Using PeopleSoft Application Designer

This chapter provides an overview of PeopleSoft Application Designer and discusses how to:

• Use PeopleSoft Application Designer.

• View PeopleCode.

• Work with definitions.

• Use miscellaneous definitions.

• Use spell check.

• Build and maintain data.

Understanding PeopleSoft Application Designer

Every PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture application contains a collection of related definitions that work together for a specific purpose. Developing and adapting PeopleSoft applications is a step-by-step process in which you define and build the definitions, establish relationships among definitions, implement security, run your PeopleSoft application in an internet browser, and test every aspect thoroughly. You use one interactive tool, PeopleSoft Application Designer, for the majority of these activities. PeopleSoft Application Designer is an integrated development environment that enables you to work with the numerous definitions of a business application in a single work area.

This section discusses:

• PeopleSoft Internet Architecture.

• Change tracking and change control.

PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture

PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture uses an internet browser for interacting with online PeopleSoft applications. You design applications for an internet browser using PeopleSoft Application Designer; the PeopleTools dynamically generate HTML pages based on the page and component definitions that you create.

PeopleSoft Pure Internet Architecture features include:

• The ability to easily create robust and high-performance internet applications.

• Variety of visual controls for entering and displaying text such as radio buttons, grids, scroll areas, push buttons, single and multi line text boxes, and so on.

• Multilingual support.

• Builtin upgrade and compare features.

Change Tracking and Change Control

PeopleSoft Application Designer includes change tracking and change control features so that you can manage your adaptations and upgrades as an integrated part of your development process. You can enable change tracking, change control, or both.

You control these features by using options in the Tools menu, Change Control Administrator dialog box.

See Also

Understanding Change Control Features

Using PeopleSoft Application Designer

This section provides an overview of the eight steps of application development and describes how to:

• Start PeopleSoft Application Designer.

• Use the Application Designer window components.

• Set PeopleTools Options

Understanding the Eight Steps of Application Development

Application development is a systematic process. Between the design and implementation of the application, you define and build application definitions, establish relationships, implement security, and test every aspect thoroughly. When developing in the PeopleSoft environment, it is helpful to look at the development phase as an eight step process:

1. Design the application.

2. Create field definitions.

3. Create record definitions.

4. Build the application data tables.

5. Create page definitions.

6. Define components.

7. Register the components.

8. Test the application.

Step One — Designing the Application

Create a development plan. The first phase of development in any environment is always planning. It is not uncommon that 80% of the effort is spent on designing a solid plan before taking the first step. In PeopleSoft, you will need to fully understand the other seven steps of development to do a good job of planning. When you are finished planning, you should have a business requirements document of the tables required and the relationships between them, a list of definitions required (fields, records, and so on) complete with detailed specifications and naming conventions, mock-ups of the page layouts, and the navigational hierarchy to give users access to the pages you create.

Step Two — Creating Field Definitions

Field definitions in PeopleSoft are slightly different from other environments. Fields are defined apart from any tables they may belong to and can be re-used in any number of separate database tables. The field definition is the basis for all the steps that follow.

Step Three — Creating Record Definitions

PeopleTools-based applications are table-based systems. When creating a record definition, you are actually defining two layers of information: the record level and the field level. At the record level you determine the structure of the database table and the ultimate purpose of the record definition as well as how it will be used in the system. At the field level, you determine the characteristics of the fields and any online processing that you want to occur behind the scenes when a user enters data.

Step Four — Building the Tables

Once you define the record definition you must create or build the underlying SQL tables that house the application data that your users will enter online in the production environment. This Build process is the centerpiece of the data administration features in PeopleSoft Application Designer. The build process takes all of the properties of a record definition and creates a database table from it. Unless this step is taken, there is no table in the database to accept application data.

Step Five — Creating Page Definitions

Pages are the user interface for the application where you present the data to the users and enable them to enter data into the application data table created in the previous step. In this step you add page controls to a page and that you associate with record fields and configure the display of the page. The page is presented to the user in a browser window as HTML.

Step Six — Creating Component Definitions

Component definitions represent complete business transactions in PeopleSoft applications and are central to navigation and security access. A component holds one or more pages that the user navigates between using tabs or links. Here you define the search record and search attributes, processing mode, and toolbar buttons that display at the bottom of each page in the component.

