Oracle® Application Express Patch Set Notes
Release 3.1.2.00.02
 
 

Oracle® Application Express

Patch Set Notes

Release 3.1.2.00.02

 

August 2008

These patch set notes accompany the Oracle Application Express 3.1.2.00.02 patch set.

This document contains these topics:

1 Patch Set Overview

Patch sets are a mechanism for delivering fully tested and integrated product fixes. Patch sets provide bug fixes only; they do not include new functionality and they do not require certification on the target system.

Patch sets include all of the libraries that have been rebuilt to implement the bug fixes in the set. All of the fixes in the patch set have been tested and are certified to work with each other.

Patch sets contain the same set of generic fixes across all platforms. Patch sets may also include additional patches specific to the platform on which they are released.

The Oracle Application Express 3.1.2.00.02 patch set can be applied to Oracle Application Express release 3.1.0.00.32 or Oracle Application Express release 3.1.1.00.09. Apply the patch to the Oracle database where Oracle Application Express schemas are installed. This patch will determine if additional languages are installed, and will apply the patch for those languages as well. Oracle9i release 2 (9.2.0.3) and higher supports this patch set.

2 Pre-Installation Tasks

Complete the following pre-installation tasks before installing the patch set:

2.1 Identify the Oracle Application Express Installation

This is not a complete software distribution. You must connect to an existing Oracle Database where the Oracle Application Express schemas are installed and run the apxpatch.sql installation script.

2.2 Download and Extract the Installation Software

Download the patch set to a computer with local or remote access to the Oracle Database. You will also need access to the Oracle home.

To download and extract the patch set installation software:

  1. Download the p7313609_11106_GENERIC.zip patch set installation archive to a directory that is not the Oracle home directory or under the Oracle home directory.

  2. Unzip and extract the installation files as follows:

    • Microsoft Windows - Double-click the p7313609_11106_GENERIC.zip file

    • UNIX or Linux - Enter the following command:

      $ unzip p7313609_11106_GENERIC.zip

2.3 Optionally Backup the Oracle Database

The Oracle Application Express engine is a collection of tables and packages that reside wholly within the Oracle Database user accounts FLOWS_030100 and FLOWS_FILES. This patch set updates the underlying tables and packages within the FLOWS_030100 account. If your installation fails, you will not be able to rollback the patch set installation process. Therefore, Oracle recommends that you perform a complete backup of your Oracle instance before you install the patch set. Note that after the patch set is installed there is no way to remove it.

If you choose to perform a backup, restart the Oracle Database in restricted session mode to prevent any user access (that is, developer and end-user) while applying the patch set.

2.4 Prevent Access to Oracle Application Express

It is important that no developers or end users access Oracle Application Express while you are applying the patch set.

If your configuration includes Oracle HTTP Server and mod_plsql, you need to stop Oracle HTTP Server. See "Stop Oracle HTTP Server".

Alternatively, if your configuration includes the embedded PL/SQL gateway, you need to disable the Oracle XML DB HTTP Server. See "Disable Oracle XML DB HTTP Server".

2.4.1 Stop Oracle HTTP Server

To stop Oracle HTTP Server shipped with Oracle Database 10 g release 1 (10.1) or later, enter commands using the following syntax, where ORACLE_BASE is the path to the Oracle base directory: 

                                       
ORACLE_BASE\
                                      
ORACLE_HTTPSERVER_HOME\opmn\bin\opmnctl stopproc ias-component=HTTP_Server

Note that if the Oracle HTTP Server is listening on a port less than 1024, then these commands must be executed as a privileged user (such as root).

2.4.2 Disable Oracle XML DB HTTP Server

The embedded PL/SQL gateway runs in the Oracle XML DB HTTP server in the Oracle database. To disable it, you change the port number to 0. Before doing so, verify the port number. See "Verifying the Oracle XML DB HTTP Server Port".

To disable Oracle XML DB HTTP server:

  1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database where Oracle Application Express is installed as SYS. For example:

    • Windows:

                                                     
DRIVE_LETTER:\> sqlplus /nolog
SQL> SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                              
SYS_password

    • UNIX and Linux:

      $ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                              
SYS_password

  2. Run the following statements:

    EXEC DBMS_XDB.SETHTTPPORT(0);
COMMIT;

3 Installation Tasks

Complete the following tasks to install the patch set:

  1. Set your current directory to the top-level "patch" directory where you unzipped the p7313609_11106_GENERIC.zip file.

  2. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database where Oracle Application Express is installed as SYS specifying the SYSDBA role. For example:

    • On Windows:

                                                 
SYSTEM_DRIVE:\ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                          
SYS_password

    • On UNIX and Linux:

      $ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                          
SYS_password

  3. Run apxpatch.sql. For example: 

    @apxpatch.sql

  4. Review the log file apxpatch.log for any errors.

4 Post-Installation Tasks

Complete the following post-installation tasks before using the upgraded software:

4.1 Update the Images Directory

During an upgrade, you must incorporate the new images directory. Copy the patch/images directory into the images directory used for Application Express.

