Oracle EBusiness Suite and Java Webstart

Are there some little things in life that frustrate you? 

How about Oracle EBusiness Suite installations that haven't configured Java Webstart - you know, the one's that still require some archaic version of Microsoft Internet Explorer with incarnations of JInitiator. Get Java Webstart sorted and use Firefox, Chrome :-)

If you're an Oracle EBS customer and haven't done that yet - as long as you're reasonably patched on your current version it's very little effort - if you need a hand, get in touch! 

Here are a couple of pointers to get started: 

• Java Web Start Available for EBS 12.1 and 12.2
• Using Java Web Start with Oracle E-Business Suite (Doc ID 2188898.1)

This is a post from Gareth's blog at http://garethroberts.blogspot.com

Search Engine Plugins for Firefox to get directly to specific Oracle Patches, Metalink Notes, Bugs

Revisited again 30-NOV-2010: Following the ARU change I've updated the Patch search engine (file orapatch.xml)

Update: The Note and Bug search engines (files oranote.xml and orabug.xml) have been updated post upgrade to My Oracle Support (MOS).

Navigating directly to a specific Oracle Patch, Metalink Note or Bug is a bit of a chore. Not to mention Metalink / My Oracle Support (MOS) could do with a mobile interface to speed things up & sidestep that Flash! Cut'n'pasting from my text file with the URL templates was getting tedious. So with inspiration from Eddie Awad's posts, I've put together three custom Firefox Search Engines, well, not really Search Engines, but "I'm Feeling Lucky" engines. You gotta know the Patch/Note/Bug number you wanna get to:

• OraPatch: Javascript Install or grab the XML file.
• OraNote: Javascript Install or grab the XML file.
• OraBug: Javascript Install or grab the XML file.

Once you've installed them, hit Control-K, choose the Patch, Note or Bug "search engine" (Control-Down Arrow), enter or paste the exact Patch, Note or Bug number, hit enter and voila, you're there ... if you're logged into the target site!

Give it a try: e.g. Patch 5612820, Note 444524.1, Bug 6074498.

If you get the XML files, put them in your C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\searchplugins folder (or similar), restart your browser and you'll be up and running!

If you need a generic Metalink search engine in the same vain look here.

PS. You will need your Metalink (MOS) username/password to get to the target pages.

PPS. Hoping Oracle doesn't change the URL structures 2 minutes after I post this ;-) Let me know if I don't notice when that happens!

References

• Firefox Add-ons Search Engines
• Base64 Online for converting search engine icon images (16x16pixel png) to base64 and back.

    Eddie's posts:

• AskTom Search Engine Plugin Revived
• See How Easily You Can Search Oracle
• Oracle Firefox search plugin
• Oracle Metalink Firefox search plugin

Related Posts

• Firefox with eBusiness Suite: Oracle JInitiator Plugin does not start - always get "must install plugin", Vista, Patch 5397653
• Enhancing the Oracle eBusiness Suite 11i/12 Homepage Menu via Firefox, Greasemonkey, XPath, Javascript & DOM: aka Foxiness Menus

 

Enhancing the Oracle eBusiness Suite 11i/12 Homepage Menu via Firefox, Greasemonkey, XPath, Javascript & DOM: aka Foxiness Menus

Update: 12-Nov-08 Extended script for Release 12

The Background

One of the most user-unfriendly and neglected aspects of the eBusiness Suite in my opinion is the homepage. No sooner than you arrive there you really just wanna get out, and get out fast! The majority of people I know, including myself, do one of the following:

• Save one function from each of your primary responsibilities as a "Favorite" and thereafter only use the "Favorites" area of the homepage
• After choosing the responsibility just blinding pick the first "Forms" based menu entry so that you get into the forms navigator menu. At least for any responsibility that still has a majority of forms.

One of the aspects that I've desired for a while is a tree based Responsibility menu structure. Now Oracle does provide this, but when I last checked, admitedly a few years ago, it required Oracle Portal integration. As a bit of a refresher, there is a profile option called "Self Service Personal Home Page mode" which used to be able to be set to "Personal Home Page" and then clicking on the responsibility went straight into forms for a Forms based application.

But from 11.5.10, "Self Service Personal Home Page mode" must be set to "Framework Only" and hence you now have an extra couple of mouse clicks to get to where you want to go. At least EBS Release 11i/12 has show/hide responsibilities.

Where is all this going you ask? Well, for a bit of late night entertainment ... sad I know ;-) plus a bit of experimentation, considering Firefox's 4th Birthday was just a couple of days ago, and since I'm now comfortable using Firefox with EBS, I've created a Greasemonkey script to give a smidgen of intelligence to the Framework homepage Responsibility menu.

Introducing the Virtuate Oracle EBS Homepage Menu enhancement Greasemonkey Script!