Step Seven — Registering the Component

The Registration Wizard makes registering a component easy. In this step you accomplish several things: attach the component to a menu, assign security access for users, and place navigational links in the registry. Once you register a component, the user interface is complete and you can view the application in the browser.

Step Eight — Testing the Application

The final step of application development is to thoroughly test the application before delivering the finished product to users. It is important to test all aspects of the application by opening the transaction in your browser and entering test data into the application. As issues arise you can cycle back through each of these steps to resolve them.

Starting PeopleSoft Application Designer

Open PeopleTools from the Start menu. Or, if you have set up a shortcut on your desktop you can open the application from there. At the PeopleSoft Signon dialog box enter the Application Server Name, User ID, and Password. PeopleTools opens automatically to PeopleSoft Application Designer.

Note. Certain PeopleSoft utilities require setting an environment variable, PS_SERVER_CFG, to run properly. However, PeopleSoft Application Designer isn't compatible with PS_SERVER_CFG being set. Before you start PeopleSoft Application Designer, you must ensure that PS_SERVER_CFG is not set. You can make this convenient by using a DOS batch file to unset PS_SERVER_CFG, launch PeopleSoft Application Designer, then after PeopleSoft Application Designer exits, reset PS_SERVER_CFG to its previous value.

In addition to launching PeopleSoft Application Designer from the Start menu, you can also do so using the command line syntax and the available parameters listed here.

PeopleSoft Application Designer offers a variety of command-line parameters that you can use to control the database to which it connects. By using these parameters, you can automatically navigate to the part of the system that you need.

Use the values from the following tables when specifying certain parameters.

Syntax

The following command line syntax applies to all actions identified in this chapter:

PSIDE [-parameter value [-parameter value . . .]]

Use this command line syntax to start PeopleSoft Data Mover:

PSDMT [-parameter value [-parameter value . . .]]

You can include as many or as few parameters as you need.

Each parameter starts with a hyphen (-) or a forward slash (/). The value for each parameter follows the hyphen or slash, separated by zero or more spaces. In general, the value doesn’t need to have quotation marks around it, even if it has internal spaces—the system treats all text following the parameter as part of the value, up to the next parameter or the end of the command line.

Note. You must enclose a value in quotation marks only when it includes a hyphen or forward slash, or to include leading or trailing spaces. If the value itself includes a quotation mark character, precede the double quote with a backslash (\).

Available Parameters

The available parameters for PSIDE.EXE fall into two general categories:

• Parameters providing login information.

• Parameters setting general options.

If the command line includes login parameters, it uses them only if no PeopleSoft applications are currently running. If a PeopleSoft application is already running, the system starts a new instance by using the same login information as the active instance.

This table lists all of the available parameters:

Example

This command line statement starts PeopleSoft Application Designer and signs in to the DEP7TST database:

PSIDE -CT MICROSFT -CS SEPNTDB05 -CD EP7TST -CO VP1 -CP VP1

Using the PeopleSoft Application Designer Window Components

The PeopleSoft Application Designer window includes these six main elements:

Note. PeopleSoft recommends that you maximize the Application Designer window to make optimal use of the different workspaces.

Application Designer Window Menus

This section reviews the general PeopleSoft Application Designer menus. Specific menus appear for each individual definition when it is open and active. Those menus are covered in the sections about each definition.

Note. The menu commands that display from each menu often depend on the type of definition that is open in the definition workspace. Those menu items are described in the corresponding chapters.

In addition to the standard MicroSoft Windows File menu commands, there are several PeopleTools specific commands. This table lists the PeopleTools related File menu commands:

In addition to the standard MicroSoft Windows based commands, such as Cut and Paste, there are two PeopleTools specific commands, as listed in the table below.

This table lists View menu commands:

This table lists Insert menu commands:

This table lists the Debug menu commands:

This table lists the Tools menu commands:

This table lists Window menu commands:

This table lists Help menu commands:

Application Designer Window Toolbar

In addition to the standard MicroSoft Windows toolbar button commands, such as cut, paste, and save, there are several PeopleTools specific commands. The command name appears in parentheses following the description.

Project Workspace

View projects and their associated definitions in the project workspace. A project organizes a collection of definitions in logical groups for easier development, adaptation, maintenance, and upgrade.

Work with a development project or an upgrade project by selecting either the Development tab or the Upgrade tab at the bottom of the project workspace.

The text on the Development and Upgrade tabs might not appear if there is not enough room to display it onscreen.

