DataLoad V4 Users Guide

Introduction to DataLoadDataLoad V4 is a Windows program that enables the user to take control and manipulate other applications. Although DataLoad is aimed at forms based applications, and in particular Oracle Applications, it can be used with any program running in the Windows environment, including Java based software. Previous versions of this tool were written as an Excel macro and V3.x will continue to be developed in this format. For reasons of improved performance, reliability and functionality, however, the software was re-written as a standalone Windows application. This standalone version is numbered 4.X.Every Oracle Applications implementation requires data and setup information to be loaded in the database before the system goes live. Furthermore, there are often requirements to regularly load or amend data in the system once it has gone live. Oracle provides open interfaces into the Applications that are normally used for this purpose. The "DataLoad" or "Cut and Paste" tool was developed to automate the manipulation of the Application's forms by simulating key presses, providing an alternative method for entering or manipulating data. Control of the forms not only includes the sending of data to the form fields, but also the issuing of any commands which can be accessed from the menus, by keystroke combinations, or from button presses. Thus, data can be entered, amended or deleted, forms can be opened or closed and changes saved or rejected, for example. All data is entered through Oracle forms so there are no support implications by using this tool and data is validated by the application in the normal way. Frequently Asked QuestionsQ. Can I use DataLoad with Oracle Applications 11i?A. DataLoad works with any Windows based applications and as long as 11i continues to support Copy & Paste, etc, there will be no issues using DataLoad with 11i. A number of changes have been made to shortcuts in 11i, therefore the commands.dat file does need to be updated to reflect these changes. The revised commands file is available to download.Q. How do I toggle a checkbox?A. Use a single space in the cell or the *SB commandQ. How do I select an item from a pick drop down list?A. Values can be selected by the first letter of the value. Where 2 values begin with the same letter, repeating the letter moves down the list. For example:Column containing I would select IndirectColumn containing C would select ContractColumn containing CC would select CapitalQ. Some keystrokes are sent to forms but data isn't, why?A. This happens when Copy and Paste isn't working in the NCA forms, which may be caused by two different problems. First, when your applet is unsigned, i.e. your windows have yellow bars at their base copy and paste doesn't work. Run 'appscert.bat' to create the 'identitydb.obj' file. Second, Copy & Paste won't work in flexfields until 11.0.3 and patch 857097 have been applied.Q. The DataLoad spreadsheet isn't big enough, how do I make it bigger?A.DataLoad versions prior to V4.1 had a fixed grid size, but inserting rows or column using "Edit, Insert…" where data has already been entered would add rows or columns to the grid. V4.1 and beyond have grids whose size is limited only by the PC's memory.Q. How do I send non-printing keys like the function keys (F1…F12) to the target window?A. First, precede your data with a \ (backslash) to indicate you want to send keystrokes. Then use the appropriate character code - see Sending Keystrokes.Q. What is the latest version of DataLoad?A. V4.1.0.1 (standalone) and V3.2 (macro) are the latest versions.Q. When I start the load the first 1 or 2 fields are missed but this only happens at the start, why?A. This appears to be a forms issue. You have to work around this by adding keystrokes at the start of your load to compensate for this.Q. Why isn't the window I want listed in the Window Name drop down box?A. Prior to V4.1 only running Oracle NCA forms were listed in this list. If you want to use a window which isn't Oracle NCA, or an Oracle form which isn't currently running, type the window name in this box manually. V4.1 and beyond lists all active widows.Q. Why doesn't the Oracle pick list respond when I send data to it?A. You must send data to a pick list as keystrokes, not the default DataLoad cut and paste. Prefix your data with a \ (backslash) to force DataLoad to simulate keystrokes.Q. Will DataLoad start automatically when I double click on a .dld or tab delimited file?A. Yes, if you configure Windows to do this. Double click on a .dld file (or your tab delimited file) and in the "Open With" dialog box click on the "Other" button and select dataload.exe in the directory when it was unloaded. Enter a description for .dld files and press OK.Q. I am using 10SC and commands like *PB and *SAVE won't work. Why?A. Before V4.1 the built in commands were scripted for NCA and wouldn't work with the different keyboard shortcuts used in 10SC and other applications. You could, however, write powerful keyboard control statements in DataLoad which give you access to all combinations of keyboard characters. Use these to access new or unsupported commands. See Sending Keystrokes. V4.1 introduced "Command groups" that allow you