Database Reference
In-Depth Information
Web Browser
The APEX documentation states that to view or develop APEX applications, you must
have a web browser that supports cookies, JavaScript, HTML 4.0, and CSS 1.0.
However, although you can deploy to any browser that support these things, the list of
supported browsers is fairly narrow. Currently, the following browsers are supported:
Internet Explorer 7+, Firefox 14+, Apple's Safari 5.0+, and Google Chrome 21+.
Without getting into a religious debate about which web browser is the best on the
market, but the authors' preference for development is either Firefox or Chrome due to
the number of developer tools and add-ons that can help you with APEX development.
Note that because of the difference in the way each browser interprets HTML and
JavaScript, you must test your application in
any and all
web browsers that your target
audience might use.
SQL Developer
As mentioned before, all the exercises and scripts in the topic can be loaded and run
directly within the APEX interface. However, if you have chosen to install or have ac-
cess to a local instance of the Oracle database, a SQL IDE will definitely make your
life easier.
SQL Developer is a free SQL and PL/SQL IDE provided by Oracle. You can down-
load SQL Developer from the OTN's home page at
http://otn.oracle.com/
Using SQL Developer, you can browse database objects, edit row data, develop and
test stored PL/SQL program units, code and test SQL statements, and interactively de-
bug PL/SQL code. SQL Developer also has many direct integration points with APEX
that make reporting in, monitoring, and maintaining APEX instances and applications
easier. This topic doesn't cover those, but it's definitely worth your time to look into
this tool.
Summary
Oracle Application Express has come a long way from its simple beginnings, and the
APEX community is poised at the beginning of a new cycle of growth. APEX 4.2
provides so much possibility and promise that it's hard not to be excited about what the
