Setup Oracle EBS App R12 for Forms Record and Playback

Oracle Forms supports record and playback feature. This feature is available in every version of Oracle Forms. When you run Oracle Forms in record mode. Oracle Forms Records every keystroke and mouse clicks and writes everything in a file specified by you. When you want to repeat the recorded activity in another system run the Oracle Forms in Playback mode specifying the file and the forms will do whatever is specified in the file.

For Example if you enter a Purchase Order in order entry system while in record mode. If you want to re-enter this purchase order in another system, just playback that file in another system and then that purchase order is loaded into second system.

The following steps shows how to enable record and playback feature in Oracle Forms.

Step 1:-

(You will need the help of APPS DBA or SYSADMIN for performing this step)

Create two user accounts in Oracle Apps and grant the desired responsibilities. Both the users should have the same responsibilities.

REC_USER : For Recording
PLAY_USER: For Playback

To create user accounts login as sysadmin and navigate to System Administrator / Security / Users / Define

After creating the REC_USER, create another user account PLAY_USER as shown below

Step 2:-

(You will need the help of APPS DBA or SYSADMIN for performing this step)

Next, you have to edit the ICX:Forms Launcher Profile setting. To do this login as Sysadmin and navigate to /Profiles/System menu and then select the profile ICX:Forms Launcher and username REC_USER and click Find as shown in the screenshot below

Then you will get a window showing this profile setting at Site Level, Responsibility Level, Application Level and User Level. The Site Level Profile option will already contain a value which is used to launch forms. Now to turn on recording at user level copy this value from Site Level Profile option to User Level profile option and append the "record=" option at the end of the value as shown below

If Forms Server is running in Unix:

Before Edit:

http://host.domainname:port/forms/frmservlet

After Edit

http://host.domainname:port/forms/frmservlet?record=myrec.fdl%20play=dummy.fdl

This will make forms record all the keystrokes in the file "myrec.fdl" in the default location {$INST_TOP/logs/ora/[FORMS Version Number]/forms} directory. For example if the mount point of APPS_TIER is /u02/applmgr then the recorded files will be located in the following directory

/u02/applmgr/PROD/inst/apps/PROD_[hostname]/logs/ora/10.1.2/forms

Note: In R12 we have to specify the play=dummy.fdl option otherwise Oracle Forms will not record any data

Next edit the ICX:Forms Launcher Profile setting for PLAY_USER. To do this login as Sysadmin and navigate to /Profiles/System menu and then select the profile ICX:Forms Launcher and username PLAY_USER and click OK as shown in the screenshot below

Then you will get a window showing this profile setting at Site Level, Responsibility Level, Application Level and User Level. The Site Level Profile option will already contain a value which is used to launch forms. Now to turn on playback at user level copy this value from Site Level Profile option to User Level profile option and append the "record=playrec.fdl%20play=play.fdl" option at the end of the value as shown below

Before Edit:

http://host.domainname:port/forms/frmservlet

After Edit

http://host.domainname:port/forms/frmservlet?record=playrec.fdl%20play=play.fdl

In the above Oracle will play the file "play.fdl" and record the log of playback in file "playrec.fdl". This "playrec.fdl" file can be viewed to view the outcome of playback load later on.

Now whenever user REC_USER logons to oracle apps, oracle forms will record all keystrokes and mouse clicks in file myrec.fdl

Step 3:-

(You will need the help of APPS DBA or SYSADMIN for performing this step)

Create dummy.fdl file (required in R12 only, not required in 11.5.10 or 11.5.9)

Go to {$INST_TOP/logs/ora/[FORMS Version Number]/forms} directory and write the following line

WINDOW FNDSCSGN SIGNON_WINDOW ACTIVATE 1

For example if the mount point of APPS_TIER is /u02/applmgr then

$cd /u02/applmgr/PROD/inst/apps/PROD_[hostname]/logs/ora/10.1.2/forms

$vi dummy.fdl

and save the file.