4.1.1 Updating the Images Directory When Running Oracle HTTP Server

To locate the images directory on the file system, review the following files for the text alias /i/:

  • Oracle9 i HTTP Server Release 2—see the httpd.conf file.

  • Oracle Application Server 10g—see the marvel.conf file.

  • Oracle HTTP Server 11 g—see the marvel.conf file.

When you locate the images directory path, copy it to the existing ORACLE_HTTPSERVER_HOME home.

On a Windows system, run a command from a command prompt similar to the following example:

xcopy /E /I patch\images  
                                      
ORACLE_HTTPSERVER_HOME\Apache\Apache\images

On UNIX or Linux based systems, run a command similar to the following example:

cp -rf patch/images  
                                      
ORACLE_HTTPSERVER_HOME/Apache/Apache

In the preceding syntax examples, ORACLE_HTTPSERVER_HOME is the existing Oracle Application Server or Oracle HTTP Server Oracle home. The location of the Oracle Application Express images directory may be different in your configuration.

4.1.2 Updating the Images Directory When Running the Embedded PL/SQL Gateway

The images in an Oracle XML DB HTTP Server with the embedded PL/SQL gateway installation are in the XML DB repository. Updating the images is accomplished by running the SQL Script apxldimg.sql located in the top level directory where the patch was unzipped.

To update the images directory:

  1. Set your current directory to the top-level "patch" directory where you unzipped the p7313609_11106_GENERIC.zip file.

  2. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database where Oracle Application Express is installed as SYS specifying the SYSDBA role. For example:

    • On Windows:

      SYSTEM_DRIVE:\ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                              
SYS_password

    • On UNIX and Linux:

      $ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                              
SYS_password

  3. Run apxldimg.sql passing the file system path to the "patch" directory where the p7313609_11106_GENERIC.zip file was unzipped as shown in the following example:

    • On Windows:

      @apxldimg.sql  
                                              
SYSTEM_DRIVE:\TEMP\patch

    • On UNIX and Linux:

      @apxldimg.sql /tmp/patch

4.2 Start Oracle Application Express

If your configuration includes Oracle HTTP Server and mod_plsql, you need to start Oracle HTTP Server. See "Start Oracle HTTP Server".

Alternatively, if your configuration includes the embedded PL/SQL gateway, you need to enable the Oracle XML DB HTTP Server. See "Enable Oracle XML DB HTTP Server".

4.2.1 Start Oracle HTTP Server

To start Oracle HTTP Server shipped with Oracle Database 10 g release 1 (10.1) or later, enter commands using the following syntax, where ORACLE_BASE is the path to the Oracle base directory: 

                                       
ORACLE_BASE\
                                      
ORACLE_HTTPSERVER_HOME\opmn\bin\opmnctl startproc ias-component=HTTP_Server

Note that if the Oracle HTTP Server is listening on a port less than 1024, then these commands must be executed as a privileged user (such as root).

4.2.2 Enable Oracle XML DB HTTP Server

Once disabled, you enable embedded PL/SQL gateway by assigning a port number.

To enable Oracle XML DB HTTP server:

  1. Start SQL*Plus and connect to the database where Oracle Application Express is installed as SYS. For example:

    • Windows:

                                                     
DRIVE_LETTER:\> sqlplus /nolog
SQL> SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                              
SYS_password

    • UNIX and Linux:

      $ sqlplus /nolog
SQL> SQL> CONNECT SYS as SYSDBA
Enter password:  
                                              
SYS_password

  2. Run the following statements:

    EXEC DBMS_XDB.SETHTTPPORT(
                                          
port);
COMMIT;

    For example:

    EXEC DBMS_XDB.SETHTTPPORT(8080);
COMMIT;

Note:

Port numbers less than 1024 are reserved for use by privileged processes on many operating systems. To enable the XML DB HTTP listener on a port less than 1024, such as 80, review the following documentation:

4.3 Patching Oracle Application Express After Translating Languages

It is safe to apply the Oracle Application Express 3.1.2.00.02 patch set repeatedly to an Application Express 3.1 instance. If you load additional translated versions of Oracle Application Express after applying this patch, you should apply the entire patch set again.

