Oracle HTML DB Handbook (Oracle Press) [Paperback]

Lawrence C. Linnemeyer (Author), Bradley D. Brown (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0072257687 | ISBN-13: 978-0072257687 | Publication Date: February 27, 2006 | Edition: 1

Develop and deploy fast, secure web applications. Even if you have limited programming experience, you can develop and deploy professional-quality applications using Oracle's new rapid web application development tool. "Oracle HTML DB Handbook" shows you how to quickly create secure and scalable web applications that can be instantly deployed. Learn how you can consolidate spreadsheets and desktop databases into an Oracle Database and share your applications over the web. You'll also get details on administration and security. Real-world sample projects get you started using Oracle HTML DB right away.Install and configure Oracle HTML DB. Work with Oracle database objects using SQL Workshop. Create, review, edit, run and delete application elements with the HTML DB Application Builder. Work with themes and templates. Create, edit, and delete HTML DB pages. Work with reports and process forms. Implement navigational elements in applications. Administer and manage applications and users. Add computations, processes, and validations to applications. Implement HTML DB security measures.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Develop and Deploy Fast, Secure Web Applications

Even if you have limited programming experience, you can develop and deploy professional-quality applications using Oracle's new rapid web application development tool. Oracle HTML DB Handbook shows you how to quickly create secure and scalable web applications that can be instantly deployed. Learn how you can consolidate spreadsheets and desktop databases into an Oracle Database and share your applications over the web. You'll also get details on administration and security. Real-world sample projects get you started using Oracle HTML DB right away.

• Install and configure Oracle HTML DB
• Work with Oracle database objects using SQL Workshop
• Create, review, edit, run and delete application elements with the HTML DB Application Builder
• Work with themes and templates
• Create, edit, and delete HTML DB pages
• Work with reports and process forms
• Implement navigational elements in applications
• Administer and manage applications and users
• Add computations, processes, and validations to applications
• Implement HTML DB security measures

About the Author

Larry Linnemeyer (Grand Junction, CO) is a Technical Management Consultant with TUSC, winner of the 2004 Oracle Partner Solution of the Year Award for Application Server. He has been involved with Information Technology on and off since receiving a degree in Software Engineering from Mesa State in his hometown of Grand Junction, Colorado in 1986. Larry first started with Oracle technologies as a Systems Automation Officer with the US Army in 1996. He has been with TUSC's Denver office since 1998, specializing in custom application development with Oracle technologies including HTML DB, Forms, Reports, JDeveloper, PL/SQL Server Pages, Portal, Discoverer and Designer.

Bradley D. Brown (Lakewood, CO) is chairman of the board, chief architect and co-founder of TUSC. Brad is recognized globally as an expert in Web technology. Brad is a regular Keynote speaker and presenter at both local and national user groups and conferences. Brad's well established in the publishing industry, as author of several Oracle Press titles, and he's regularly featured in Oracle Magazine. Brad's vast experience and expertise have earned him roles as chief information officer of Open Access Broadband Networks and board member for Lantech Inc., Colorado Uplift and Cactus Strategies. He's currently on boarding chairperson for the Colorado chapter of the Young Presidents Organization after having previously served as its education chairperson.

Product Details

• Paperback: 486 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Osborne Media; 1 edition (February 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0072257687
• ISBN-13: 978-0072257687
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,497,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Could have been much more useful, May 30, 2006

By 

teedub - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oracle HTML DB Handbook (Oracle Press) (Paperback)

The authors state that this book is for beginning and intermediate htmldb developers but my opinion is that it is a confused conglomerate of descriptions of very obvious details through to details that only an advanced user would consider.

For example, there is a long description of the SQL Workshop. In my opinion, anyone who knows enough about constraints, triggers, defaults, nulls (:)) to make sensible use of this facility will be able to work out the workshop without much trouble.

In one place the authors point to useful information on the web, mainly the oracle "htmldb" home page, saying that there is no need to repeat the details in the book. On the other hand, the appendices (and other places) contain details which are readily available in manuals. I would have documented the former and referred readers to the latter.