Definition Workspace

Use the definition workspace to create and modify definitions, which can be maximized, minimized, cascaded, or tiled in the workspace.

Output Window

The output window displays status messages of various PeopleSoft Application Designer operations. The output is organized into different categories by using tabs at the bottom of the window.

The text displayed in the output window is context-sensitive, enabling you to select it to perform related operations. For example, if you have a field definition open, select Edit, Find Definition References to list the definitions that reference the active field definition. The list appears in the output window. Then, double-click any of the related definitions listed to open them.

The output window contains several tabs that relate to numerous functions that you can perform with PeopleSoft Application Designer:

Setting PeopleTools Options

You can set preferences for various features in the Options dialog box. Access the Options dialog box from the Tools menu. There are seven tabs in the dialog box, each impacting a different area of PeopleSoft Application Designer. Most of these options are described in further detail in other, more relavant areas of the PeopleBooks documentation. The table below provides a very general description of each tab and a link to further details about the options therein:

Working with PeopleCode

This section provides a brief explanation of working with PeopleCode and discusses the main development editors.

PeopleCode is the structured programming language built into PeopleTools that extends the functionality of the PeopleTools environment. All PeopleCode programs are associated with a parent definition. These PeopleCode programs are considered part of the definitions of their parent components and you edit them as part of the definitions.

PeopleCode programs can be associated with many items, such as record fields, pages, components, and application messages. You can access any PeopleCode program from its related definition. As an example, one of the ways to access PeopleCode from one of the many places that PeopleCode is stored is to access Record Field PeopleCode from an open record definition.

To view Record Field PeopleCode from PeopleSoft Application Designer:

1. Open a record definition in PeopleSoft Application Designer.

2. Click the View PeopleCode toolbar button to view the PeopleCode display for the record.

3. Select a field containing PeopleCode in the record definition.

4. Double-click the cell under the column heading for the type of PeopleCode that you want to view.

   You can also right-click on a definition and use the pop-up menu to access or view the PeopleCode.

See Also

Accessing PeopleCode and Events

Using the Development Editors

This section describes the three main development editors:

• SQL editor

• PeopleCode editor

• Application Packages editor

SQL Editor

The SQL Editor is a tool that enables you to construct SQL definitions. SQL Editor has a similar look and feel to the PeopleCode editor. You can access SQL Editor from these definitions:

• Records that are based on SQL and dynamic view.

• PeopleSoft Application Engine actions.

• PeopleCode editor.

PeopleCode Editor

Any method of accessing PeopleCode programs displays a window where PeopleCode programs can be input or modified. This window is the PeopleCode editor. The PeopleCode editor enables you to edit and navigate all PeopleCode programs that belong to the same parent definition.

On the left side of the window is a drop-down list box showing the current field and other available fields, records, and components. Any field with PeopleCode attached is listed in bold. The right side of the window has a drop-down list box listing the current PeopleCode event and other acceptable events for that definition. Events already containing PeopleCode for that definition are listed in bold.

Application Packages Editor

From an Application Package you can access the PeopleCode programs that are associated with the classes of the package. The Application Packages editor and the PeopleCode editor interfaces are similar. You can add, delete, and change text: you can use the find and replace function; you can validate the syntax. When you save your application package, the code is automatically formatted (indented and so on), just as it is in the PeopleCode editor.

See Also

Using the SQL Editor

Using the PeopleCode Editor

Creating Application Packages and Classes

Working with Definitions

This section provides as overview of definitions and discusses how to:

• Open definitions.

• View definitions.

• View and edit definition properties.

• Create definitions.

• Save definitions.

• Close definitions.

• Rename definitions.

• Delete definitions.

• Find definitions.

Understanding Definitions

You can create or modify many types of definitions in PeopleSoft Application Designer. This table lists development definitions:

Opening Definitions

Use the definition workspace when accessing or creating definitions.

To open a definition:

1. Select File, Open or click the corresponding toolbar button.

   The Open Definition dialog box appears.

2. Select the type of definition that you want to open from the Definition drop-down list box.

3. Provide selection criteria.

   Enter a definition name or description (or the beginning characters of either). Other selection criteria options might be available, depending on the definition type.

4. Click Open, or press ENTER, to display definitions matching the selection criteria that you entered.

   To clear the current selection criteria and start over, click New Search. To change how the search list is displayed, perform one of these actions:

   • Click the List button to see only the names of the definitions.

   • Click the Details button to see the names and descriptions, which is the default.

