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Oracle® Fusion Middleware

Upgrading Oracle Forms 6i Applications

E95422- January 2021

Oracle Fusion Middleware Upgrading Oracle Forms 6i Applications, 12.2.1.4.

E95422-

Copyright © 2018, 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates.

Primary Author: Oracle Corporation

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3 Steps to Convert Forms 6i FMTs to the latest Oracle Forms FMBs

Converting a Forms 6i FMT to a Current Forms FMB 3-

4 Built-ins, Packages, Constants, and Syntax

Obsolete Menu Built-ins 4- Other Obsolete Built-ins 4- Obsolete Built-in Packages 4- Obsolete Constants 4- Obsolete Syntax 4-

5 Triggers

Obsolete Triggers 5- Stricter Enforcement of Triggers 5-

6 Properties

Obsolete Properties 6-

7 Changes to Client/Server Deployment and Forms Runtime

Effect on Forms Development 7- Obsolete Forms Runtime Command Line Options 7- Obsolete Character Mode Runtime 7-

8 Item Types

Obsolete Item Type 8- Item Types Specific to Operating Systems 8-

9 Logical and GUI Attributes

Obsolete Logical and GUI Attributes 9-

10 List of Values (LOVs)

Obsolete List of Values (LOVs) 10-

iv

11 User Exits

Obsolete V2 User Exits 11-

12 Menu Parameters

Predefined Menu Parameters 12- User-Defined Menu Parameters 12-

13 Java-Related Issues

Using Pluggable Java Components and Other Custom Java 13- JDK Versions and Font-Rendering Issues 13-

14 Integration with Oracle Reports

About Integration with Oracle Reports 14- Displaying Reports in Oracle Forms 14- Using Parameter Lists in RUN_REPORT_OBJECT 14- Upgrading Reports Manually in Oracle Forms 14-

15 Upgrade Client/Server Applications to the Web

Guidelines for Upgrade Client/Server Applications to the Web 15- Location of Components Installed in Forms Client/Server-Based Architecture 15- Outline of Application Servers and Client Machines in Forms Web-Based Architecture 15-

16 Upgrade from Pre-Forms 6i Applications

Steps to Upgrade Previous Forms Application to Forms 10g 16- Upgrading Files Saved in the Database 16- Compatibility with Earlier Versions of PL/SQL 16- Difference in Forms Developer Runtime Behavior 16-

v

Conventions

The following text conventions are used in this document:

Convention Meaning boldface Boldface type indicates graphical user interface elements associated with an action, or terms defined in text or the glossary. italic Italic type indicates book titles, emphasis, or placeholder variables for which you supply particular values. monospace Monospace type indicates commands within a paragraph, URLs, code in examples, text that appears on the screen, or text that you enter.

Preface

vii

1

Preparing to Upgrade

Oracle Forms Builder and Oracle Forms Services have been upgraded to simplify the development and deployment of Forms applications on the Web. A number of features have been added.

In restructuring the Oracle Forms product, some legacy features have been dropped or scaled back. The future of Forms includes improving the Java-based Web user interface and extending product "openness" by allowing Java integration on all three tiers.

The following sections are included:

• About Upgrading Your Forms Applications
• Forms 10 g Features Removed from Oracle Forms
• Forms 6 i Features Removed from Oracle Forms
• Components of 6 i Developer Product Suite Removed
• Managing Obsolete Item Types when Upgrading Forms 6 i Applications
• Tools to Assist with Migration of Obsolete Features

About Upgrading Your Forms Applications

Basic steps to upgrade your Forms 6i or older applications to the latest Forms version

To upgrade your Oracle Forms applications, open your Forms 6 i source files (FMB, MMB, PLL, and so on) in the latest Oracle Forms Builder, save them, then compile them. You can also use the Oracle Forms Compiler to upgrade your Forms 6 i applications.

You can use the Forms Migration Assistant to perform batch upgrades, as described in About Using the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant.

Note:

You must compile rp2rro.pll into rp2rro.plx if your Form depends on this library. rp2rro.pll can be found in ORACLE_HOME/forms/rp2rro.pll. The resulting plx should be in your FORMS_PATH.

