Databases Reference
In-Depth Information
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APEX 2.2 (2006) introduced packaged applications, the APEX dictionary views, and the access
control wizard.
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APEX 3.0 (2007) introduced PDF printing with BI Publisher, migration from Microsoft Access,
and page and region caching.
•
APEX 3.1 (2008) introduced interactive reports, the runtime-only installation capability, and
improved security.
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APEX 3.2 (2009) introduced a migration helper for Oracle Forms-based systems and various
security enhancements.
•
APEX 4.0 (2010) was a huge leap forward, introducing dynamic actions and plug-ins:
declarative ways to introduce server-side logic and extend the core APEX environment,
respectively. Also introduced was the new Team Development module.
•
APEX 4.1 (2011) included a new user-facing data-uploading feature, enhanced error-handling
capabilities, and much-improved support for tabular forms.
APEX 4 and the Future
And so we arrive at the release of APEX 4.2. In our opinion, the changes introduced with APEX 4.0 through APEX 4.2
have truly brought the development environment into the realm of “forces to be reckoned with.” The original focus
of APEX 4.0 was to make development of rich interactive Web 2.0 applications easier by making the process as
declarative as possible. With APEX 4.2, the development team has introduced so many new features—indeed, new
ways to attack problems—that it will be hard
not
to choose APEX as the preferred development platform for
Oracle-based applications.
APEX's dynamic actions provide a way for you to define client-side behaviors, such as enabling or disabling fields
or regions declaratively without JavaScript. With some JavaScript knowledge under your belt, you can create complex
dynamic actions that do client-side calculations, AJAX, and more.
An improved charting engine based on the latest version of AnyChart not only provides declarative Flash-based
charts, gauges, maps, and Gantt charts, but also allows you to create HTML5-based charts that run on any platform,
including those that don't support Adobe Flash. All chart types are interactive and drillable, and several charts can be
combined into a dashboard style interface.
Another exciting feature is the plug-in architecture that provides an extensible framework allowing APEX
community members to build and share their own custom items, regions, processes, and dynamic action types.
Although the ramifications of this might not be immediately apparent, the possibilities of what can and will be
developed using the plug-in architecture are virtually limitless—and that is very good news for
all
APEX developers.
As a user of the APEX development platform, you no longer have to wait for the APEX team to respond to specific
feature requests. You can take the future of APEX into your own hands and code missing features, actions, and item
types. In fact, the authors see a future where the APEX team uses the plug-in architecture to extend APEX in many
different directions.
We almost can't overstate the significance of plug-ins. Although APEX 4 is definitely a giant leap forward from
the architecture of APEX 3, the plug-in architecture blows the doors wide open to change from the broad and growing
community of APEX developers.
From version 4.0, APEX now comes with a Team Development feature that eases the management of the
development process by tracking features, to-do lists, bugs, and milestones. A user-feedback mechanism is also
included that allows users to provide inline feedback while using the system. The feature automatically captures the
user's session-state information so you can see exactly what was going on during their session. You can then take this
information and create a bug or a to-do entry with the simple click of a button.
Websheets provide a fast and direct way for end users to gather and share information without IT intervention.
Armed with only a web browser and access to the Websheets application, end users can define page content, data
grids, and reports and decide who else in the enterprise has access to that data. Websheet page content supports
