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Working with Oracle Web Publishing Assistant

This chapter discusses how to use Oracle Web Publishing Assistant.

Specific topics discussed are:

Before You Start

Before you begin using Oracle Web Publishing Assistant, consider:

Issue	To implement...
Enlarge the event queue log file size if: you have more than 10 web page queries in the listing you update 10 more web page queries a day	From the taskbar, choose Start > Programs > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer. Choose Log Settings from the Log menu. The Event Log Settings screen appears. Select the Application log type from the Change Settings drop-down list box. Set the Maximum log size to 30016 Kilobytes (K). Set Event Log Wrapping to Overwrite events older than 7 days.
The limit of queries stored in the Oracle Web Publishing Assistant repository is 65535 queries.	This limit is inherent in the software. You cannot change this limit.
The maximum characters per column returned from the database is 4000 characters.	This limit is inherent in the software. You cannot change this limit.
Use domain shared or Oracle OPS$ accounts	From the taskbar, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel. Double-click Services. Double-click the service OracleWebAssistant from the listing. The Service dialog box appears. Select This Account. Enter your (domain) user account in the This Account field, or alternatively, click "..." to select your account. Enter your (domain) user password, and confirm. Click OK to dismiss the dialog box, and save your changes. Select OracleWebAssistant from the service listing, and click Stop. Click Start to start the service and use the new account. Click Close to close the control panel.
Determine how you want the web page to look, before entering a query to create a web page. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant provides you with sample templates that you can use (ORANT\OWAST\SAMPLES\*.HTX), or you can create your own template using any HTML editor.	See Chapter 2, "Designing Templates".

Creating New Web Page Queries

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant merges the results of your database query with an HTML template (use the default template provided with the product or a template that you design). The result is a web page query.

To create a new web page query:

From the taskbar, choose Start > Programs > Oracle for Windows NT > Oracle Web Publishing Assistant.

The Oracle Web Publishing Assistant Welcome screen appears:

The first time you run Oracle Web Publishing Assistant, a Create Web Page button appears. This button will not appear in subsequent uses of Oracle Web Publishing Assistant if you have web page queries scheduled.

The next time you want to create a new web page query, click New in the toolbar to launch the Create Web Page Wizard.

If you do not want the welcome screen to appear the next time you start the Oracle Web Publishing Assistant, clear the check box on the bottom of the welcome screen.

Click Create Web Page.

The Create Web Page Wizard (Step 1 of 4) screen appears.

Enter database login information, and click Next:

Field Enter

User Name

A valid user name for the database you want to access.

Password

The password for the account.

Database

The Net8 service name or database alias of the database you want to connect to. Leave the field blank if you want to connect to a local database.

Field	Enter
User Name	A valid user name for the database you want to access.
Password	The password for the account.
Database	The Net8 service name or database alias of the database you want to connect to. Leave the field blank if you want to connect to a local database.

The next screen, Create Web Page Wizard (Step 2 of 4) appears.

Select a method for creating a query, and click Next after building or entering your query statement:

Query Method	Description
Build a query from a database hierarchy.	You can view the structure of the database, and select a table, view, synonym, or multiple columns of an object. Further customize your query by clicking Specify Additional Query Criteria. Provide additional criteria such as WHERE or ORDER BY clauses.
Enter a query as a SQL statement.	Enter the SQL `SELECT' statement in the field provided. You can also import a SQL statement from a text file by clicking the Import SQL From Text File button.

Query Method

Description

Build a query from a database hierarchy.

You can view the structure of the database, and select a table, view, synonym, or multiple columns of an object.

Further customize your query by clicking Specify Additional Query Criteria. Provide additional criteria such as WHERE or ORDER BY clauses.

Enter a query as a SQL statement.

Enter the SQL `SELECT' statement in the field provided.

You can also import a SQL statement from a text file by clicking the Import SQL From Text File button.

The next screen, Create Web Page Wizard (Step 3 of 4) appears.

Select a scheduling option, and click Next.

Scheduling Option	Description
Immediately	Oracle Web Publishing Assistant immediately generates your web page. To view the page, open the file in your web browser. The default directory for generated pages is ORANT\OWAST, where ORANT is your Oracle home directory and \OWAST is the Oracle Web Publishing Assistant directory. The file will not be included in the file listing.
Once	Select the specific date and time of the day within the next 31 days to create your web page. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant will create the web page once at the time and day you specified. You can select only one day and time. You cannot specify multiple create sessions with this scheduling option.
On Day(s) of the Week	Select the day or days of the week to create your web page. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant will automatically create the web page on that day (or those days) and time, every week. You can choose any number of days and one time for that day. For example, you can choose to have your web page created at 2:00 P.M. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week.
On Date(s) of the Month	Select the date or dates of the month you want Oracle Web Publishing Assistant to create your web page. You can select any number of dates and one time of day to create your web page. For example, you can choose to have your web page created at 7:00 A.M. every 1st and 15th of every month.
At Regular Intervals	Specify the time intervals at which Oracle Web Publishing Assistant should create your web page. You can specify the time interval (minutes, hours, or days) between web page builds. For example, you can choose to have your web page created every 5 minutes, every 36 hours or every 31 days. The maximum time interval is 744 hours (31 days).
When Data Changes	Automatically updates your web page whenever the relevant data in the database is modified. You can only use this scheduling option when you select a table from the database hierarchy to build your query.
Manually	Your web page is generated whenever you decide to generate it. After creating the web page query with the Create Web Page wizard, select the file from the listing, and click Generate.

