Using Build Options to Control Configuration

Creating Build Options

You create a build option for an application on the Build Options page.

To create a build option:

1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.

2. Select an application.

3. On the Application Builder home page, click Shared Components.

4. Under Application, click Build Options.

5. To create a new build option, click Create.

6. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Managing Build Options

Build options have two possible values: INCLUDE and EXCLUDE. If you specify an attribute as being included, then the Application Express engine considers it part of the application definition at run time. Conversely, if you specify an attribute as being excluded, then the Application Express engine treats it as if it did not exist.

To include or exclude a build option:

1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.

2. Select an application.

3. On the Application Builder home page, click Shared Components.

4. Under Application, click Build Options.

5. Select the appropriate build option.

   The Create/Edit Build Option page appears.

6. For Status, select either INCLUDE or EXCLUDE.

Exporting Build Options or Build Option Status

You can export build options or build option status on the Component Export page. Exporting build option status is an effective way to toggle build options on or off within another environment. For example, you can use this feature to deploy a production application with a hidden feature.

To accomplish this, you associate the components of the hidden feature with a build option having the status of EXCLUDE. After deployment, you can enable the hidden feature by changing the status of the build option to INCLUDE and then exporting the Build Option Status.

Once you apply the Build Options Status to the production instance, the new feature appears.

To export build options or build option status:

1. Navigate to the Component Export page:

   1. On the Workspace home page, click the Application Builder icon.

   2. Select an application.

   3. Click Shared Components.

   4. From the Tasks list, click Component Export.

      The Component Export page appears.

2. Select the build options to be exported:

   1. Click the Components tab and select the build options to be exported.

   2. Click Add to Export.

3. Select Build Option Status to be exported:

   1. Click the Build Options Status tab and select the build options to be exported.

   2. Click Add to Export.

4. Click Next.

5. On Components to Export:

   1. From File Format, select how rows in the export file will be formatted:

      • Choose UNIX to have the resulting file contain rows delimited by line feeds.

      • Choose DOS to have the resulting file contain rows delimited by carriage returns and line feeds.

   2. Use the As of field to export a page as it was previously defined. Specify the number of minutes in the field provided.

      This utility uses the DBMS_FLASHBACK package. Because the timestamp to System Change Number (SCN) mapping is refreshed approximately every five minutes, you may have to wait that amount of time to locate the version for which you are looking. The time undo information is retained and influenced by the startup parameter UNDO_RETENTION (the default is three hours). However, this only influences the size of the undo tablespace. While two databases may have the same UNDO_RETENTION parameter, you are able to go back further in time on a database with fewer transactions because it is not filling the undo tablespace, forcing older data to be archived.

   3. Click Export Components.

Viewing the Build Option Utilization Report

Once you create a build option, a Utilization tab appears on the Build Options page. This report details build option utilization in the current application.

To view the Build Option Utilization report:

1. Navigate to the Build Options page:

   1. Navigate to the Workspace home page.

   2. Click the Application Builder icon.

   3. Select an application.

   4. On the Application Builder home page, click Shared Components.

   5. Under Application, click Build Options.

      The Build Options page appears.

2. On the Build Options page, click Utilization.

   The Build Option Utilization report appears.

3. Select a build option and click Go.