Wishing new features in APEX future Releases

Wishing new features in the next APEX releases can be affected by everyone in this official Feature Request Application. Now is the right time, because the last APEX Patch 4.2.1 is not far away and the next release will be a bigger one.
Here are some of my most desired features (beside the State of direction for APEX 5.0)

• Authorisation accepts parameter (Feature ABPY)
  At the moment it's not possible in an APEX Authorisation Scheme to forward any information from the calling element. Further more it would be nice to have some variables, which could be referenced in the authorisation. Now you have to use the condition area to use specific parameters. If there is already some kind of condition (often already functional conditions are existing), the technical authorisation and the functional condition is mixed up.
• Read Only condition - read only type option (AA4A)In the last projects, often we got the questions, why the read only text area or select-lists are displayed differently in standard read only mode. With this feature it would be possible to display the input element like the original one with only shown greyed out.
• Defining one named Dynamic Action for different use (AD1B)Often the same effect (Dynamic Action) should be used on different objects and even different pages to effect like the same way. In this case it would be nice to define named Dynamic Actions and only call these actions which are predefined in the shared objects.
• Tabs using URL Targets => Tabs can be opened with right click (AD1A)
  It's only a small feature, but often when i use application in nower days, i'm disapointed, when i can't open a link in a new browser tab. In standard APEX at the moment it's not possible.
• Able to lock whole application (ADVQ)
  In many cases we have different people who are starting new APEX projects or customers who want to look into the development areas. These people should not be able to change anything but should be able to reach every attribute in the application builder.
• Integrate with Subversion (ABAF)
  Working with big APEX Applications, it would be nice to have an easy access to every APEX component by using subversion.

 I wish a merry christmas and some days to relax.

Advisor misses column mapping for Tabular Form

If you create a tabular form based on a view or table you have to take care that the column mapping have to be updated.
In a short test where i created a view on a table i changed the name of the view after creating the tabular form.I got an error "ORA-00942" that table or view were missing.
I went through all processes and changed the view name, but i missed one column. Checking the Page with the APEX Advisor the failure in my column mapping was not found.
The problem can be found with this query:

select c.application_id
      ,c.page_id
      ,c.column_alias
      ,c.reference_table_name
      ,c.reference_column_name
from apex_application_page_rpt_cols c
left join user_tab_cols u on u.table_name = c.reference_table_name and
                             u.column_name = c.reference_column_name
where c.reference_table_name is not null and
      c.reference_column_name <> 'ROWID' and
      u.table_name is null

It would be nice to add this check to the advisor  @ APEX Team

APEX 4.2.1 released

On the 14. of december the APEX version 4.2.1.00.08 was released.
The Patchnotes are available under APEX 4.2.1 Patchnotes. The fixed bugs are listed up here. A short look over all fixed bugs sumerizes that the most fixes are belonging to the mobile theme and components of APEX.

These Know Iusses are still open bugs:

• Developer Toolbar Not Available for Mobile Applications
• Page Submit Actions Not Working for Some Longer Mobile Select Lists
• Issues with Editing Items After Upgrade
• Theme 25 Alert Region Does Not Support Multiple Page Items in the Same Row

Here are changes in the behaviour of APEX

• Maximum Width for Textareas
• Textarea can use less then maximum width
• Enhanced Security for Report Links
• JavaScript/jQuery can be mixed up with column name syntax
  javascript:alert( 'Delete #NAME#' );
• jQuery Mobile
• updated to 1.2.0
• AnyChart 6
• AnyChart 6.0.11 is included
• Resizing of Charts on Mobile Page
• Now its possible to resize charts in the mobile theme with jQueryMobile

Keep in mind if you update a 4.2 release you have to go to support.oracle.com and download the patch number 14732511.

Starting new APEX Blog

I'm Working since 2007 with Oracle Application Express. Gained experience in different projects, starting with HTML DB 2.2 through all versions of APEX till APEX 4.2, i have collected a huge amount of experience to start this Blog.

Joining different conferences like DOAG and DOAG Development and many other events, this blog will contain actual news and all technical stuff related to APEX.