Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!ncrlnk!usglnk!usperb!daved
From: daved@usperb.Dayton.NCR.COM (Dave Dresselhouse)
Newsgroups: comp.databases
Subject: Re: ORACLE documentation
Keywords: ORACLE SQL*Forms
Message-ID: <463@usperb.Dayton.NCR.COM>
Date: 15 Dec 89 12:52:29 GMT
References: <280@csnz.co.nz>
Reply-To: daved@usperb.Dayton.NCR.COM (Dave Dresselhouse)
Organization: NCR Corp. U.S. Group - Personnel Resources
Lines: 34
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In article <280@csnz.co.nz> paul@csnz.co.nz (Paul Gillingwater) writes:
>	I don't have access to any Oracle documentation, but have
>been using Oracle SQL*Forms on a course.
>When working with SQL*Forms, it seems that there are many powerful
>things one can do with triggers, etc, in fields and blocks.
>My question is, what happens during software maintenance time?
>How does a new programmer obtain print-outs of all of the 
>triggers and form structures in order to understand what the
>previous programmer has done?  Is this possible, or do they
>have to use the menus to explore every single field?
>
You're right, SQL*Forms does give the developer some very powerful capabilities
in the form of field, block and form triggers. I also agree with your
observation that ORACLE does not provide an adequate tool for the documentation
of triggers used in a SQL*Forms application. Using SQL*Forms itself to inspect
the form is not an acceptable solution.
Over the course of time, many ORACLE users have developed schemes to document
their forms, with most of these relying on the use of the ORACLE "IAP" tables
(where SQL*Forms stores the form definition when you specify FILE - SAVE upon
exiting SQL*Forms). These tables ("IAPxxxx"), contain all of the attributes
for the form, at various levels (Form, Block and Field). What most users do
is write an "RPT" (SQL*Report?) program to process these tables, and print out
nicely formatted documentation. I tried to write one of these, got it about
90% complete and gave up. Most ORACLE User Groups have collections of utilities
like these that their members have developed - so you might try contacting a
local ORACLE group. I have one of these RPT programs from the Mid Atlantic 
User Group, but I haven't tested it.
If you can't find one of these locally, E-mail me, and I'll see if I can get
a copy to you.
*
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Dave Dresselhouse, NCR Corporation, Dayton, Ohio
E-mail: dave.dresselhouse@dayton.NCR.COM
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