5. Select the definition to open.

6. Double-click the definition that you want to open in the definition workspace, or highlight the definition and click Open.

   You can also use the shift-click selection technique to select more than one definition to open in a single action, or right-click to view a pop-up menu, where you can open, print, rename, or delete the selected definition.

   Note. When the definition is open and able to be modified, "Ready" appears in the lower left-hand corner of the workspace.

Viewing Definitions

In the project workspace, you can view a definition that is referenced by the active definition.

To view a definition, select View, View Definition. You can also right-click the definition to be referenced and select View Definition from the pop-up menu.

Viewing and Editing Definition Properties

Each definition type has properties that are associated with it. To view or edit definition properties, select File, Definition Properties. You can also click the toolbar button or press Alt+Enter.or right-click on the definition and select Properties from the pop-up menu.

The Definition Properties dialog box almost always includes a General tab that provides a place to display and enter descriptions and comments regarding the definition. An optional Owner ID drop-down list box is provided to designate the owner of an individual definition. This helps identify which application team last made a change to a definition. Set the default owner ID for new definitions in the Options dialog box, Owner Id tab.

With PeopleSoft Application Designer, every definition that you can open (menus, pages, components, records, fields, and so on) has an associated property sheet. Definition properties that are specific to the definition type are grouped together in these definition property sheets. For example:

• Record Type and Record Use properties are both found in the Definition Properties sheet for records.

• Translates are found in the Definition Properties sheet for fields.

• Menu groups and menu labels are found in the Definition Properties sheet for menus.

• Search record, actions, and internet settings are found in the Definition Properties sheet for components.

Creating Definitions

When building or adapting an application, try to use existing definitions as much as possible; when that’s not possible, create new definitions.

To create a new definition:

1. Select File, New or click the corresponding toolbar button.

2. Select the definition type.

   The new definition appears in the definition workspace.

Saving Definitions

To retain the changes that you make, you must save the definition. However, you must name new definitions before you can save them.

To save a definition:

1. Click the Save button on the toolbar, or select either File, Save or File, Save As to save a definition.

   The Save and Save As commands save a single definition. Use the File, Save All command or the Save All toolbar button to save all open definitions at once.

2. If you’re saving a page or component, specify the language or market.

   For a page definition, the Language drop-down list box appears; for a component, the Market drop-down list box appears.

Definition Naming Conventions

When naming definitions, use the following guidelines:

• Use only uppercase alphabetic characters (A–Z), numeric characters (0–9), or underscore (_). Other special characters, such as the dash (—), dollar sign, number sign, question mark, and so on, are not permitted.

• Names must begin with an alphabetic character.

• Embedded spaces are not permitted.

  Instead, use an underscore.

• Avoid using accented characters.

  Names containing these characters may not sort consistently, depending on workstation or locale settings, which results in problems during an upgrade

Note. Existing Business Process and Business Process Map definitions may already contain mixed case characters. Nonetheless, newly created definition names must be all uppercase.

Closing Definitions

To close a definition, either select File, Close or click the Close Window icon on the title bar of the active definition’s window. You can also select Window, Close All to close all open definitions.

Renaming Definitions

You can rename existing definitions in a database at any time.

To rename a definition in the database:

1. Select File, Rename.

   The Rename Definition dialog box looks like the Open Definition dialog box, and you select definitions in the same way.

2. Specify the definition type and any selection criteria that are useful in locating the definition that you want to rename.

   The Rename Definition dialog box does not have a Select button. So, after entering either a partial name or description of the definition, press Enter to retrieve a list of definitions matching your selection criteria.

3. Select the definition that you want to rename.

4. Click the Rename button in the dialog box and double-click the selected definition, or right -click to select Rename from the pop-up menu.

   The selected definition name in the Rename Definition dialog box is in edit mode.

5. Change the selected definition name and press Enter.

   You are prompted to close any open definitions, if any are open, before you can save the new name. You are also prompted with a Confirm Rename dialog box before you can save the change.

6. Click OK to complete the renaming of the selected definition.

Deleting Definitions

Deleting a definition is different from removing a definition from a project. When you remove a definition from a project, the reference to the definition is removed from the project, but the definition still exists in the database and thus may be a part of any other project. Deleting a definition, however, permanently removes the definition from the database. Any projects or other definitions that contains the deleted definition are affected.