So, what does this do? Well it turns this:

Into this:

With a quick video here ... apologies if its a bit big:

How do I install it?

Assuming you have Firefox and Greasemonkey, just click on this UserScripts.org link and then click the install button! If you have any hassles, you're more than welcome to fix the code on UserScripts.org (or let me know)! Open Source rocks!

Requirements

• Firefox
• Greasemonkey
• EBS Release 11i or Release 12
• Will be very grateful if someone turns this into an IE7Pro User Script in order to get it working with Internet Explorer!

References

• Is The 'Personal Home Page' Mode Supported In Oracle 11i Applications?

Related Posts

• Firefox with eBusiness Suite: Oracle JInitiator Plugin does not start - always get "must install plugin", Vista, Patch 5397653

 

Firefox with eBusiness Suite: Oracle JInitiator Plugin does not start - always get "must install plugin", Vista, Patch 5397653

This problem has bothered me for a while in a couple of scenarios, so time for another post ... after quite an absence I must admit. I'm well over my post Conference 1 & 2 catchup now. On with the enthusiasm!

Update: Firefox 3.x is now certified with EBS. See Steven's post for details.

So you're working with your favourite Firefox 2.x, because Firefox 3 hasn't quite been certified yet. You try to fire up Oracle Applications Forms via JInitiator 1.3.x (or even 1.1.8.x) and get the dreaded "you must install the Oracle JInitiator Plugin" box.

Well, chances are one of the following quick fixes will solve your problem:

1. If you have multiple JVM's installed or multiple versions of JInitiator

In this case you'll need to apply Patch 5397653: Firefox does not work with multiple java plugin versions. Its just a quick patch, no prereqs, go for it!

2. If you are using Microsoft Windows Vista

In this case I'll feel very sorry for as well as suggesting you copy jvm.dll from a Sun JRE 6.0 Update 1 (or higher) installation. This is as per Bug 6074498.

3. If you still have problems after the above.

Make sure you have switched off the Enable Java option in Firefox, per Note 285218.1.

• Tools -> Options -> Content
• Uncheck the 'Enable Java' option so that the Sun JRE plug-in is not enabled (this ensures that the Jinitiator plug-in is used instead).

If you have any other scenarios or issues with Firefox and JInitiator / Sun JRE Plugin, please post a comment here!

Reference

• Patch 5397653: Firefox does not work with multiple java plugin versions
• Note 285218.1: Recommended Browsers for Oracle E-Business Suite 11i
• Bug 6074498: Unable To Connect To E-Business Suite On Vista

Related Posts

• Internet Explorer 7 crash on jvm.dll with Oracle JInitiator - Applications Forms - Windows Live Sign-In Helper

 

 

Firefox vs Internet Explorer, eBusiness and Key Shortcuts

Some time late last year I took the plunge and "upgraded" from Internet Explorer to Firefox as my primary browser. I guess it took me longer than many because for so long Oracle eBusiness Suite was inherently tied to Internet Explorer. However, that happy union has been consigned to history, and now things have taken a major turn for the better.

A couple of the components I find absolutely essential are Firebug, Adblock with Adblock Filters and the built in RSS reader.

I've also been using a bunch of the key shortcuts in Firefox and I thought I'd note them down here for easy reference. Very handy whether I'm in surfing mode - left thumb on left alt, right hand on arrow keys or developer mode - home row position.

Ctrl + T Opens a new tab, and places focus in the location bar.

Ctrl + W Close the current tab.

Alt + D or Ctrl + L or F6 Go to the location bar, highlight the current address for overwrite.

Ctrl + K Go to the search bar, highlight the current search for overwrite.

Ctrl + Tab / Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl PgUp / Ctrl PgDn Cycles through the open tabs forward or backward.

Ctrl + plus / Ctrl + minus Scales text size up and down.

Ctrl + Numpad 0 "zero" Resets text size back to default.

Ctrl + Shift + C Opens/closes Firebug – gotta have for debugging CSS etc.

Ctrl + U View source.

Alt + LeftArrow Alternative to the Back button

Ctrl + Enter In address bar adds "http://www." To front and ".com" to end of what you entered.

Ctrl + Tab / Ctrl + Shift + Tab or Ctrl PgUp / Ctrl PgDn Cycles through the open tabs forward or backward

Ctrl + plus / Ctrl + minus Scales text size up and down.

Ctrl + Numpad 0 "zero" Resets text size back to default.

Ctrl + Shift + C Opens/closes Firebug – gotta have for debugging CSS etc.

Ctrl + U View source.

Alt + Left Arrow Alternative to the Back button.

Ctrl + Enter In address bar adds "http://www." To front and ".com" to end of what you entered.

Apparently there is a KeyConfig Extension that allows you to customize your keystrokes.

Also see Firefox Keyboard Shortcuts Wiki.