Do not copy Oracle provided files from an old installation to the new installation. Copying Oracle files may result in applications not generating or running properly in the new Forms version.

Table 1-1 (Cont.) Components removed from Developer Suite

Obsolete Component Upgrade Notes Oracle Forms Listener and Load Balancing Components

Use the Forms Listener Servlet to manage Forms sessions on the Web. The Forms Listener Servlet provides:

• Improved security because all traffic is directed through standard Web server HTTP or HTTPS ports, with no extra ports open through the firewall.
• Compliance with standards that can be used for load balancing techniques.
• Broader firewall and proxy support.
• Less administration because the listener and load balancing processes do not need to be managed.
• Simplified HTTPS support because a separate Web server SSL certificate for the Forms listener is not required. Oracle Forms Server Cartridge and CGI

Use the Forms Servlet. The functionality available with the Oracle Forms Server cartridge and CGI was incorporated into the Forms Servlet, which was first available in Oracle Forms Release 6 i patchset 2. Oracle Procedure Builder Use the facilities for editing and debugging local and server-side PL/SQL code in Forms Developer, which has been considerably improved for this release. Oracle Project Builder No upgrade path or replacement functionality. Oracle Translation Builder No upgrade path or replacement functionality. Oracle Query Builder/Schema Builder

No upgrade path or replacement functionality.

Oracle Terminal The resource files used by Web-deployed forms are text based and can be edited using a conventional text editor. As a result, Oracle Terminal is no longer required for the product. Open Client Adapters (OCA) In order to provide platform-independent access to a wider range of non-Oracle data sources, use the Oracle Transparent Gateway and Generic Connectivity solutions instead of OCA. Tuxedo Integration No upgrade path or replacement functionality. Performance Event Collection Services (PECS)

No upgrade path. Use Forms Trace and Oracle Trace, as described in Tracing and Diagnostics.

Managing Obsolete Item Types when Upgrading Forms 6 i

Applications

When you open a Forms application, obsolete item types are listed after the item-type poplist in the Property Palette.

The property values for obsolete items are indicated as obsolete. For example, the property value for VBX would be "VBX Control (Obsolete)".

Chapter 1 Managing Obsolete Item Types when Upgrading Forms 6i Applications

Note:

If you are upgrading from pre-6 i you must upgrade to 10 g and then to the latest version. If you are upgrading from 6 i or later, you can upgrade directly to the latest version, as described in Upgrade from Pre-Forms 6 i Applications.

You can use the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant, as described in About Using the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant, to resolve many upgrade issues.

Tools to Assist with Migration of Obsolete Features

Oracle Forms Migration Assistant helps in upgrading Forms applications.

The Oracle Forms Migration Assistant is provided with Oracle Forms to help you upgrade your Forms 6 i applications, as described in About Using the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant.

Chapter 1 Tools to Assist with Migration of Obsolete Features

• Replace simple one-for-one code strings such as OHOST to HOST, MENU_CLEAR_FIELD to CLEAR_ITEM, and MENU_FAILURE to FORM_FAILURE.
• Performs more complex substitutions such as CHANGE_ALERT_ MESSAGE to SET_ALERT_PROPERTY built-in, DISABLE_ITEM to SET_MENU_ITEM_PROPERTY built-in, ITEM_ENABLED to GET_ ITEM_PROPERTY built-in, and ENABLE_ITEM to SET_MENU_ITEM_ PROPERTY built-in.
• Raises a warning in the Form module's log if V2-style triggers are found.
• Raises a warning in the Form module's log if built-ins related to obsolete object types are found such as VBX.FIRE_EVENT, VBX.GET_ PROPERTY, and VBX.GET_VALUE_PROPERTY. You run the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant in batch mode. You can again enter the utility as needed to run the upgrade process on a Forms application more than once. You can also use the wizard version of the Migration Assistant to upgrade multiple modules.

By editing the converter.properties file, you can set options before you start the batch migration. By editing the search_replace.properties file you can specify the strings that the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant searches for and replaces, and edit the warnings that are issued when an obsolete built-ins is encountered.