Before deleting a definition you should find all references to that definition by running the Find Definition References process. For example, a field definition that you want to delete may be referenced by both record and page definitions.

Note. If you delete a component definition, you must delete all component interfaces that are based on that definition.

Note. A component definition must contain at least one page. If you attempt to delete a page definition that is the only page definition within a component, the system does not allow the delete to occur and displays an error message. If the page definition is the only page within a component, the error message appears during a File, Delete or during an upgrade copy to database (with a Delete action).

To delete a definition from the database:

1. Select File, Delete.

   The Delete Definition dialog box looks like the Open Definition dialog box, and you select definitions in exactly the same way.

2. Specify the definition type and any selection criteria that are useful in locating the definition that you want to delete.

   After entering either a partial name or description of the definition, press Enter to retrieve a list of definitions matching your selection criteria.

3. Select the definition that you want to delete.

   To select multiple definitions, hold down either Shift or Ctrl while clicking the appropriate definitions.

4. Click the Delete button and confirm that you want to delete the selected definition.

Finding Definitions

Before making significant changes, such as deleting a definition, it is critical to see what other parts of the application may be impacted by this change. The Find Definition References feature performs a comprehensive search of the database pinpointing all definitions in which the changed definition is located.

Although a project keeps track of your definitions, the definitions are not actually embedded in the project.

Note. There is a distinction between related definitions and referenced definitions. A related definition is one that is used by the current definition. A definition reference is one that uses the current definition. For example, in the case of a component, pages in the component are related definitions. The menus that use the component are its definition references.

To find definition references:

1. Open the definition in the definition workspace.

2. Select Edit, Find Definition References, or right-click the definition and select Find Definition References from the pop-up menu.

   After you select this item, a search of the database takes place, and the results appear on the Find Definition References tab of the output window.

3. Select any definition that is displayed in the output window by double-clicking it.

   The selected definition opens in the definition workspace.

4. After you find a definition, select the definition reference and right-click to view the pop-up menu.

   Note. Double-clicking any entry in the Find Definition References output window opens the appropriate mode of PeopleSoft Application Designer. If you double-click a related record that was found, the record opens, and the field for which you were looking is highlighted.

Using Miscellaneous Definitions

There are several definition types that are different from the standard definitions described above. These definitions control your work environment or have an impact on the other definitions you create. These miscellaneous definitions are found under the Tools menu and include:

• Field Formats.

• System Colors.

• Styles.

• Access Profiles.

• File Type Codes.

Field Formats

PeopleTools has formatting provisions at both the field and page levels. The field format specifications affect internal values that are stored in the database, and the page formats affect the visual presentation of values. There are several formatting options for U.S. Social Security Numbers, Canadian Social Insurance Numbers, postal codes, telephone numbers, and various currencies, dates, and times.

Custom field formats extend these formatting provisions to support the same types of data in other countries. They also support other types of formatted information, such as bank codes, credit card numbers, part numbers, or serial numbers.

Custom field formats enable you to create your own format definitions using format notation and apply them to fields. These formats are organized into format families, which can include one or more unique formats.

See Changing Format Families.

System Colors

You can establish definitions for colors you use in your applications. You define colors by associating a color name either with an existing color in the PeopleSoft Internet Architecture or with a custom color that you define. Since taste in color is subjective, PeopleTools allows individual operators to customize their color settings. Users can use the default color definitions you establish in PeopleSoft Application Designer, or they can override them with their own color definitions.

To modify the default system colors:

1. Select Tools, Miscellaneous Definitions, System Colors.

2. Select the Color Name you want to modify.

3. To change the color, click the Choose Color button.

4. Choose from the available colors or click Define Custom Colors to create your own color.

5. Click OK.

   The new color displays in the Sample area of the Set System Default Colors dialog box.

To create a new system color:

1. Type a new name in the Color Name field and click the New button.

2. Select the Use Custom Color radio button to select a custom color.

3. Click the Choose Color button.

4. Choose from the available colors or click the Define Custom Colors button.

5. Click OK in both dialog boxes to accept the new color.

Styles and Style Inheritance

You can create and save your own styles in PeopleSoft Application Designer. A style is a set of font and color attributes that can be associated with pages, field labels, field data, and so on. PeopleSoft Application Designer comes with a standard set of attributes called the System Default Style, which applies to all pages, field labels, and field data that have not been assigned a specific style. You can define as many custom sets of attributes as you need.

