Creating Page-Level Items

Check Box

Displayed using a list of values. A list of values is required for items displayed as check boxes. The value corresponding to a checked box is returned in a single colon-delimited string.

The following example demonstrates how to create a single check box that returns YES. This example would display both a check box and a field label.

SELECT NULL display_text, 'YES' return_value FROM DUAL;

This example includes the additional text Click to select.

SELECT 'Click to select' display_text, 'YES' return_value FROM DUAL;

See Also: "APEX_UTIL" in Oracle Application Express API Reference for information about breaking up returned values

Date Picker

Displays a text field with a Calendar icon next to it. When clicked, this icon displays a small calendar where the user can select a date and a time (optional).

If the format you need is not included in the Display As list, select Date Picker (use application format mask) or Date Picker (use item format mask). The latter uses the value from the Format Mask field in the Source section of the Edit Page Item page.

Display Only

Available Display As Text subtypes include:

• Display as Text (does not save state) - Displays the item's source value on the page without creating a form item.

• Display as Text (escape special characters, does not save state) - Displays the item's source value with special characters ('<','>','&') escaped.

• Display as Text (saves state) - Displays the item's source value and creates a form item that gets submitted with the page to pass the value into session state.

• Display as Text (based on LOV, does not save state) - Displays the display value from an LOV by matching the item's source value with the LOV's return value.

• Display as Text (based on LOV, saves state) - Same as the previous option, but also generates a form item that gets submitted with the page to pass the return value into session state.

File Browse

Displays a text field with a Browse... button. The Browse button enables the user to locate a file on a local file system and upload it. Oracle Application Express provides a table for these files to be uploaded to and an API to retrieve the files.

See Also: "Securing File Uploads"

Hidden

Renders an HTML hidden form element. Session state can be assigned and referenced just like a text field.

Hidden and Protected

Renders an HTML hidden form element. Session state can be assigned and referenced just like a text field. For maximum security use Hidden and Protected instead of Hidden unless your page has client-side behavior, for example, JavaScript that alters the item value after the page is rendered by Oracle Application Express.

List Manager

Based on a list of values. This item enables you to manage a list of items by selecting and adding to a list. The list of values display as a popup.

Multiple Select

Renders as a multiselect HTML form element. When submitted, selected values are returned in a single colon-delimited string. You can break up the values using the APEX_UTIL API.

See Also: "Working with a Multiple Select List Item" and "APEX_UTIL" in Oracle Application Express API Reference

Password

Renders as an HTML password form element. Available password types include:

• Password - Suppresses text entered into the field. Saves the value in session state when the page is submitted.

• Password (submits when Enter pressed) - Suppresses text entered into the field and submits the page when ENTER is pressed.

• Password (does not save state) - Suppresses text entered into the field. Does not save the value in session state.

• Password (submits when Enter pressed, does not save state) - Suppresses text entered into the filed and submits the page when Enter is pressed. Does not save the value in session state.

The Password and Password (submits when Enter pressed) save the password in a database table when the page is submitted. Use these password item types only when the password is needed in session state for use by other pages during the session.

Password (does not save state) and Password (submits when Enter pressed, does not save state) do not save the password in a database table. Use these password item types when the submitted password value is used only by after-submit page processing on the same page and is never needed again during the session.

If you must reference and retrieve the value of a password in your application then you set the Store value encrypted in session state attribute to Yes. To learn more, see "About Session State and Security".

Popup List of Values

Renders as a text field with an icon. When the user clicks the icon, a popup window appears with one of these, depending on the popup selection you make:

• List of values represented as a series of links - When the user makes a selection from the list, the selected value is placed in the text field.

• Color picker - When the user makes a selection from the palette, the HTML value for the color selected (for example, #000000 for black) is returned.

With the exception of the color picker, you control popup lists of values through templates. You can only specify one popup list of values (LOV) template for each application. A popup LOV is a good choice for lists of values that are too large to return on a single page.

There are two types of Popup LOVs: one that fetches a set of rows when the window pops up and one that does not. Available popup LOVs include:

• Popup Key LOV (Displays description, returns key value)

• Popup Key LOV No Fetch (Displays description, returns key value without pre-fetch)

• Popup LOV (fetches first rowset and filters)

• Popup LOV (fetches first rowset)

• Popup LOV (no fetch)

• Popup Color Picker

Popup LOVs must be based on a query that selects two columns with different column aliases. For example:

SELECT ename name, empno id 
   FROM emp

If one of the columns is an expression, remember to use an alias. For example:

SELECT ename||' '||job display_value, empno FROM emp

Radio

Renders as an HTML radio group form element, based on a list of values. Choose Radiogroup with Submit to have the page submitted when the radio button is selected.