The tool creates a log file so that you can navigate to problem areas in the application and make modifications manually.

Multiple Log Support

The Forms Migration Assistant allows you either to write all log information into a single log file or span multiple log files. If the Forms Migration Assistant spans multiple log files, the Forms Migration Assistant generates individual log files for each module that is processed.

You must specify the directory in which the Forms Migration Assistant writes the log files. The name of the log file which is generated is modulename_moduletype.log.

For example, if you process a module by name, such as test.fmb, the name of the log file is test_fmb.log. If you select test.fmb and test.mmb for upgrade, the Forms Migration Wizard does not overwrite the log files. However, if you converted two modules test.fmb from two different directories, the log files are overwritten. The Forms Migration Assistant generates two log files: test_fmb.log and test_mmb.log.

Editing the converter.properties file

To change upgrade options, edit the converter.properties file in a text editor.

You can set the following upgrade options:

Table 2-1 Forms Migration Assistant converter.properties file options

Option Description Log File Name (default.logfilename)

Specifies the file name and location for log information.

Chapter 2 Editing the converter.properties file

Table 2-1 (Cont.) Forms Migration Assistant converter.properties file options

Option Description Reports Queue Table Installed (default.usequeuetables)

When using web-based reports, these queue tables helps to monitor queued and processed reports. When used with the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant, the queue table provides detailed error messages when installed in the application schema. (For example, if a report cannot run due to uncompiled PL/SQL, you can use the queue table to query for full error messages.) The resulting report is automatically printed. See Performance Analysis Tools Reports Servlet Directory (default.servletdir)

Specifies the name that has been defined for the virtual path used for the Reports Servlet, which is used for running reports on the web. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object. Reports Servlet Name (default.servletname)

Specifies the name for the Reports Servlet used for running reports on the web. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object. Reports Server Host (default.reports_servername)

The name or IP address of the system running the Reports Server. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object. DESTYPE (default.destype) The type of destination device that receives the report output. See Elements of a Distribution XML File. DESFORMAT (default.desformat) The printer driver to be used when DESTYPE is FILE. See Command Line Keywords (ACCESSIBLE to DESTYPE). DESNAME (default.desname) The name of the file, printer, e-mail ID, or distribution list to which the report output is sent. See Command Line Keywords (ACCESSIBLE to DESTYPE). Reports Server Host (default.reportshost)

The name or IP address of the system running the Reports Server. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object.

Editing the search_replace.properties file

The search_replace.properties file contains the strings that the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant searches for and replaces. It also contains a list of obsolete built-ins that generate warnings.

Adding Search-and-Replace Strings

You can edit the search_replace.properties file to add your own search-and-replace strings, as follows:

1. Open the search_replace.properties file in a text editor. 2. Go to the end of the list of search-and replace strings. 3. Add a string to search for and replace using the following syntax: SearchString|ReplaceString 4. Save the search_replace.properties file.

Modifying Warnings for Obsolete Built-Ins

The warnings for built-ins have the following syntax:

Chapter 2 Editing the search_replace.properties file

Starting the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant

The common modules that Forms may rely upon should be included in the FORMS_PATH when running the Forms Migration Assistant. Forms modules that other modules may be dependent upon should be upgraded first.

Modules should be upgraded in the following order using the FMA:

• .olb modules
• .pll modules
• .mmb modules
• .fmb modules

Note:

For UNIX, an xterm display is required to run the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant.

Note:

The forms\rp2rro.pll and forms\EnableDisableItem.pll files should be in the FORMS_PATH to convert RUN_PRODUCT to RUN_REPORT_OBJECT.

In UNIX, set the variable FORMS_PATH, such as setenv FORMS_PATH $ORACLE_HOME/forms.

Table 2-2 Forms Migration Assistant Command Line Parameters

Parameter Description module (required in batch mode only)

Specifies the module to upgrade. The module name parameter can take only one value. To upgrade multiple modules at a time, see Running the Wizard Version of the Forms Migration Assistant. log (optional) Specifies the log file to which the upgrade results are written. If not specified, the default values from the converter.properties file are used. mode (optional) This option has two values (batch and wizard). Use mode=batch to run the Migration Assistant in Batch mode, mode=wizard to run the wizard.

