Custom.pll in Oracle Application

Custom Library (custom.pll) allows to extend/customize Oracle Applications form(Oracle Form) without changing or modifying Oracle Applications code. Examples may include enforcing a new business rule, opening a form using zoom etc. Most of the things that we can do using custom.pll, we can achieve that using Forms Personalization. Since Custom.pll takes the full advantage of PL/SQL so it is having an edge over Forms Personalization for complex customizations.

CUSTOM.pll is used to add extensions to Oracle’s form Functionality. Some of the common scenarios
 where CUSTOM.pll can be used are:

1. Enabling/Disabling the fields
2. Changing the List of Values in a LOV field at runtime
3. Defaulting values
4. Additional record level validations
5. Navigation to other screens
6. Enabling Special Menu

Where is this located?
Custom.pll is located in $AU_TOP/resource Directory.

How to add code to this?
Open this pll using the Form builder and make changes to the program units.

How to compile this PLL?
 Once you make changes you need to compile the pll. Use the F60gen to compile it

f60gen module=custom.pll userid=APPS/ output_file=$AU_TOP/resource/custom.plx module_type=library batch=no compile_all=special

While writing code inside custom.pll we should consider following things:
1. We should not run any SQL statement inside this, we can use record group.
2. We should not perform any DML operations, instead we should call database procedure and functions for the same.

For following Events call will go to CUSTOM Library:
 
WHEN–FORM–NAVIGATE
WHEN–NEW–FORM–INSTANCE
WHEN–NEW–BLOCK–INSTANCE
WHEN–NEW–RECORD–INSTANCE
WHEN–NEW–ITEM–INSTANCE
WHEN–VALIDATE–RECORD
SPECIALn (where n is a number between 1 and 45)
ZOOM
EXPORT
KEY–Fn (where n is a number between 1-8)
Custom Library contains Custom Package which is having two Functions and one procedure.

1] ZOOM_AVAILABLE:
This function allows you to specify if zooms exist for the current context. If zooms are available for this block, then return TRUE else return FALSE. This routine is called on a per-block basis within every Applications form from the WHEN-NEW-BLOCK-INSTANCE trigger. Therefore, any code that will enable Zoom must test the current form and block from which the call is being made. By default this routine must return FALSE.

Sample code1:

function zoom_available return Boolean is

    form_name  varchar2(30) := name_in('system.current_form');

    block_name varchar2(30) := name_in('system.cursor_block');

begin

    if (form_name = 'DEMXXEOR' and block_name = 'ORDERS') then

      return TRUE;

    else

      return FALSE;

    end if;

end zoom_available;

Sample code2:

function zoom_available return Boolean is

    form_name  varchar2(30) := name_in('system.current_form');

    block_name varchar2(30) := name_in('system.cursor_block');

begin

   if (form_name = 'APXINWKB' and block_name = 'INV_SUM_FOLDER')

     then

      return TRUE;

    elsif (form_name = 'APXINWKB' and block_name = 'LINE_SUM_FOLDER')

     then

      return TRUE;

    else

      return FALSE;

    end if;

end zoom_available;

2] STYLE:

This function returns a integer value. This function allows to override the execution style of Product specific events, but it doesn’t effect generic events like when-new-form-instance. Possible return values are:
1. custom.before
2. custom.after
3. custom.override
4. custom.standard
By default it returns custom.standard.

Sample code:

function custom.style(event_name varchar2) return integer is

begin

     if event_name = ’MY_CUSTOM_EVENT’ then

     return custom.override;

     else

     return custom.standard;

     end if;

end style;

3] EVENT: 
This procedure allows you to execute your code at specific events including:
  –    ZOOM
  –    WHEN-NEW-FORM-INSTANCE
  –    WHEN-NEW-BLOCK-INSTANCE
  –    WHEN-NEW-RECORD-INSTANCE
  –    WHEN-NEW-ITEM-INSTANCE
  –    WHEN-VALIDATE-RECORD
By default this routine must perform ‘null;’

Sample code:

procedure event(event_name varchar2) is

form_name varchar2(30) := name_in(’system.current_form’);

block_name varchar2(30) := name_in(’system.cursor_block’);

begin

     if (form_name = 'XXBI' and block_name = 'xxcc') Then

        if(event_name = 'WHEN-NEW-FORM-INSTNACE')

           --Write your code here

     elsif(event_name = 'WHEN-VALIDATE-RECORD')THEN

           --Write your code here

     else

          null

       end if;

     end if;

end;

How to make the changes get affected?

Once you make all the necessary changes, compile the pll and generate the PLX file. Since the CUSTOM library is loaded once for a given session, a user must log out of the application and sign-on again before any changes will become apparent.

Forms Personalization: an alternative of custom.pll

In older versions, prior to 11i, Custom.PLL was most prominently used for adding additional features in the seeded form but the latest version of Oracle EBS comes with the feature called as Forms Personalization which allows even an end user to alter the seeded forms functionality using an user interface called the Personalization form.

Advantages of Forms Personalization over Custom.PLL:

• Forms personalization can be used by an user with limited PL/SQL knowledge. 
• Changes take place immediately on reopening the form.
• Anything which can be done using Custom.PLL can be done using Forms Personalization also.
• Personalizations are stored in base tables related to Form Personalization.
• CUSTOM.pll is a single file/entity, hence only one developer can make changes to CUSTOM.pll at any given point in time. This is not a restriction in Forms personalization.
• Easy to disable/enable with click of a button.
• Can be moved easily through FNDLOAD from one instance to other.
• Can be restricted at site/responsibility/user level.
• Personalization stores who columns with which we have the ability to track who created/modified it where as in CUSTOM.PLL we don’t have that ability.