5 Fixed Bugs

The following table is a list of the bugs fixed with in this patch set.

Table 1 Bugs Fixed in the Oracle Application Express 3.1.2.00.02 Patch Set

Bug Number Description

6360779

ORA-29262 Bad URL When Using Drag And Drop With Non-ASCII characters

6847483

Invalid reference to apex_ie_apex_3_1.css

6864252

Interactive report CSV download produces SSP checksum error

6871863

Interactive Report Theme 20 - Highlight cell does not show background color

6871948

JavaScript error being raised on calender attributes page

6872389

HTTP-404 and broken images when accessing uploaded files

6875685

Interactive Report - Import fails with computations

6875729

Import of multiple report queries produces inconsistent or no data in output

6883366

Substitution strings are not always replaced in interactive reports

6883403

Unique constraint error when creating highlight in interactive report

6883430

Interactive report queries fail when column aliases are Oracle reserved words

6886638

BLOB support in reports, problem when including multiple BLOBS

6887033

Error messages are suppressed in some cases while using an OnDemand process

6890516

Interactive Report - Creating <= Filter via Link results in >=

6890781

Using Go button on interactive report does not reset pagination

6895046

End user change password page is broken in translated applications

6902508

Reordering Region Items - Change of COLSPAN causes JavaScript error to display

6902574

ORA-06502 Character string buffer too small for translated messages

6903538

Interactive report drop down fails when values contain trailing backslash ( \)

6903974

APEX_ITEM.DATE_POPUP returns all values to row 1

6905263

Object Browser - Create 'Package With Methods On Tables' Not Creating Package

6912467

Cannot set chart type using interactive reports in Safari

6912658

Create SQL Report with Search region that does not set Label template and display rows

6916399

Checkboxes in some cases have the same DOM ID

6919421

PDF Report is corrupted when application name has a special character

6929895

Border problem with new Theme 20 - Modern Blue

6930135

Charts in interactive reports fail when username is changed

6941194

JavaScript error In Internet Explorer on some popup LOV types

6952089

APEX_APPLICATION_TEMP_REPORT view missing primary key

6953214

Translatable text report does not respect language selection

6953420

Interactive report filter on CLOB column raises JavaScript error

6953499

Report format not respect for columns of data type BINARY_DOUBLE

6956070

ORA-06502 When creating report region with SQL Query larger than 1700 characters

6956469

Interactive Report - Changing tab with filter create dialog open causes error

6963877

RESET_IMAGE_PREFIX SCRIPT not clearing cache for cached page regions

6964243

APEX_MAIL.SEND with CLOB type body fails

6965231

Page Icons not displayed in applications generated via migration projects

6968973

Developer Activity Log (Audit Trail) truncated to Past 31 days

6968988

No Page ID in URL causes deep link and other info to get lost

6968995

Duplicate page submission show link feature no longer works

6970008

Interactive report compute feature raises error for queries using #OWNER#

6970151

Create SQL Report with search region does not reset pagination on reset

6970151

Create SQL Report with Search region that does not reset pagination on reset

6973197

Interactive report charts do not load for some combinations of values and format masks

6976538

Fieldset as containers of popup LOVs items does not render correctly

6979561

Download filename not preserved when converting interactive reports

6980200

HTTP-404 ORA-06502 When PL/SQL dynamic content greater than 4000 characters

6987070

Hidden and protected item checksum error when item contains special characters

6988690

Unique constraint error thrown during creation of migration project

6998669

Link columns not included in report exports (CSV and Print)

6999393

Master Detail Wizard creates processes with incorrect sequence

7001615

Interactive report help not translated for custom translations

7010171

Application export files inconsistent even when no changes made to application

7013435

MRU process in Create Application Wizard-generated master detail not working correctly

7016267

3 page Master Detail should not allow edit of Foreign Key Field on Detail Page

7021151

Runtime WHERE clause in row fetch process with CLOB causes SQL syntax error

7031752

Lossy conversion error reported by CSSCAN on package body WWV_MIG_ACC_LOAD

7043109

Oracle Application Express Dictionary views hierarchy is incorrect

7118631

Error when using Globalization attribute Application Date Format and Date Format As Dd-Mon-Yyyy Hh:Mipm

7120472

Oracle Application Express views APEX_APPLICATION_SUPP_OBJ_CHCK missing Key column

