Oracle Forms Demos Install Guide

Introduction

This document contains the steps to install the Oracle Forms Demos into your environment.  The Forms Demos contain sample applications designed to show various features of Forms.  The original source code is included so they can serve as a basis from which you may utilize the same features in your applications. The document is made with the assumption that FMw11g is installed in C:\Oracle\Middleware

Currently, you will need to follow the manual steps in this guide to install the Forms Demos.  In a future release, a script or installation program will be supplied to minimize the number of manual steps needed.

Contents

Prerequisites

Conventions

Installation

  1 Copy the staging area

  2 Install the demo data
    2a Modify the database scripts
    2b Run the database scripts
    2c Verify the demo data

  3 Modify the WLS_FORMS configuration
    3a Modify weblogic.xml
    3b Modify web.xml
    3c Verify the changes

  4 Modify the Forms configuration file
    4a Add application sections
    4b Modify variables

  5 Add the HTML files and the Forms demo environment file
    5a Copy the files
    5b Modify the Forms demo environment file
    5c Check the length of FORMS_PATH

  6 Run the demos

Appendix 1 - Starting WLS_FORMS

Version: 11.1.1.1.0

The version number shown here is for the Forms Demos as a whole, and is not connected to the version of any particular Oracle software.  As new demos get added over time the Forms Demos package will be updated, along with the version number.  That way, in the future if you download the Forms Demos again, you can compare the version number to see if there have been any changes.

Feedback

Please feel free to provide feedback on your experience with the Forms Demos on the Forms forum on OTN:

http://otn.oracle.com/discussionforums/forms.html

Prerequisites

You must have the following installed and working before you start:

Installing into Oracle Application Server 10g (10.1.2.0.2) or on Other Platforms

Future releases of these Forms Demos will be installable into an Oracle Application Server or into an Oracle Developer Suite home on a non-Windows platform.  Keep checking http://otn.oracle.com/sample_code/products/forms/index.html for updates.

Conventions

%STAGE_HOME% represents the location where you unzipped the Forms Demos (and from where you're probably reading this guide).  Wherever you see %STAGE_HOME% in this guide, you should replace it with location of where you unzipped the Forms Demos.  e.g. C:\Temp\OracleDemos.

%ORACLE_HOME% represents the location where Oracle FMw 11g is installed.  Wherever you see %ORACLE_HOME% in this guide, you should replace it with your Oracle Home. e.g. C:\Oracle\Middleware\as_1.

Installation

Follow these steps to install the Forms Demos.

1 Copy the staging area

Copy %STAGE_HOME%\demos to %ORACLE_HOME%\forms.

Make sure you copy the directory itself, not just the contents.  You want to end up with %ORACLE_HOME%\forms\demos, including all of its contents.

2 Install the demo data

2a Modify the database scripts

Before installing the database components, the scripts need to be modified for your environment.

Using a text editor, open the following file:

%ORACLE_HOME%\forms\demos\sql\demoinstall.bat

Near the top of the file are several variables whose values you should set:

There are comments for each variable to help you.  Be sure to save the file before continuing.

2b Run the database scripts

This step will install the database components of the demos.

Run %ORACLE_HOME%\forms\demos\sql\demoinstall.bat from the command line, or by double-clicking it in Windows Explorer.  There may be warnings or errors.  This often happens when the database scripts delete an object before creating it.  When the scripts are run for the first time, there are no objects to delete which results in error messages.  These errors and warnings be ignored.

2c Verify the demo data

If you would like to verify that the scripts worked, you can run the following commands and see if you got the same results.  (Replace DB_NAME with the name of your database.)

3 Modify the WLS_FORMS Configuration

3a Modify weblogic.xml

This step will create the virtual directories and servlet mappings for the HTTP listener, which are used by the demos.

Get the file frmjdapi.jar from C:\Oracle\Middleware\as_1\jlib. Unpack it and create a new folder util in oracle\forms\jdapi. In the util folder copy the contents of the directory demos\metadatabrowser\classes\oracle\forms\jdapi\util\. Pack the jar file again and copy it to C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\formsweb.war\WEB-INF\lib

Using a text editor, open the following file:

C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\formsweb.war\WEB-INF\weblogic.xml

Add the following line within the <weblogic-web-app> tags

<virtual-directory-mapping>
<local-path>C:\Oracle\Middleware\as_1/forms</local-path>
<url-pattern>demos/*</url-pattern>
</virtual-directory-mapping>

For version 11.1.1.2, only add the following two lines in the file C:\Oracle\Middleware\asinst_1\config\OHS\ohs1\moduleconf\forms.conf:
AliasMatch ^/forms/demos/(..*) "C:\Oracle\Middleware\as_1\forms\demos/$1"
WLExcludePathOrMimeType /forms/demos/

3b Modify web.xml

Using a text editor, open the following file:

C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\formsweb.war\WEB-INF\web.xml

Find where this text is located:

<servlet>
  <servlet-name>lservlet</servlet-name>
  <servlet-class>oracle.forms.servlet.ListenerServlet</servlet-class>
</servlet>

and put the following text after it:

