FormsTool FAQ
Here are a couple of answers to the most common questions that we receive. Please contact us at
support@orcl-toolbox.com
if there is anything still unclear or not answered in this FAQ!
Installation & Integration
Q: I get an error on startup that no valid Oracle Forms API can be found, how can i solve this?
A: Most likely the issue is that your Oracles \bin directory is not in the systems PATH environment variable, or that your \\HKLM\Software\Oracle registry doesn't contain any of the necessary entries for your Oracle Forms installation. Eventually a reinstall of Oracle Forms will most often solve the issue. Please contact support if you need more help fixing the issue.
Q: Do FormsAPI Master/FormsTool have command line support?
A: Yes, except for PowerSearch everything can be started/controlled by command line. Check the help files under the keyword "Command line"
Q: Can FormsAPI Master/FormsTool be integrated with any of the leading source control system?
A: Depends on the source control system. As long as they allow you to call us with with command line parameters then you will be able to integrate. There is a fantastic article about that available on http://www.araxis.com/merge/scm_integration.html
Developer Compare
Q: Why do I often get Error #1 when loading PLSQL Libraries?
A: This is a bug of the Oracle Open API Library. PL/SQL Module handling since it's inception in Oracle Forms 6i API always has been flaky. I noticed that it often helps to convert the plsql library to text format (*.pld) and back to binary (*.pll). Often the libraries then load without the #1 error.
Q: What can i use it for?
A: The easy answer is "To compare changes between two modules". But Developer Compare can also be used for a couple of other things, like extracting a change log, for code reviews, for quality control review. Some even use it to merge changes when multiple developers work on the same module or to replicate latest changes into their base Forms modules that were customized for certain customers.
Q: What type of files can be compared?
A: Forms Modules, Object Libraries, PL/SQL Libraries, Menu Modules, Report Modules, SQL Text Files.
Q: Why do my Items of type ListBox sometimes show up as changed when comparing?
A: It's a bug! We currently don't handle comparison of elements correctly that have the same names on the same level! This can only happen for List Elements and in rare cases for Datasource arguments/columns for blocks built on stored procedures.
Power Search
Q: What's so special about PowerSearch?
A: PowerSearch handles searches smarter. Don't worry about spaces and linefeeds when you search for something. The PowerSearch uses a regular expression search engine that is specifically tuned for PL/SQL searches!.