7134251

Password fields not emitted with XHTML

7140436

Slow response time generating PDF report through BI Publisher

7143552

Object Browser, Table Data Tab - CLOB value set to null when updating data

7151268

Substitution of variable into Web Service does not work with Security SOAP header

7156139

ORA-06502 Downloading Interactive Report with format mask after 3.1.1 Patch Set

7174110

ORA-01790 Error when parsing tables not in default schema

7185109

Analysis pages link missing from report and form created using Create Application Wizard

7185486

Search Field missing from Create Application Wizard, generated Classic Report page

7189600

Interactive Report query longer than 8000 characters gets truncated

7194820

2D stacked chart labels change after upgrade to 3.1.1

7195169

CSV Report export contain DIV tags in first column

7226874

Calendar created with language fr-ca does not display

7226918

Calendar Wizard does not remove or escape characters

7227425

Create Item Wizard, PL/SQL source not used

7230701

Labels in 2D Line chart do not show when the value is NULL

7241977

ORA-06512 When running shared component report query in 3.1.1 on Oracle Database 9.2.0.8

7255458

Runtime_Where_Clause Process attribute not copied into translated applications

7273965

Standard tabs fail with zero Session ID feature on public pages

7279160

SQL statements used for report queries limited to 4K characters

7286162

Installing application as Run Only prevents installation of supporting objects

7287918

HTTP 404 and broken images when accessing workspace images

7298321

in Access migrations, count of invalid tables incorrect when all tables valid

7298389

Zero Session ID requests cause unnecessary redirect

7300673

Day Link URL disappears when updating the calendar attributes

7313877

When using print urls as target for list items, no offset applied during export

6 Other Issues and Changes

This section describes other changes included in Oracle Application Express that are not documented elsewhere.

This section contains the following topics:

6.1 Secure Session Cookies

Most Oracle Application Express applications that require some form of user authentication use the "login API", specifically procedures in the PL/SQL package WWV_FLOW_CUSTOM_AUTH_STD. These procedures employ a session cookie as a key component of the authentication and session management framework. The Oracle Application Express engine sends this cookie to the user's browser immediately after authentication and then checks for the existence of this cookie and checks its validity as it handles each page request throughout the life of the session. Any application that calls the package WWV_FLOW_CUSTOM_AUTH_STD to perform login or logout actions falls into this category.

Prior to Oracle Application Express release 3.1.1, these session cookies would be sent using the OWA_COOKIE.SEND procedure using the default value ( NULL) for the secure parameter. This would enable these cookies to be sent back and forth regardless of the protocol (http or https) in use.

In Oracle Application Express 3.1.1, the use of the "secure" parameter can be demanded by the application developer. This causes a non-null value for "secure" to be passed to OWA_COOKIE.SEND resulting in cookies being transmitted only when the current request protocol is https.

To use this feature, developers must pass p_use_secure_cookie => true to the key procedures in the Oracle Application Express login API (that is, the WWV_FLOW_CUSTOM_AUTH_STD PACKAGE). This includes procedures login, post_login, and logout. Most applications will already have calls to these procedures in the login process on the login page of an application (to the login procedure), in the authentication scheme's logout URL attribute (to the logout procedure), and in variously situated calls to the post_login procedure in custom implementations.

This new feature enables developers to enhance the security of their applications.

7 Documentation Accessibility

Our goal is to make Oracle products, services, and supporting documentation accessible, with good usability, to the disabled community. To that end, our documentation includes features that make information available to users of assistive technology. This documentation is available in HTML format, and contains markup to facilitate access by the disabled community. Accessibility standards will continue to evolve over time, and Oracle is actively engaged with other market-leading technology vendors to address technical obstacles so that our documentation can be accessible to all of our customers. For more information, visit the Oracle Accessibility Program Web site at

http://www.oracle.com/accessibility/

Accessibility of Code Examples in Documentation

Screen readers may not always correctly read the code examples in this document. The conventions for writing code require that closing braces should appear on an otherwise empty line; however, some screen readers may not always read a line of text that consists solely of a bracket or brace.

Accessibility of Links to External Web Sites in Documentation

This documentation may contain links to Web sites of other companies or organizations that Oracle does not own or control. Oracle neither evaluates nor makes any representations regarding the accessibility of these Web sites.

TTY Access to Oracle Support Services

Oracle provides dedicated Text Telephone (TTY) access to Oracle Support Services within the United States of America 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For TTY support, call 800.446.2398.

Oracle Database Application Express Patch Set Notes, Release 3.1.2.00.02

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