getfirebug.com
) sh
ould be installed. Chapter 8 describes
how to install and configure Firebug for Firefox.
Web Server
A web server is the gateway that allows your browser to communicate to the database and serve files to
the client's browser. As part of the APEX installation process, you will have had to setup a web server.
One of the key components to developing certain types of plug-ins in APEX is the use of external
files, such as JavaScript and CSS files. When working with external files, it is easiest if you can store them
on an accessible web server and modify them directly.
Depending on your personal or organization's setup, you may not have access to a web server.
Installing a local web server is not required for this topic but is highly recommended if you don't have
quick and easy access to one. Chapter 8 contains step-by-step instructions on how to install and
configure a free local web server.