The following example displays employee names (ename), but returns employee numbers (empno):

SELECT ename, empno FROM emp

Select List

Displays using a list of values. A list of values is required for items displayed as a select list. Select lists are rendered using the HTML form element <select>. The values in a select list are determined using a named list of values or a list of values defined at the item level. You can specify the NULL display value and NULL return value.

The following example would return employee names (ename) and employee numbers (empno) from the emp table. Note that column aliases are not required and are included in this example for clarity.

SELECT ename display_text, empno return_value FROM emp

Oracle Application Express provides additional enhancements to a standard HTML select list:

• Select List with Submit - Submits the page when the user changes its selected value. Upon submit, the REQUEST is set to the name of the item that represents the select list, allowing you to execute conditional computations, validations, processes, and branches.

• Select List with Redirect - Redirects the user back to the same page, setting ONLY the newly selected value of the select list in session state.

• Select List Returning URL Redirect - Based on a list of values with URLs as the return values. Changing the value of the select list causes the browser to redirect to the corresponding URL.

• Select List with Branch to Page - Based on a list of values with page numbers as return values. Changing the selected value in the select list causes the Application Express engine to branch to the corresponding page.

Note: Long select lists can cause errors. If you have a long select list that generates an error, try using a Popup List of Values instead.

Shuttle

Renders as a multiple select list that includes two boxes containing lists. The left list displays a source list of values. Users use the shuttle control icons and buttons to select list items and move them from the left (source) list to the right (destination) list. Each shuttle has five controls:

• Move all - Moves all items in the source list to the destination list.

• Move selected - Moves only selected items (Ctrl + Shift items) to destination list.

• Remove selected - Moves only selected items (Ctrl + Shift items) to the source list.

• Remove all - Moves all items on destination list back to the source list.

• Refresh - Resets the source and destination lists.

The right destination list includes the sort controls Move to top, Move up, Move down, and Move to bottom.

Note: In order to create this item type, you must define a list of values. See "Creating a Static List of Values", "Creating Lists of Values", and "Working with a Multiple Select List Item".

Text

Displays as an HTML text field containing a maximum of 30,000 bytes of text. You control the maximum length and display width by editing the Height and Width item attribute.

Available Text display options include:

• Text Field - Renders as a text field.

• Text Field (Disabled, does not save state) - Displays a read-only version of a display value from a list of values by using the item's value in session state to look up the corresponding display value in the associated list of values. The value displayed on the screen is not saved in session state upon submit.

• Text Field (Disabled, saves state) - Displays a read-only version of a display value from a list of values by using the item's value in session state to look up the corresponding display value in the associated list of values.

• Text Field (always submits page when Enter pressed) - Displays a read-only version of the value in session state. Upon submit, the value displayed is saved in session state.

• Text Field with Calculator Popup - Renders as a text field with an icon next to it. When clicked, the icon displays a small window containing a calculator. Calculations are placed back in the text field.

Text Area

Renders as an HTML text area. There is no maximum length for an item displayed as a text area. You control the height and width by editing the Height and Width item attribute. Additional available Text Area Display As options include:

• Text Area

• Text Area (auto height) - Varies the height based on the amount of text. Use this option to scale the text area to the amount of data.

• Text Area with Counter - Includes a counter that displays the number of bytes entered in the field.

• Text Area with Spell Checker - Provides a popup English language spell checker.

• HTML Editor Minimal - Provides basic text editing features, including the application of bold, italics, and underline styles, the ability to create numbered and bulleted lists, and indentation.

• HTML Editor Standard - Provides more editing functionality, such as font, format and color, than HTML Editor Minimal.

• Text Area with HTML Editor - Provides basic text formatting controls. Note that these controls may not work in all Web browsers.

Stop and Start Table

Forces the close of an HTML table using the </table> tag and starts a HTML table. You can use this item type to reset the column width in the middle of the region.

Note that a Stop and Start Table item only displays its label. You can prevent the label from displaying at all by setting it to null. To do this, you simply remove the default label.