Steps are listed in detail to perform many, often basic, functions. "and follow the prompts" would have been more than sufficient in many/most places and would have allowed the authors more space to actually get around to providing useful information. On the subject of useful information, in my opinion the manuals describe what can be done but useful information is what should be done. I purchased the book expecting the latter, that the authors would elaborate on lessons learned from experience (how-to information) so that readers would not have to go through the same pain to get workable applications most easily. But not so. The Tips and Techniques & Best Practices chapters are only 20 pages total; and are categorized as Advanced Topics. Neither is there any indication of things that logically htmldb could do for you but doesn't - such as (not) setting the max length of fields and incorporating column comments.

Want to know about checkboxes? Radio buttons? Well, don't expect to find index entries for these. Not what I would expect from a handbook.

There is detail on replacing XL and MSAccess with htmldb. Maybe this should have been left to a book on XE. In any case, I would assume that the push for this comes from the IT crowd, or some enlightened end user/developer, in order to get data under some corporate control. It is surprising therefore that there is no mention of data backups. Excel and access files are more than likely on network drives and so would be backed up periodically. Bundling multiple htmldb workspaces together might provide different challenges with respect to backup and recovery regimes.

I was not enlightened by the chapters in the Website and Application Examples section. Certainly not why I bought the book. Besides, harking back to the beginner and intermediate target audience, these examples are too complex in design. Furthermore, I half expected the source to be available so that the code could at least be examined in order to see how the design details were actually implemented. Perhaps this is more marketing than substance; though not as direct marketing as in the section on PL/SQL Error Handling.

OK, maybe I should admit that my negativity may have something to do with the fact that I am a DBA and have been using htmldb for almost a month. And that I expected the book to tell me what I now know about how to approach htmldb developments and to fill in the gaps where I am still grasping for elegant/generic solutions. It doesn't do either.

There are some good sections in the book. The sections on templates for example; though changing templates requires a reasonable knowledge of html and css (and javascript) and so is probably more an advanced topic.

If you haven't started with htmldb, application express that is, then find a simple application and some time; install XE; create a schema owner; design the schema and include surrogate PKs populated by triggers as well as defaults, FKs etc; build the tables; create views for the LOVs you need and then create the LOVs; set PICK_DATE_FORMAT_MASK; setup UI Defaults; build an application using 1 level tabs and using "form on table with report" for all tables; well, you might want tabular forms for tables that resolve M-M relationships; read the Issue Tracking tutorial from the oracle website and try out on your new website anything that you find that looks appropriate, useful or interesting; research and fix anything else that needs fixing and add anything that needs adding; get some constructive feedback; determine what the design should have been; re-jig or re-start.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Same as online documentation - save your money, March 24, 2006

By 

M. Saron - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oracle HTML DB Handbook (Oracle Press) (Paperback)

I have been using and developing htmldb (or application express) applications for the past 8 months. I needed something more than the online documentation, such as creating custom reports that go well beyond those available in the Oracle documentation or, for example, using FCK Editor as an HTML editor for text areas, or issues related to uploading and downloading of documents using html db. This book is a total repeat of the online users guide and 2-day dba. You can print the 2-day dba, 2-day developers guide and the users guide and you will get far more useful information than in this guide. This guide contains very little additional information from the documentation that comes with application express. What a total waste of money.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars There goes the bandwagon...., April 7, 2006

By 

Mr. G. Fitzsimons (Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oracle HTML DB Handbook (Oracle Press) (Paperback)

To compare APEX (formerly HTMLDB) to .NET is like comparing a ready-made-sandwich to a gourmet meal. One (APEX) is a web-page generator with extensions, the other (.NET) is a bona-fide development environment. To suggest otherwise is at best disingenuous. That said, HTMLDB has a niche. This is the first book available and it is essentially a rehash of the online documentation. It says a lot when the author posts his own review and gives it 5 stars... next..