Protected

In some cases, you may want to create a descriptive flexfield that cannot be inadvertently changed by an installer or user. This type of flexfield is called a protected descriptive flexfield. You build a protected descriptive flexfield the same way you build a normal descriptive flexfield. The main difference is that you check the Protected check box after defining your segment structures. Once a descriptive flexfield is protected, you cannot query or change its definition using the Descriptive Flexfield Segments window. You should define your descriptive flexfield segments before you change the Protected check box.

Reference Fields Window

Use this window to specify any form fields that might serve as descriptive flexfield reference fields. Your flexfield can use values in one of these fields (context field values) to determine which flexfield structure to display.

Columns

These are columns of the table that would to be used in the DFF. You may declare all columns here even if they are not being used in the DFF presently.

Save the changes and close the form. You need to define the structure of the DFF now. To do this open the Segments form using the path Application Developer à Flexfield à Descriptive à Segments.

Figure 14. DFF Segments Form

The segment form as shown in the figure 14 above is used to enter the context field values upon which the prompts in the pop-up would depend. The EMP and APL are the values that a user would enter in the context prompt for the DFF. The pop-up would decide the prompts on the basis of this value.

Global Data Elements are those prompts which would be displayed in the all the values for the context prompt.

To determine the structure of the DFF on APL context value, click on segments button at the bottom when the APL value in Context Field Values is selected. The fields to be entered are shown in figure 15 below.

Figure 15. Prompts for the APL context value

Figure 16 below shows the prompts for the EMP context value.

Figure 16. Prompts for the EMP context value

Save the changes and click on compile to freeze the DFF definition. You may optionally use the Value Sets for the values to be entered in the various prompts.

The DFF is now ready to be used from the form. To enable the DFF on the form, follow the steps below.

Open the form using the form builder and write the following code in WHEN-NEW-FORM-INSTANCE trigger of the form. Standard forms (already defined by oracle) will have this code already present in the appropriate triggers.

FND_DESCR_FLEX.DEFINE (
BLOCK=> 'TEST_DESC',
FIELD=> 'DESC_FLEX_TEST',
APPL_SHORT_NAME=>'HR',
DESC_FLEX_NAME=>'DESC_FLEX_TEST'
);

Where BLOCK is the name of block containing DFF item
FIELD is the DFF item on form
APPL_SHORT_NAME is the short name of the application with which the flex field is registered
DESC_FLEX_NAME is the name of the registered flexfield (Step 3)

Also write the following code in 'WHEN-NEW-ITEM-INSTANCE' at the form level:
FND_FLEX.EVENT ('WHEN-NEW-ITEM-INSTANCE');

The DFF would look like as shown in the figure 18 and figure 19 below depending upon the context value provided in the form as shown in figure 17 below.

Figure 17. Context Prompt

Figure 18. Prompt for APL Context Value

Figure 19. Prompt for EMP Context value

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is the difference between key flexfield and Descriptive flexfield?
2. What are context sensitive segments in descriptive flexfields?
3. What is the significance of structure id in key flexfields?
4. Can we use other columns (beside attributes) as segments for DFF?
5. Which procedure should be used to make the DFF read only at run time?
6. What is the significance of cross validate segments in the Key flexfield structure screen (figure 6)?
7. What is the significance of reference field in a DFF?
8. How do I enter the default value of Key flexfield or DFF segment?
9. What is the difference between flexfield qualifier and segment qualifier?
10. How do I define global segment qualifier?
11. Which procedure should be called to enable a DFF in a form?
12. Do we need to register Standard DFF’s?
13. Are the value sets mandatory for DFF segments?
14. What is the maximum number of segments that can be defined for KFF?
15. How do I enable a database column to use it in a DFF segment?

First Page: Oracle Apps Implementing Key Flex field and Descriptive Flex field