A powerful feature of styles is inheritance. It's easier to understand style inheritance if you think of your system as a hierarchy composed of pages that are, in turn, composed of fields. You can apply styles at each level of the hierarchy—sytem-wide, at the page level, or at the indivdual field level. The way style inheritance works is that style attributes that are not specified at the field level are inherited from the page level. If a style is not specified at the page level, the System Default Style is inherited.

The advantage of style inheritance is that it simplifies font and color changes. For example, if you want to change the font of all your pages from “MS Sans Serif” 8 point, bold to “Times New Roman” 9 point, italic, you only need change the System Default Style for all pages and fields that inherit the System Default Style to be updated.

To edit the System Default Style:

1. Select Tools, Miscellaneous Objects, Styles.

2. Select System Default Style in the Edit Styles dialog box.

3. Click the Edit button.

4. Make the desired style changes and click OK.

Access Profiles

Access profiles are the security profiles users use to connect to the PeopleSoft database. Detailed information about access profiles is discussed in the Security Administration PeopleBook.

See Setting Up Access Profiles.

File Type Codes

You may need to set up file type codes when creating change projects. You create change projects to work with PeopleSoft Application Designer's Change Packager tool to package system customizations in preparation for an upgrade. The file type code stores generic information that is applicable to a group of files within the same target directory.

Using Spell Check

This section provides an overview of the spell check feature in PeopleSoft Application Designer and discusses how to:

• Enable spell check.

• Configure browser options.

• Run spell check on a project.

Understanding Spell Check

The PeopleSoft Application Designer spell check feature checks the spelling for user-facing labels and text in projects and legacy data. Use this feature prior to building your application. Spell check verifies spelling on these items:

• Message Catalog entries.

• Page definitions (label text).

• XLAT tables.

• Component definitions (tab and menu labels).

• Portal registry (labels and attribute labels).

• Record field labels.

Spell Check Results

The system logs spell check results to the Spell Check tab in the PeopleSoft Application Designer output window. The text "Begin Spell Check" is always the first line on the tab. The first line for each spell check category indicates the total number of entries that were checked for that project. The last line in the output window indicates the total misspelled words encountered during the check.

For each spell check category the results may read differently. This table describes how to read the spell check results for each category:

You can launch an identified definition from the output window directly by double clicking the error line. PeopleSoft Application Designer launches the appropriate content to correct the misspelling:

Enabling Spell Check

The spell check feature is turned off by default. You enable spell check in the Options dialog box, Validate tab. Enabling the spell check option ensures that spell check is run on the designated project when you validate a project.

To enable spell check in PeopleSoft Application Designer:

1. Select Tools, Options from the PeopleSoft Application Designer menu.

2. Select the Validate tab.

3. Select the Validate Spelling check box.

4. (Optional) Select the Log to file check box if you want the spell check results to be saved to a file on your system.

   The default file

5. Enter a file name in the File name field or click the browse button to search for a specific file.

   Otherwise, the system applies the default file name of spellcheck.log and saves the results to the temp directory. This field is required when the Log to file option is selected.

Configuring Browser Options

The Browser tab on the Options dialog box enables you to specify values that are required to compose a URL for the browser to locate a portal page. Spell check uses the information recorded in this dialog box to launch portal pages from the Spell Check tab in the output window when you double click a portal registry misspelling.

To configure browser options:

1. Select Tools, Options and click the Browser tab.

2. Enter the base URI or use the default setting.

   This is the URI of the node that hosts the portal.

3. Set the node name that is to be used with the base URI.

   The Use default local node check box is selected by default. Clearing this check box enables the Select button, which allows you to set the node name in the Select Node dialog box.

   The Select Node dialog box displays the list of available nodes by project. You can perform a search for the appropriate node by clicking the Select button.

Building and Maintaining Data

This section provides an overview of data building and maintenance and discusses how to:

• Create SQL tables.

• Use the multiple document interface (MDI).

• Use drag-and-drop.

• Use pop-up menus.

• Use dynamic toolbars and menus.

• Configuring the environment.

Understanding Data Building and Maintenance

The underlying database definitions must be kept in sync with PeopleSoft definitions. Therefore, from PeopleSoft Application Designer, you must:

• Submit SQL Alter and Create commands for all types of database definitions.

• Manage the database index.

• Manage the table space.

• Manage the DDL model for tables, indexes, and table spaces.

