Oracle Forms Developer – Form Builder Reference, Volume 1

Data Type property
Description
Specifies what kinds of values Form Builder allows as input and how Form Builder displays those
values.
Applies to check box, display item, list item, radio group, text item, custom item, and form parameter
(form parameter supports CHAR, DATE, DATETIME, and NUMBER only)
Note: All data types do not apply to each item type.
Set Form Builder
Usage Notes
• In Form Builder 6.0 and later, it is recommended that you use only the standard data types CHAR,
DATE, DATETIME, and NUMBER for data. These data types are based on native ORACLE data
types, and offer better performance and application portability. The other data types are valid only
for text items, and are included primarily for compatibility with previous versions. You can achieve
the same formatting characteristics by using a standard data type with an appropriate format mask.
• The data type of a base table item must be compatible with the data type of the corresponding
database column. Use the CHAR data type for items that correspond to ORACLE VARCHAR2
database columns.
• Do not create items that correspond to database CHAR columns if those items will be used in
queries or as the join condition for a master-detail relation; use VARCHAR2 database columns
instead.
• Form Builder will perform the following actions on items, as appropriate:
remove any trailing blanks
change the item to NULL if it consists of all blanks
remove leading zeros if the data type is NUMBER, INT, MONEY, RINT, RMONEY, or RNUMBER
(unless the item’s format mask permits leading zeros)
• The form parameter Data Type property supports the data types CHAR, DATE, and NUMBER.
ALPHA
Contains any combination of letters (upper and/or lower case).
646
Default Null
Example "Employee", "SMITH"
CHAR
Supports VARCHAR2 up to 2000 characters. Contains any combination of the following characters:
• Letters (upper and/or lower case)
• Digits
• Blank spaces