Step 4:-

In a windows client and login as REC_USER and open the required form and enter at least 2 sample records please follow the given guidelines while recording

Guidelines for Recording Loads.

• Please enter at least 2 similar records. i.e. enter the data in same number of fields in the same order in both the records.
  • If you have entered data in 10 fields in first sample record then enter data for 10 fields in second sample record also. Do not skip fields and do not use extra fields while entering second record.
  • Do not use different ways to select check boxes or radio boxes. If you have used mouse to select a value for a check box or radio box field then use mouse to select the same check box or radio box field in second record. If you have used keyboard then use keyboard to select check box or radio box fields in both the sample records.
• Use Keyboard shortcuts as much as possible instead of mouse clicks while recording
• Enter data directly in LOV fields as much as possible instead of selecting from LOVs
• Do not switch between forms while recording
• Exit Oracle Application as soon as you finished entering sample records.
• For Drop down lists enter as many sample records as different values in the drop down list you want to use.
• It is better to do a rehearsal before actually recording by logging as different user with the same responsibility
• First attempt to load the data into a simple before loading the data in a complex form.

Step 5:-

After you have successfully entered at least 2 sample records and exit the Oracle Applications. Oracle will record all activity in the file myrec.fdl. Now you have to transfer this file to the Windows machine where you are running Forms Data Loader. You can use FTP or any similar tools to transfer this file from Oracle Apps Server {$INST_TOP/logs/ora/[FORMS Version Number]/forms} directory to the Windows machine.

For example we can start FTP at Windows client machine to get the file as shown below.

Step 6:-

Open the recorded file "myrec.fdl" in Forms Data Loader, FDL will ask you to identify the First Field and Last Field of repeating section as shown below. Here Select the First and Last Repeating Fields of the First Sample record you have entered in the above step while recording the file

Accurately selecting the First and Last field of the repeating section is crucial for correct execution of load.

Step 7:-

Once you have identified the first and last field of repeating section Forms Data Loader will show a spreadsheet showing the records you have entered in forms as shown below.

Now you can add records to the spreadsheet by directly typing or importing from Excel CSV files or from any delimited file. You can also copy and paste the data from any spreadsheet.

Once you have populated the spreadsheet save the file. When you save the file Forms Data Loader will generate the code necessary for playing the file in Oracle Forms. You can click the button to view the code.

Step 8:-

After you have populated the sheet you have to now again transfer this file myrec.fdl by renaming it to "play.fdl" to the Oracle Apps Server {$INST_TOP/logs/ora/[FORMS Version Number]/forms} directory for playback. You can use FTP or similar tool to achieve this.

Remember one thing, the file should be renamed to "play.fdl" when you transfer it because we have mentioned this filename in Forms launch settings for PLAY_USER.

Step 9:-

Now login as PLAY_USER from any windows client and open the specific Form i.e. the form in which you want to load the data. As soon as you open the specific Form Oracle will start playing the file. Sometimes you will not see the actual fields getting populated but you can see the progress on the status bar of Oracle Forms. This is perfectly normal as Oracle is doing the load in background.

If you want to see the fields getting updated while playback is going on then you need to do some settings. Please contact us for details.

NOTE :-

Steps 1, 2, 3 are one time steps only. Later on you will be just performing Steps 5 to 9 only. That is recording into file myrec.fdl and then opening this file in Forms Data Loader and populating it with data and then transferring it back to oracle server by renaming it as play.fdl and then playing it by logging as PLAY_USER.

And if you have to load the data into the same form regularly say once or twice a week, then there is no need to record the file again and again. You can save the myrec.fdl file as template and open this file in Forms Data Loader and populate it with new data and then transfer it to Oracle Apps Server by renaming it to play.fdl file.

You can also change the directory location for record and playback files. For this you have to edit FORMS_TRACE_DIR settings in Oracle Application Context file and running Auto Config utility. Please ask your APPS DBA or Sys Admin to do this if required.

Please delete the files myrec.fdl and play.fdl before you attempt to record a new file or finished playback.