Creating SQL Tables

To access data, you must create a SQL table and then store data in the fields and records. The process of running the SQL necessary to synchronize the database with records, indexes, and DDL is called Build.

The Build process processes definitions at these three levels:

• Current record.

• Selected records in the project workspace.

• All records in the project.

See Also

Administering Data

Using the Multiple Document Interface

PeopleSoft Application Designer makes use of an MDI. This means that each window in the definition workspace of PeopleSoft Application Designer represents a view of a definition, and you can have multiple windows open at the same time. These definition windows must stay inside the borders of the definition workspace, but they can be maximized, minimized, cascaded, or tiled in that space.

You can have different types of definition windows open at the same time, such as menu, field, record, and page windows. This enables you to work with different definitions simultaneously, simplifying the process of designing a group of related definitions.

Active Windows

Although you can have multiple windows open at the same time, only one window can be active at any moment. Make a window active by selecting it in the definition workspace. The active window always appears on top with the title bar in active window title color.

In addition to clicking on a window to make it active, you can also use the Window menu. This menu displays the windows that are currently open with a check mark next to the active one. Change the window that is currently active by selecting it from the menu.

Other commands from the Window menu include Cascade, Tile, Arrange Icons, or Close All windows.

Using Drag-and-Drop

PeopleSoft Application Designer makes ample use of drag-and-drop mouse techniques. For example, you can drag a field from a record definition and drop it onto a page definition. You can then drag the page onto a component and drag the component onto a menu. Using the drag-and-drop technique is faster and simpler than using menu commands to manipulate definitions.

To drag and drop a definition:

1. Open the definition in either the project workspace or the definition workspace from which you want to drag.

   For example, to drag a field from an existing record definition to a new page definition, first open the record containing the field. You can open it in the definition workspace or expand the record in the project workspace so that the fields are displayed. With the appropriate field displayed, you can drag and drop it into another definition.

2. Open the definition to which you want to drag.

3. Drag the definition from one definition to the other.

Using Pop-up Menus

Pop-up menus are context-sensitive menus that appear at the current location of the mouse pointer whenever you click the alternate mouse button (typically, the right mouse button). They provide efficient access to numerous PeopleSoft Application Designer commands. Because pop-up menus appear at the current location of the pointer, they eliminate the need to move the pointer up to the menu bar or to a toolbar. A pop-up menu contains only the commands that apply to the selected definition or the current context.

Using Dynamic Toolbars and Menus

The PeopleSoft Application Designer toolbar and menu changes based on the type of definition that is active. For example, when a page definition is active, the toolbar displays buttons that represent the definitions that you can add to a page. This technique is also known as morphing.

The change is so subtle that it can be missed easily. This is because the menu bar names are consistent between definition types. However, if you look at the menu items and toolbars closely, you see a distinct difference. For example, if a page window is active, the menus and toolbars change to include actions and options applicable to a page definition—as in the Show Grid option on the View menu and the introduction of the Layout menu. In addition, page-specific toolbars are also displayed.

In the same respect, if a record window is active, the menus and toolbars morph to include actions and options applicable to a record definition. For example, different options are available on the View menu (such as View, Field Display, and so on). Different toolbar buttons for record definition actions also appear.

Configuring the Environment

PeopleSoft Application Designer is highly configurable, enabling you to tailor the tool to your needs or preferences.

Splitter Bars

A splitter bar is a thin vertical or horizontal bar that separates windows inside a parent window. Using the splitter bar enables you to resize two windows at the same time. Splitter bars are used between the project workspace, definition workspace, and output window.

Drag the splitter bar to change the size of the project workspace, definition workspace, or output window.

Dockable Windows and Toolbars

You can freely move PeopleSoft Application Designer windows and toolbars to either anchor (or dock) to parts of the main application window, or to make them float freely anywhere that you want them to appear. When you dock a toolbar or window, you anchor it to the top, sides, or bottom of the main window.

To move or dock a PeopleSoft Application Designer window or toolbar, drag the window title bar or the appropriate toolbar to a new location. If you move the window or toolbar near the top, bottom, or sides of the main window, the window or toolbar snaps into place, meaning that it is docked. However, if you press and hold Ctrl and then drag the window or toolbar, you can prevent it from automatically docking when it is near the edge of the window.

Note. Use caution when running the PeopleCode Debugger with undocked windows.

View Menu

The View menu enables you to display or hide different PeopleSoft Application Designer components (such as the project workspace, output window, and toolbar).