Oracle9iAS Portal Developer Kit

Preference names and paths

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The wwwpre_api_name package provides the methods necessary to create a naming system for storing user-specified application preferences. These preference values can be stored at different levels: user, group, and system-wide. They can also be of different data types for the same name: varchar2, date, number, and string.

The naming system consists of a preference path and a preference name. The preference path denotes hierarchy, for example:

ORACLE

TOOLS

PORTAL

PAGE

Each preference name is created with a type parameter. Use preference type to categorize the names that fit within the type definition. For example: a type of COLOR can be used to categorize the preference names PAGECOLOR and BANNERCOLOR.

Creating paths

When creating paths and names, create a path first, then create names under the path. Once created, paths and names can be deleted, but they cannot be modified.

Example: If the path ORACLE.TOOLS.PORTAL.STYLE exists, and if a call is made to create the path ORACLE.TOOLS.PORTAL.PAGE, only the name PAGE is created.

Deleting paths

Deleting a name from a preference path deletes all values associated with the name and all subordinate names and values. Deleting a preference path deletes all names and values associated with the path. You can delete partial paths. The last name in a specified path is the name that is deleted.

Examples:

  • If PORTAL is deleted from the path, all names and values associated with or subordinate to PORTAL and STYLE are deleted. The path becomes ORACLE.TOOLS.

  • If ORACLE is deleted, the entire path and all names and values associated with this path are deleted.

Notes:

  • Names in a preference path must be delimited by a period (.)

  • No preference path name may exceed 255 characters.

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The PL/SQL API Reference is part of the Portal Developer Kit on Portal Studio