Colorize/uncolorize items for Enter-query/Execute-query actions

It is a good idea, in an Oracle Forms application, to put a particular color on items when the user toggle to the Enter-Query mode.

Here are 2 PL/SQL generic procedures you can put into your own PL/SQL library to do the job.

You only need to create two visual attributes (VA_QUERY for the Query mode and VA_CURRENT_RECORD form the normal mode in this sample) with a BACKGROUND_COLOR set

The procedure that colorize the items in the ENTER-QUERY mode:

PROCEDURE Start_query IS
  LC$Block    Varchar2(30) := Name_in('system.trigger_block') ;
  LC$item     varchar2(60);
  LC$itemdeb  varchar2(60);
  LN$len      pls_integer ;
  -- Procedure Start_query
  --
  -------------------------------------------
  --  Colorize items in ENTER-QUERY  mode  --
  -------------------------------------------
  -- 
BEGIN

  -- get the first item of the block --
  LC$itemdeb := Get_Block_Property(LC$BLOCK, FIRST_ITEM) ;
  LC$item := LC$BLOCK || '.' || LC$itemdeb ;
 
  -- For every item of the current block --
  While LC$itemdeb is not null Loop

    IF Get_Item_Property(LC$Item , ITEM_TYPE) NOT IN ('BUTTON','RADIO GROUP','DISPLAY ITEM') Then
     
       IF Get_Item_Property(LC$Item , QUERYABLE ) = 'TRUE' Then
          Set_Item_Property(LC$item, CURRENT_RECORD_ATTRIBUTE, 'VA_QUERY');
       End if ;
   
    End if ;

    -- next item --
    LC$itemdeb := Get_Item_Property( LC$item, NEXT_NAVIGATION_ITEM );
    LC$item := LC$BLOCK || '.' || LC$itemdeb ;

  End loop ;
 
END;

You can call it in a KEY-ENTQUERY trigger:

BEGIN
    Start_query;
    Enter_query;
END;


The procedure that un-colorize the items after the EXECUTE_QUERY:


PROCEDURE End_query IS
  -- Procedure End_query
  --
  ------------------------------------------
  --  Colorize items after EXECUTE-QUERY  --
  ------------------------------------------
  -- 
  LC$Block     Varchar2(30) := Name_in('system.trigger_block') ;
  LC$item      Varchar2(60);
  LC$itemdeb   Varchar2(60);
  LN$Multi     Pls_integer ;
 
BEGIN

  -- get the first item of the current block --
  LC$itemdeb := Get_Block_Property(LC$BLOCK, FIRST_ITEM) ;
  LC$item := LC$BLOCK || '.' || LC$itemdeb ;
 
  LN$Multi := Get_Block_Property(LC$Block , RECORDS_DISPLAYED ) ;
 
  -- For every item of the current block --
  While LC$itemdeb is not null Loop

    If Get_Item_Property(LC$Item , ITEM_TYPE) NOT IN ('BUTTON','RADIO GROUP','DISPLAY ITEM') Then
     
        If Get_Item_Property(LC$Item , QUERYABLE ) = 'TRUE' Then
           If LN$Multi > 1 Then
              Set_Item_Property(LC$item, CURRENT_RECORD_ATTRIBUTE, 'VA_CURRENT_RECORD');
           Else
              Set_Item_Property(LC$item, CURRENT_RECORD_ATTRIBUTE, '');
           End if ;
        End if ;
   
    End if ;

    -- next item --
    LC$itemdeb := Get_Item_Property( LC$item, NEXT_NAVIGATION_ITEM );
    LC$item := LC$BLOCK || '.' || LC$itemdeb ;

  End loop ;
 
END;

You can call it in a KEY-EXEQRY trigger:

BEGIN
    Execute_query ;
    If :System.Mode <> 'ENTER-QUERY' Then
      End_query;
    End if ;
END;

And also in a KEY-EXIT trigger:

BEGIN
   If :System.Mode = 'ENTER-QUERY' Then
      End_query;
   End if ;
   Exit_form ;
END;