Block Level Properties

Navigation Style property
Specifies how a Next Item or Previous Item operation is processed when the input focus is in the last navigable item or first navigable item in the block, respectively.

Same Record (Default): A Next Item operation from the block's last navigable item moves the input focus to the first navigable item in the block, in that same record.
Change Record: A Next Item operation from the block's last navigable item moves the input focus to the first navigable item in the block, in the next record. If the current record is the last record in the block and there is no open query, Form Builder creates a new record. If there is an open query in the block (the block contains queried records), Form Builder retrieves additional records as needed.
Change Block: A Next Item operation from the block's last navigable item moves the input focus to the first navigable item in the first record of the next block. Similarly, a Previous Item operation from the first navigable item in the block moves the input focus to the last item in the current record of the previous block. The Next Navigation Block and Previous Navigation Block properties can be set to redefine a block's "next" or "previous" navigation block.

Previous Navigation Block property
Specifies the name of the block that is defined as the "previous navigation block" with respect to this block. By default, this is the block with the next lower sequence in the form, as indicated by the order of blocks in the Object Navigator.

Next Navigation Block property
Specifies the name of the block that is defined as the "next navigation block" with respect to this block. By default, this is the block with the next higher sequence number in the form, as indicated by the order of blocks listed in the Object Navigator.

Query Array Size property
Specifies the maximum number of records that Form Builder should fetch from the database at one time.

Number of Records Buffered property
Specifies the minimum number of records buffered in memory during a query in the block.

Number of Records Displayed property
Specifies the maximum number of records that the block can display at one time. The default is 1 record. Setting Number of Records Displayed greater than 1 creates a multi-record block.

Query All Records property
Specifies whether all the records matching the query criteria should be fetched into the data block when a query is executed.
Yes - Fetches all records from query; equivalent to executing the EXECUTE_QUERY (ALL_RECORDS) built-in.
No - Fetches the number of records specified by the Query Array Size block property.

Record Orientation property
Determines the orientation of records in the block, either horizontal records or vertical records. When you set this property, Form Builder adjusts the display position of items in the block accordingly.

Single Record property
Specifies that the control block always should contain one record. Note that this differs from the number of records displayed in a block.

Database Block property
Specifies that the block is based on any of the following block data source types: table, procedure, transactional trigger, or sub-query. Yes or No.

Enforce Primary Key (Block) property
Indicates that any record inserted or updated in the block must have a unique key in order to avoid committing duplicate rows to the block's base table.

Query Allowed (Block) property
Specifies whether Form Builder should allow the end user or the application to execute a query in the block. When Query Allowed is No, Form Builder displays the following message if the end user attempts to query the block:
FRM-40360: Cannot query records here.

Query Data Source Type property
Specifies the query data source type for the block. A query data source type can be a Table, Procedure, Transactional Trigger, or FROM clause query.

Query Data Source Columns property
Specifies the names and datatypes of the columns associated with the block's query data source. The Query Data Source Columns property is valid only when the Query Data Source Type property is set to Table, Sub-query, or Procedure.

Query Data Source Arguments property
Specifies the names, datatypes, and values of the arguments that are to be passed to the procedure for querying data. The Query Procedure Arguments property is valid only when the Query Data Source Type property is set to Procedure.

Alias property
Establishes an alias for the table that the data block is associated with. The Data Block wizard sets the Alias property to the first letter of the table name. (For example, a table named DEPT would have a default alias of D.)

Include REF Item property
Creates a hidden item called REF for this block. This item is used internally to coordinate master-detail relationships built on a REF link. This item also can be used programmatically to access the object Id (OID) of a row in an object table.

WHERE Clause/ORDER BY Clause
The defaults WHERE Clause and default ORDER BY Clause properties specify standard SQL clauses for the default SELECT statement associated with a data block. These clauses are automatically appended to the SELECT statement that Form Builder constructs and issues whenever the operator or the application executes a query in the block.

Optimizer Hint property
Specifies a hint string that Form Builder passes on to the RDBMS optimizer when constructing queries. Using the optimizer can improve the performance of database transactions.
Insert Allowed (Block) property
Specifies whether records can be inserted in the block.

