Oracle Magazine - July/August 2011

Java Developer
ORACLE ADF BY FRANK NIMPHIUS

Add Advanced List
Interaction
Use model-driven LOVs in Oracle ADF to implement
smart lists with autosuggest behavior.

ORACLE JDEVELOPER and ORACLE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

Using lists of values (LOVs) in Oracle Application Development Framework (Oracle ADF) is a great way to prevent end users from entering invalid data. With dependent LOVs, you can further enhance user efficiency by filtering lists on external conditions. This column will show you how the LOV features in Oracle ADF help you build rich, intelligent list and search capabilities without requiring full-blown Java coding.

To begin, go to bit.ly/gLhag3, which will automatically download the starter workspace in a zip file called o41adf-359201.zip. Note that it contains two folders, one containing a starter workspace and the other a completed version. Ensure that you’re using the studio edition of the Oracle JDeveloper 11g 11. 1. 1. 4 (or later) release, available as a free download on the Oracle Technology Network at oracle.com/technetwork/ developer-tools/jdev/downloads. The application uses the HR schema that’s available by default in Oracle Database.

the AdfListOfValues.jws workspace in the AdfListOfValues folder. Before proceeding, adjust the properties of the connection named hrconn in the Application Resources zone of the Application Navigator until you can successfully test a connection to the HR database schema.

The sample workspace contains two projects: Model and ViewController.

The Model project contains four view objects: DepartmentsView, JobsView, ManagersView, and EmployeesView. You’ll start by defining LOVs for attributes of the

EmployeesView object. The other three view objects provide the data for the lists. The ViewController project contains a single page, SamplePage.jspx, that you’ll use to test the model-driven LOVs in a Web environment.

BUILDING LOVS FOR THE
EMPLOYEESVIEW OBJEC T
Double-click the EmployeesView object in
the Model project’s adf.oramag.sample
.model.vo package to open it in the object
editor. Select the Attributes category, and

SAMPLE APPLICATION OVERVIE W

The biggest challenge in developing LOVs in large enterprise applications is to maintain functional and user interface consistency across pages. Model-driven LOVs help you meet this challenge by enabling you to define an LOV in a single place; any subsequent modifications to the list propagate to all instances of the list. In this example, you’ll see how to use Oracle JDeveloper to create dependent, model-driven LOVs that provide smart lists— filtered lists with default selection values and autosuggest behavior.