<!-- Forms JDAPI Metadata Browser Servlet -->
<servlet>
  <servlet-name>FormsBrowser</servlet-name>
  <servlet-class>oracle.forms.jdapi.util.FormsBrowser</servlet-class>
</servlet>

You should end up with the following:

<servlet>
  <servlet-name>lservlet</servlet-name>
  <servlet-class>oracle.forms.servlet.ListenerServlet</servlet-class>
</servlet>

<!-- Forms JDAPI Metadata Browser Servlet -->
<servlet>
  <servlet-name>FormsBrowser</servlet-name>
  <servlet-class>oracle.forms.jdapi.util.FormsBrowser</servlet-class>
</servlet>

In the same file, now find the following text:

<servlet-mapping>
  <servlet-name>lservlet</servlet-name>
  <url-pattern>/lservlet*</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>

and put the following text after it:

<servlet-mapping>
  <servlet-name>FormsBrowser</servlet-name>
  <url-pattern>/FormsBrowser*</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>

You should end up with the following:

<servlet-mapping>
  <servlet-name>lservlet</servlet-name>
  <url-pattern>/lservlet*</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>
<servlet-mapping>
  <servlet-name>FormsBrowser</servlet-name>
  <url-pattern>/FormsBrowser*</url-pattern>
</servlet-mapping>

3c Verify the changes

Start the WLS_FORMS server.  If you're not sure how to do that, refer to Appendix 1 for instructions.  If the WLS_FORMS server was already running when you made these changes then you need to restart it first.

Once the WLS_FORMS server is running (or re-started), enter the following URL, replacing <host> and <port> with the correct values:

http://<host>:<port>/forms/demos/images/tick.gif

For 11gR2, use

http://<host>:<httpserverport>/forms/demos/images/tick.gif

You should see this image:

4  Modify the Forms configuration file

4a Add application sections

Using a text editor, open both of the following files:

%ORACLE_HOME%\forms\demos\install\formswebDemos.cfg
C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\config\formsweb.cfg

For 11.1.1.2, the file is C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\config\fmwconfig\servers\WLS_FORMS\applications\formsapp_11.1.1\config\formsweb.cfg

Copy-and-paste the entire contents of formswebDemos.cfg to the end of formsweb.cfg.  That is, you are essentially appending formswebDemos.cfg to formsweb.cfg.

4b  Modify variables

Some of the parameters from the previous step need to be modified for your environment.  Do a global search-and-replace for the following in C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\config\formsweb.cfg:

What to search for... What to replace it with...
%ORACLE_HOME% The same value that you are using for %ORACLE_HOME% in this document, as detailed in the Conventions section.
%DB_NAME% The connect string for the database where you installed the demo components in step 2 Install the demo data.
%JSPELL_HOST% OPTIONAL. The machine hosting the JSpell server.  This is only needed if you intend to run the JSpell demo, which requires extra configuration because it uses third party software.  Refer to the JSpell Demo Doc for more information.

There are several occurrences of %ORACLE_HOME% and %DB_NAME% so be sure you replaced them all.

5 Add the HTML files and the Forms demo environment file

5a Copy the files

Copy the following file to C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\config:

%STAGE_HOME%\install\formsdemo.env

5b Modify the Forms demo environment file

Using a text editor, open the Forms demo environment file:

C:\Oracle\Middleware\user_projects\domains\ClassicDomain\servers\WLS_FORMS\stage\formsapp\11.1.1\formsapp\config\formsdemo.env

Do a global search-and-replace for the following:

What to search for... What to replace it with...
%ORACLE_HOME% The same value that you are using for %ORACLE_HOME% in this document, as detailed in the Conventions section.

There are many instances of %ORACLE_HOME% so be sure that you replaced them all.

5c Check the length of FORMS_PATH

Windows restricts the length of environment variables, so the maximum length of the FORMS_PATH environment variable is 512 characters.  If your %ORACLE_HOME% was already long, then this could make your FORMS_PATH too long.  In that case, make your FORMS_PATH as long as possible, but less than 512 characters, and put the rest of the environment variable in the ORACLE_PATH environment variable.

Note: If the summit application is installed in the environment where the demos are installed, the following must be done: in the forms/java/summit/web directory, create a directory called images and copy the graph images there (they can be found in \demos\bigraph\src\) In the same forms/java/summit/web directory, create a directory called calendar_icons and copy the calendar images. And lastly, unpack the icons.jar file and copy all the images in forms/java/summit/web

6 Run the demos

Make sure WLS_FORMS is running and enter the following URL, replacing <host> and <port> with the correct values:

http://<host>:<port>/forms/demos/demos.html

For the 11.1.1.2 version, make sure the HTTP server is started and enter the following URL, replacing <host> and <port> with the correct values:

http://<host>:<httpserverport>/forms/demos/demos.html

Alternatively, you can double-click the following file to launch the demos:

%ORACLE_HOME%\forms\demos\launchdemos.html

Note: even though the compiled code is available in the demos, it is recommended that the code is recompiled in the environment where the demos are deployed.

Appendix 1 - Starting WLS_FORMS

From the Windows Start Menu, choose Programs -> Oracle Classic Instance - xxx-> Forms Services -> Start Weblogic Server - WLS_FORMS, where xxx is the name of your Oracle Home when you installed FMw 11g.