Oracle Application Express 3.2 – The Essentials and More Review

Oracle Application Express or APEX is a software development tool made for rapid website and online application deployment. It’s a freeware that was first launched in 2006 as HTML DB which was set to cater demands for rapid development of online applications. It is becoming a popular tool for Oracle because developers can easily use the application without spending any fee. Of course, there are some caveats as the application developed can be implemented online in Oracle’s server and the use of this server is not free. But considering the stability offered by Oracle – developers who wanted to create online applications for enterprises should see a great advantage when working with Oracle Application Express.

APEX from Oracle largely focuses on online database management (thus the previous name HTML DB). But instead of a simple SQL tool to effectively deal with data, APEX has allowed developers to create a fully functional application that can be launched online.

This book tries to explain the basics and the advanced features of Oracle Application Express. Explaining everything about this tool from Oracle is actually a tall order which makes this book very interesting for those who wanted to use the technology in rapidly building online applications.

About the Authors

Arie Geller and Matthew Lyon are experienced software developers with vast experience in implementing IT on various industries. Arie Grier has been working with this online development tool from Oracle when it was still HTML DB and he continues to use APEX for implementation in various industries. Matthew Lyon also has vast experience in online applications development specifically on APEX. Like Arie Grier, he has used Oracle’s tool since it was named HTML DB. Because of his vast experience with APEX, he also works as an APEX instructor for various software companies.

First Impression of the Book

Oracle Application Express 3.2 – The Essentials and More is a massive book as it comes with more than 600 pages. The book has 24 chapters which is a lot compared to an average book released by PackT. It also has one Appendix that contains additional data which should be helpful when working with APEX. The extensive discussion on Oracle Application Express should be expected because this book tries to explain practically everything about the development tool.

The Chapters

As indicated, the book contains 24 chapters and one appendix but they can be easily grouped into four based on their topics.

The Basic APEX Functions (Chapters 1-16)

The first 16 chapters try to explain every tool that would be encountered when using APEX. Like most literatures for software development, the book starts with an extensive explanation on why developers should consider using APEX and how APEX would work in various business setting. A chapter is also dedicated to basic terms and concepts when working with APEX. The later chapters are dedicated for functions that will be encountered when using APEX. Aside from simple functions such as buttons and items, the book also covers database management tools such working with SQL, forms and reports.

The first 16 chapters basically create a strong foundation for every developer as it tries to explain how to create an application based on APEX. This alone could be a book in itself as it provides extensive information about every major function in APEX.

Extending Your APEX (Chapters 17 – 19)

These chapters practically explain why APEX is a very interesting tool for online applications. Chapter 17 explains what a developer can implement APEX with Ajax. The result in combining these technologies is actually an online Ajax based application with extensive database support because of APEX. Chapter 18 provides a detailed discussion on localization and globalization. This part is relatively simple but there are a few considerations about APEX every developer should know to ensure localization of their application. Chapter 19 focuses on a unique APEX support for Right-to-Left applications. This is another form of localization but will require special consideration because implementation it will require usage of different characters and the layout is from right to left. This chapter practically shows the ability of authors on APEX as they can deal with this unique requirement.

Implementing APEX (Chapters 20-24)

The final chapters of the book provide detailed instructions on how to properly implement APEX. Of course, every developer is familiar on how to launch an online application but this part of the book enumerates the considerations every developer should remember when working with APEX. A chapter is dedicated to APEX Runtime Environment which is very important for every developer to understand. The runtime environment for APEX should be understood as this will help developers easily troubleshoot the application in case something is wrong or an update is required in the online application. The most interesting chapter in this part of the book is the final chapter. In chapter 24, the authors practically revealed their “secrets” on how to implement APEX. The best practices for APEX are discussed in this chapter and the authors explained every practice and on how they can be useful in the online application.

Appendix

There’s only one appendix in the book but it deservers some mention because of the information it contains. In fact, this part should have been added in the main chapters but the authors added them in appendix so that it could be used as a reference guide or basically a “cheat sheet” when working with APEX.

The appendix provides details on how developers can obtain a copy of APEX and what should be read (documentation) before starting with the online tool. There’s also a part in the appendix that discusses about the data launched in APEX and the application itself. This part of the book emphasizes the importance on backing up your data and the application created through APEX. The most interesting part of the book is on the discussion of upgrade. This is very important because it will happen to any online application especially on business setting. Specifically, the upgrades on appendix focus on instance, images, themes and templates.

Code Samples and Screen Shots

The best feature of the book is the extensive discussion of each code implemented in APEX. There are a lot of code samples shown in the book that can be actually used in the online application. There are also screenshots that would provide additional information on how to work APEX. Of course, some of the samples used in the book leads to a specific online application but they can be used as clues as these codes take advantage of the functions used in APEX.

Intended Audience of the Book

This book is perfect for developers who wanted to start strong in implementing APEX based applications. The basic information is very helpful that developers can practically read the book while building the application as it can be used as a reference. This is also a perfect book for experience developers of APEX as this can be used as a knowledge base or another reference book in case they wanted to use a function they rarely use in APEX. The appendix is very useful for every developer for APEX as the important facts about the application especially on upgrades is discussed in this part of the book.