Scheduling Option

Description

Immediately

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant immediately generates your web page.

To view the page, open the file in your web browser. The default directory for generated pages is ORANT\OWAST, where ORANT is your Oracle home directory and \OWAST is the Oracle Web Publishing Assistant directory. The file will not be included in the file listing.

Once

Select the specific date and time of the day within the next 31 days to create your web page. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant will create the web page once at the time and day you specified. You can select only one day and time. You cannot specify multiple create sessions with this scheduling option.

On Day(s) of the Week

Select the day or days of the week to create your web page. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant will automatically create the web page on that day (or those days) and time, every week. You can choose any number of days and one time for that day. For example, you can choose to have your web page created at 2:00 P.M. every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of every week.

On Date(s) of the Month

Select the date or dates of the month you want Oracle Web Publishing Assistant to create your web page. You can select any number of dates and one time of day to create your web page. For example, you can choose to have your web page created at 7:00 A.M. every 1st and 15th of every month.

At Regular Intervals

Specify the time intervals at which Oracle Web Publishing Assistant should create your web page. You can specify the time interval (minutes, hours, or days) between web page builds. For example, you can choose to have your web page created every 5 minutes, every 36 hours or every 31 days. The maximum time interval is 744 hours (31 days).

When Data Changes

Automatically updates your web page whenever the relevant data in the database is modified. You can only use this scheduling option when you select a table from the database hierarchy to build your query.

Manually

Your web page is generated whenever you decide to generate it. After creating the web page query with the Create Web Page wizard, select the file from the listing, and click Generate.

The next screen Create Web Page Wizard - Step 4 of 4 appears:

Enter the file name of the web page you want to create, or click Browse to search for a location of an existing file name.

If the file is located on a network drive, use the Universal Naming Convention (UNC) name instead of the network drive letter. For example:

Use Instead of

\\servername\filename.htm

F:\filename.htm

Use	Instead of
\\servername\filename.htm	F:\filename.htm

In addition, ensure that the OracleWebAssistant service is running under the user account with access to the network drive.

From the taskbar, choose Start > Settings > Control Panel.
Double-click Services.
Double-click OracleWebAssistant.
This account should be set to the user account with access to the network drive.

Specify whether you want Oracle Web Publishing Assistant to use a default template or a template file that you have already created. Browse to locate the file, or enter the file name in the field. Click Finish.

The Summary Screen appears.
Click OK to dismiss the screen.

All web pages, except those scheduled to be created Manually, are automatically generated at this time. If you specified a scheduling option for some time in the future, your web page will also be regenerated at that scheduled time.

Continue to the next section "Administering Web Page Queries" to learn how to modify and maintain your web page queries.

Administering Web Page Queries

Using Oracle Web Publishing Assistant, you can perform administrative tasks on your web page queries, such as changing the resulting web page formatting, modifying the query syntax, and scheduling updates. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant provides an easy-to-use, graphical interface for you to administer your web page queries. The menu and toolbar are briefly described in the section "Before You Start".

Once you have created and scheduled your web page queries, the (web page query) files appear in the file listing of the Oracle Web Publishing Assistant. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant enables you to maintain your web pages graphically.

This section describes the following administrative tasks:

Previewing a Scheduled Web Page Query

To preview a web page query:

Double-click the web page query file name from the listing.

Alternatively, select the file name from the listing, and click Preview on the toolbar. You can also choose Preview from the Web Page menu, or using the right mouse button, right-click on the file name. Choose Preview from the pop-up menu.

Due to the asynchronous processing model used by Oracle Web Publishing Assistant, it is possible that your scheduled web page query will not yet have been generated at the time you request to preview it. If it has not yet been generated, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant asks if you want to generate it now.

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches your web browser, if you have associated your web browser with the web page query file type.

Generating Web Page Queries

To generate scheduled web pages:

Select the web page query file name from the listing.

Click Generate on the toolbar, or from the Web Page menu, choose Generate.

Alternatively, using the right mouse button, right-click the file name. Choose Generate from the pop-up menu.

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant generates the web page immediately and refreshes the listing automatically.
Double-click the web page query file name in the listing to view.

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches your web browser.

