Oracle Forms

Oracle Forms

Developer(s)	Oracle
Initial release	1979 (1979)
Stable release	14.1.2.0 / December 20, 2024 (2024-12-20)

Oracle Forms is a software product for creating screens that interact with an Oracle database. It has an IDE that includes an object navigator, property sheet, and code editor that uses PL/SQL. It was originally developed to run server-side in character-mode terminal sessions. It was ported to other platforms, including Windows, to function in a client–server environment. Later versions were ported to Java where it runs in a Java EE container and can integrate with Java, and web services that can be launched from a URL. Recent versions provide a means to run the forms from a desktop computer without requiring a browser.

The primary focus of Forms is to create data entry systems that access an Oracle database.

How it works

Oracle Forms accesses the Oracle database and generates a screen that presents the data. The source form (*.fmb) is compiled into a platform-specific "executable" (*.fmx), that is run (interpreted) by the forms runtime module. The form is used to view and edit data in database-driven applications. Various GUI elements, such as buttons, menus, scrollbars, and graphics can be placed on the form. Source code may also be placed in library files (*.pll) which are compiled into library executables (*.plx) used at runtime.

The environment supplies built-in record creation, query, and update modes, each with its own default data manipulations. This minimizes the need to program common, and tedious operations, such as creating dynamic SQL, sensing changed fields, and locking rows.

As is normal with event driven interfaces, the software implements event-handling functions called triggers which are automatically invoked at critical steps in the processing of records, the receipt of keyboard strokes, and the receipt of mouse movements. Different triggers may be called before, during, and after each critical step.

Each trigger function is initially a stub, containing a default action or nothing. Programming Oracle Forms therefore generally consists of modifying the contents of these triggers in order to alter the default behavior. Some triggers, if provided by the programmer, replace the default action while others augment it.

As a result of this strategy, it is possible to create a number of default form layouts which possess complete database functionality yet contain no programmer-written code at all.

Oracle Designer

Oracle Designer was a Computer aided software engineering (CASE) tool that was sold by Oracle. It was able to generate various software modules including Oracle Forms and Oracle Reports. The last release of Oracle Designer was in 2010 and it has since been discontinued.

Current status

Whilst Oracle's preferred approach for new development is its Java based Oracle Application Development Framework or Oracle Application Express, Oracle's development tools statement of direction is quite clear in its commitment to continuing to support Oracle Forms and continue to develop and enhance it in the following areas:

• Making the upgrade to the web and to new releases as smooth as possible
• Allowing Forms and Reports applications to take full advantage of the application server services and inter-operate with Java EE applications.
• Integrating modern mobile solutions by exposing data through other technologies like Oracle Visual Builder (Cloud) or Oracle APEX (DB) without abandon their current Oracle Forms investment.

As of January 2025, according to the Oracle Lifetime Support Policy, Premier Support for Fusion Middleware 14c (14.1.x), which includes the current version of Oracle Forms, is scheduled to conclude in December 2029. Extended Support will subsequently be available, with an end date set for December 2032. Additionally, while migration from Oracle Forms to Oracle APEX is possible within the Oracle ecosystem, as both technologies are based on Oracle Database, it is not an automatic process. Transitioning to APEX requires planning, redevelopment, and adaptation to APEX’s architecture and functionalities.

External links

• Official Oracle Forms Home
• Statement of Direction (March 2012)
• Oracle FORMS FAQ
• Live Demo Server with version 12.2.1.3