Update Allowed (Block) property
Determines whether end users can modify the values of items in the block that have the Update Allowed item property set to Yes. (Setting Update Allowed to No for the block overrides the Update Allowed setting of any items in the block.)

Locking Mode property
Specifies when Form Builder tries to obtain database locks on rows that correspond to queried records in the form. The following table describes the allowed settings for the Locking Mode property:

Automatic (default): Identical to Immediate if the datasource is an Oracle database. For other datasources, Form Builder determines the available locking facilities and behaves as much like Immediate as possible.
Immediate: Form Builder locks the corresponding row as soon as the end user presses a key to enter or edit the value in a text item.
Delayed: Form Builder locks the row only while it posts the transaction to the database, not while the end-user is editing the record. Form Builder prevents the commit action from processing if values of the fields in the block have changed when the user causes a commit action.

Delete Allowed property
Specifies whether records can be deleted from the block.

Key Mode property
Specifies how Form Builder uniquely identifies rows in the database. By default, the ORACLE database uses unique ROWID values to identify each row. Non-ORACLE databases do not include the ROWID construct, but instead rely solely on unique primary key values to identify unique rows. If you are creating a form to run against a non-ORACLE data source, you must use primary keys, and set the Key Mode block property accordingly.

Automatic (default): Specifies that Form Builder should use ROWID constructs to identify unique rows in the datasource but only if the datasource supports ROWID.
Non-Updateable: Specifies that Form Builder should not include primary key columns in any UPDATE statements. Use this setting if your database does not allow primary key values to be updated.
Unique: Instructs Form Builder to use ROWID constructs to identify unique rows in an ORACLE database.
Updateable: Specifies that Form Builder should issue UPDATE statements that include primary key values. Use this setting if your database allows primary key columns to be updated and you intend for the application to update primary key values.

Update Changed Columns Only property
When queried records have been marked as updates, specifies that only columns whose values were actually changed should be included in the SQL UPDATE statement that is sent to the database during a COMMIT. By default, Update Changed Columns Only is set to No, and all columns are included in the UPDATE statement.

Enforce Column Security property
Specifies when Form Builder should enforce update privileges on a column-by-column basis for the block's base table. If an end user does not have update privileges on a particular column in the base table, Form Builder makes the corresponding item non-updateable for this end user only, by turning off the Update Allowed item property at form startup.
Yes: Form Builder enforces the update privileges that are defined in the database for the current end user.
No: Form Builder does not enforce the defined update privileges.

DML Data Target Type property
Specifies the block's DML data target type. A DML data target type can be a Table, Procedure, or Transactional Trigger.

DML Data Target Name property
Specifies the name of the block's DML data target. The DML Data Target Name property is valid only when the DML Data Target Type property is set to Table.

Visual Attribute Group property
Specifies how the object's individual attribute settings (Font Name, Background Color, Fill Pattern, etc.) are derived.

Default: Specifies that the object should be displayed with default color, pattern, and font settings. When Visual Attribute Group is set to Default, the individual attribute settings reflect the current system defaults. The actual settings are determined by a combination of factors, including the type of object, the resource file in use, and the platform.
Named visual attribute: Specifies a named visual attribute that should be applied to the object. Named visual attributes are separate objects that you create in the Object Navigator and then apply to interface objects, much like styles in a word processing program. When Visual Attribute Group is set to a named visual attribute, the individual attribute settings reflect the attribute settings defined for the named visual attribute object. When the current form does not contain any named visual attributes, the poplist for this property will show Default.

White on Black property
Specifies that the object is to appear on a monochrome bitmap display device as white text on a black background.

Listed in Data Block Menu/Data Block Description
Specifies whether the block should be listed in the block menu and, if so, the description that should be used for the block.
Form Builder has a built-in block menu that allows end users to invoke a list of blocks in the current form by pressing [Block Menu]. When the end user selects a block from the list, Form Builder navigates to the first enterable item in the block.