Deleting Scheduled Web Page Queries

To delete a scheduled web page:

Select the web page query file name to be deleted from the listing.

Click Delete on the toolbar, or from the Web Page menu, choose Delete.

Alternatively, using the right mouse button, right-click on the file name. From the pop-up menu, choose Delete.

Deleting the web page query file name in this way does not delete the related .HTX or .HTM files.

Properties of Web Page Queries

View properties of web page queries to review and modify the settings used to create the page.

To view and modify the properties of the web page queries:

Select the web page query file name from the listing.

Click Properties on the toolbar, or choose Properties from the Web Page menu.

Alternatively, using the right mouse button, right-click the file name. Choose Properties from the pop-up menu.

The Properties screen appears.
Click the tabs to see the properties:

Tab Description

Login

Shows the User Name, Password (encrypted), and Database (service name or database alias) used to connect to a database.
You can edit any field. Click Apply or OK to save your changes.

Query

Shows the SQL statement used to query the database.
You can edit the query syntax from within this window:

Click Apply or OK after you edit the query.

The Modify Template dialog box appears.

Select an option, and click OK.

If you decide to edit your current template, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant automatically launches the default editor application for template files.

Edit the current template if necessary.

Click OK to close the Properties screen.

You cannot change the query if your scheduling option is When Data Changes. If your scheduling option is When Data Changes, and you wish to change your query, then you need to modify your scheduling option before you modify your query.

Scheduling

Shows the scheduling option details you specified while creating the web page query.
You can change your scheduling option. Unless your original query was scheduled as When Data Changes, that scheduling option will not appear as a choice in this tab.

File Options

Shows the web page query file name and full path. Shows the location of the template used to create the web page.
You can edit the template from this screen:

Click Edit.

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches the program associated with editing HTX files. If you do not have a program associated with HTX files, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches NOTEPAD.

Edit the template, and save.

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant uses the revised template for the next scheduled or the next requested web page generation.

The Query ID field displays a number that can be used when troubleshooting Oracle Web Publishing Assistant. See Appendix B, "Troubleshooting" for more information.

Tab	Description
Login	Shows the User Name, Password (encrypted), and Database (service name or database alias) used to connect to a database. You can edit any field. Click Apply or OK to save your changes.
Query	Shows the SQL statement used to query the database. You can edit the query syntax from within this window: Click Apply or OK after you edit the query. The Modify Template dialog box appears. Select an option, and click OK. If you decide to edit your current template, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant automatically launches the default editor application for template files. Edit the current template if necessary. Click OK to close the Properties screen. You cannot change the query if your scheduling option is When Data Changes. If your scheduling option is When Data Changes, and you wish to change your query, then you need to modify your scheduling option before you modify your query.
Scheduling	Shows the scheduling option details you specified while creating the web page query. You can change your scheduling option. Unless your original query was scheduled as When Data Changes, that scheduling option will not appear as a choice in this tab.
File Options	Shows the web page query file name and full path. Shows the location of the template used to create the web page. You can edit the template from this screen: Click Edit. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches the program associated with editing HTX files. If you do not have a program associated with HTX files, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches NOTEPAD. Edit the template, and save. Oracle Web Publishing Assistant uses the revised template for the next scheduled or the next requested web page generation. The Query ID field displays a number that can be used when troubleshooting Oracle Web Publishing Assistant. See Appendix B, "Troubleshooting" for more information.

Refreshing the Listing of Web Page Queries

Refreshing is automatic in this release of Oracle Web Publishing Assistant. If you want to refresh immediately, choose Refresh from the View menu.

Editing Templates

You can edit templates from within the Properties screen or by opening the template file using your HTML editor.

To edit the template from within the Properties screen:

Select the web page query file name from the listing.

Click Properties on the toolbar, or from the Web Page menu, choose Properties.

Alternatively, using the right mouse button, right-click the file name. From the pop-up menu, choose Properties.
Click the File Options tab.

This tab shows where your web page query is stored (file name and full path), and it shows which template you used to create the query.
Click Edit.

The template is opened with the program associated with that file type, or if there is no program associated, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant launches NOTEPAD.
Edit the template.
Save the file.

Oracle Web Publishing Assistant uses the revised template file for the next scheduled or next requested web page generation.

Editing Query Syntax

To change your query:

Select the web page file name from the listing.

Click Properties on the toolbar, or from the Web Page menu, choose Properties.

Alternatively, using the right mouse button, right-click the file name. From the pop-up menu, choose Properties.
Click the Query tab.
Edit the SQL statement in the field.
Click Apply or OK.

The Modify Template dialog box appears.
Select an option, and click OK.

If you decide to edit your current template, Oracle Web Publishing Assistant automatically launches the default editor application for template files.
Edit the current template if necessary.
Click OK to close the Properties screen.

3 Working with Oracle Web Publishing Assistant