Information about the progress of the upgrade process is displayed on the screen. It is also saved to the log file that you specify in the converter.properties file. (Change upgrade options, as described in Editing the converter.properties file.)

Check the log file for information about required upgrade steps that the tool did not modify. Manually make these changes to your application.

Chapter 2 Starting the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant

About the Migration Assistant in Batch Mode

You can convert multiple applications by running the Forms Migration Assistant in batch mode from the command line. Batch mode is useful for converting multiple Forms applications. For example, on Windows, create a batch file (for example upgrade.bat) that contains the following:

for %%f in (%1) do frmplsqlconv module=%%f userid=<connect_string>

Then run the batch file as follows:

upgrade *.fmb

or

upgrade foo*.mmb

On UNIX, create a shell script (for example upgrade.sh) that contains the following:

for file in $*

do

frmplsqlconv.sh module=$ff

done

Then run the shell script as follows:

or

upgrade.sh foo*.mmb

Starting the Migration Assistant in Batch Mode

You can run the Migration Assistant in batch mode on Windows and UNIX computers.

Starting the Migration Assistant in batch mode in Windows

In a Command window, issue the following command:

frmplsqlconv mode=batch module= log=

Note:

A dialog window appears recommending that you backup your files before converting them. Select the Show me this again box to enable this warning in the future.

where is the name of the file you want to convert, and is the name of the log file that is generated.

The Forms Migration Assistant looks for the file test.fmb in the d:\temp directory and names the generated log file test.log and places it in the d:\temp directory. You can

Chapter 2 Starting the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant

4. In the Modules dialog, click the Add Module(s) button. 5. Select the modules that you want to convert. 6. Click Next. 7. In the Converter options dialog, enter the location and name of the log file that is generated. A browse button is provided to assist in choosing a location. 8. If you have Forms that include embedded reports, fill in the remaining fields. Otherwise, you may ignore these fields. Advanced converter options are described in Setting Advanced Converter Options 9. Click Next. 10. In the Finish dialog, the modules you selected are listed. Click Finish to start the conversion. 11. Progress displays in the Log window. (Log output is stored with the log file name(s) that you specify in the Options dialog. See the following section for information about setting options.) 12. Check the log file(s) for information about required conversion steps that the tool did not modify. Manually make these changes to your application.

Setting Advanced Converter Options

You can set conversion options before running the wizard. See Editing the converter.properties file

1. In the Converter options dialog (step 2 of the wizard), click Advanced Options. 2. Converter properties display in the left column of the dialog. Edit the property values as described in Table 2-3:

Table 2-3 Converter Property Values

Property Value Description Display Backup Warning Determines whether the warning dialog displays to back up files when the application starts. Log File Name Specifies the log filename in Single Log mode. Log Dir The destination directory to write the log files in multilog mode Reports Servlet Virtual Directory Specifies the name that has been defined for the virtual path used to define the Reports Servlet, which is used for running reports on the web. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object. Reports Servlet Specifies the name for the Reports Servlet used for running reports on the web. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object. Reports Server The name or IP address of the system running the Reports Server. This setting is required when converting Run_Product calls to Run_Report_Object. Default DESFORMAT Printer driver to be used when DESTYPE is PRINTER (XML, HTML, HTMLCSS, PDF, RTF, delimited). Default DESTYPE Type of destination device that receives the report output (cache, printer, file). Default DESNAME Name of the file, printer, e-mail ID, or distribution list to which the report output is sent

Chapter 2 Starting the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant

Table 2-3 (Cont.) Converter Property Values

Property Value Description Default Browser For UNIX, the browser used to display help for the Migration Assistant. This setting is either firefox , iexplorer , or chrome. In Windows, the system default browser is used.

3. Click OK to save the configuration. The data is saved to the converter.properties file, and the settings you specify are used in the current and future sessions of the utility.

Chapter 2 Starting the Oracle Forms Migration Assistant