Thanigai Solutions (Oracle APEX Blogs)

🚩Introduction  In modern Oracle APEX applications, it is important to make file handling smooth and easy for users. One useful feature is showing a file preview during upload without submitting the page. This allows users to quickly check images or PDF files before saving them. Instead of waiting for a page reload, users can instantly preview the uploaded file using an iframe and JavaScript. This removes unnecessary page refreshes, making the application faster, more efficient, and easier to use. 📑  Why This Approach Is Needed In Oracle APEX applications, users often need to upload and preview files like images or PDFs before saving them. Using a full page submit for preview can slow down the process and make the experience less smooth and less interactive. This approach is useful when: You want to provide  instant file preview  without page refresh The application needs to feel  fast and interactive You want to avoid unnecessary  page submissions Better...

🚩Introduction  In many Oracle APEX applications, public pages are accessed using links generated outside of APEX, such as from emails, external systems, or third-party portals. These URLs often carry parameters like an ID or reference number to show specific data. Normally, APEX protects these URLs using a built-in checksum. But when the URL is generated outside of APEX, then the APEX rejects the request as a checksum mismatch . To solve this, we can build our own custom checksum logic using the DBMS_CRYPTO package, so the link stays secure even when it's created from outside the application. 📑  Why This Approach Is Needed In Oracle APEX applications, public pages are open to anyone with the link, which means the URL parameters can be easily changed by a user. If there is no validation, someone could simply edit the ID in the URL and view data that doesn't belong to them. Building a custom checksum becomes important when: The URL is generated outside of APEX, so the default ...

🚩Introduction  In Oracle APEX applications, users often need to upload Excel files to add or update data. Instead of using external plugins, this can be done using built-in APEX features, which keeps the application simple and easy to maintain. By using the apex_application_temp_files table along with PL/SQL, we can read the uploaded Excel file, process the data, and store it in an APEX collection. This gives better control over the data and keeps the application clean and efficient. 📑  Why This Approach Is Needed In Oracle APEX applications, users often need to upload Excel files to handle large amounts of data. Using plugins for this can make the application more complex and harder to maintain. It may also create compatibility and security issues in some cases. Handling Excel uploads without plugins is useful when: You want to avoid external dependencies The application needs to stay simple and lightweight Better control over data processing and validation is required Fil...

🚩Introduction  In Oracle APEX applications, reports may show both general and sensitive data like employee details, salary, or internal information. While this data can be shown on the screen, not all of it should be included when exporting to files like Excel or PDF for security and privacy reasons. To manage this, we can control what gets exported using conditions like :REQUEST to hide sensitive columns during download while still showing them in the report. This helps protect confidential data, improves security, and ensures proper access control in Oracle APEX reports. 📑  Why It is Important to Control Export Columns in Oracle APEX Reports In Oracle APEX applications, reports may show important data like employee details, salary, or other sensitive information. Sometimes, this data should be visible on the screen but should not be downloaded in Excel or PDF files. Controlling export columns becomes important when: Sensitive data like salary should not be included in dow...

🚩Introduction  In Oracle APEX applications, Tabs Container is used to organize multiple regions within a single page, making navigation easier for users. However, APEX does not automatically handle tab selection in a consistent way. When a user comes from another page, the first tab should ideally be selected by default, but this does not always happen as expected. At the same time, when the page is refreshed or submitted, users usually expect to stay on the same tab they were working on instead of being taken back to the first tab. To handle this properly, we can use a simple custom solution using Dynamic Action or JavaScript to track and control the active tab. This helps provide a smoother experience where tab selection behaves in a more natural and user-friendly way. 📑Why It is Essential to Track Tab Change in Tabs Container In Oracle APEX, Tabs Container has a “remember tab” option that keeps the last selected tab, but it does not work well in all cases. For example, when a...

🚩Introduction  In many Oracle APEX applications, users often need to upload files as part of their daily tasks  attaching a screenshot, submitting a document, or sharing an image directly from their work. A useful new feature introduced in Oracle APEX 26.1 is the Allow Copy and Paste setting for File Upload and Image Upload page item. It allows users to paste files directly into the upload area using Ctrl+V or Cmd+V, without opening the file explorer or dragging and dropping. This saves time, reduces effort, and makes the upload experience much smoother. 📑  Why This Approach Is Needed In Oracle APEX applications, users often need to upload files quickly as part of their regular work. If a file or screenshot is already copied to the clipboard, they have to open the file explorer, locate the file, and upload it manually, adds unnecessary steps. This feature becomes useful when: Users have a file or screenshot already copied and want to upload it instantly Repetitive fil...