to specify which command definitions should be used.Q. I have a large amount of data that I need to send as keystrokes, not using Copy & Paste. How can I quickly prefix this data with the necessary '\'?A. DataLoad has functionality to change single or multiple cells to & from keystroke and Copy & Paste cells. Use "Convert To…" from the Edit or grid pop-up menus to access this functionality. See Convert To.Q. Can I change the names of the command groups in V4.1, or add or delete groups.A. Yes. The commands.dat file holds the command definitions in a TAB delimited format. Simply edit this file and you can have as many command groups as you want with names of your choice.Q. Can I use DataLoad with Windows 2000?A. DataLoad has not been tested with Windows 2000 and until there is greater takeup of this OS and it is certified by Oracle for use as a client OS with Applications there won't be any specific testing. However, if the backward compatibility of 2000 with NT is as good as has been claimed there should be no issues running DataLoad with 2000. DataLoad New FeaturesThis section lists the new features and fixes included in each version of DataLoad.Version 4.1.0.1Bug Fixes∙Delays failed when used with decimal values.∙*SB command was incorrectly defined.Version 4.1Version 4.1 contains a large number of enhancements and new features. Please click here for a full list.Version 4.0.2New Features∙Automatically colour grid cells according to their contents:∙- Data Cells- Keystroke Cells- Command Cells∙New load commands:∙*FI Find*FA Find all*CW(window)Change window to window*QE Query enter*QR Query run*CL Clear field*IR Insert record∙Fill command (right, left, up, down), like Excel.∙Columns can be automatically sized to fit the cell text.∙Column widths are now saved in the .dld file.Bug Fixes∙DataLoad failed to open .dld files which used a decimal point separator different to the current system default.∙TprogressBar property out of range error occasionally occurred at the start of a load.∙Couldn’t copy & Paste to Window Name box.∙There were a number of problems when selecting cells using the keyboard, especially when adjusting a selection made using the mouse.∙Deleting, inserting or clearing rows or columns didn't always turn on saving.Version 4.0.1.1Bug Fixes∙ A file name passed on the command line to DataLoad didn't open and caused an error.∙Hourglass option wasn't saved in the .dld file.∙The "NEW" command didn't reset any changes in the Delays and Options forms.∙The "NEW" command didn't reset columns & rows to their default sizes.Version 4.0.1New Features∙Mobile progress bar indicates load progress.∙Title form changed to allow editing of all titles in one go.∙Double clicking on header row opens title editing.∙DataLoad can wait for a user defined duration while the cursor is hourglass∙File save icon & menu item greyed out when there is nothing to save.∙DataLoad prompts to save spreadsheet if it has changed and you are closing the spreadsheet.∙Function to clear single, multiple or all titles.∙Full Windows 98 compatability.Bug Fixes∙Paste sometimes caused divide by zero errors.∙Double clicking on the fixed row or column caused problems.∙On NT the grid selection was lost after the load completed.∙The load duration did not display correctly on all PCs.∙Security rules demo spreadsheet failed to set include/exclude properly.∙Multiple line pastes occasionally lost the final line.∙Copy added an extranious carriage return to the end of text copied to clipboard.Version 4.0∙DataLoad implemented as a standalone Windows 32 bit application.∙- Improved performance, reliability and stability.- Dedicated DataLoad interface.- No dependancy on Excel.- Vastly increased scope of potential future functionality.∙Control of delays increased and improved, including access to low level delays.∙DataLoad file format introduced to save setup information as well as data.∙Documentation re-written as Windows help file.∙Control of keystrokes made easier and the keys available to the user increased.Version 3.2∙New load commands:∙*FI Find*FA Find all*CW(window)Change window to window*QE Query enter*QR Query run*CL Clear field*IR Insert record∙AutoTabbing feature added with customisable no tab prefix..Minor Changes to Version 3.19-Feb-99, 3.1b *BM added for block menu.29-Jan-99, 3.1a *NF & *PF use menus not TAB key.Version 3.1∙*ST command updated for fields where cursor isn't at the start.∙Added DoEvents in SendExtKey sub to prevent extended keys being left 'down'.∙Added DoEvents to prevent first char sent to a form getting lost.∙Error handling added.∙Form activation improved:∙- Allows looping until valid name entered or Cancel pressed.∙Name cells can be used to define:∙-the form to be activated.-a delay after every TAB.-a delay after every ENT.-a delay after every *SAVE or *SP.-a delay after every cell.-a delay after every data load.-report on timing statitics.∙Loading can be halted with Esc key.∙*NR & *PR use menus not arrow keys.∙Documentation rewritten.∙Demo macro ammended to work with NCA.∙Example Excel data files supplied.Version 3.0∙Rewritten to work with NCA∙- Key sending mechanism changed.- Key mapping changed.- Extra commands added.Version 2.3∙Save command added.Version 2.2∙Single spacebar added.Version 2.0∙Extra navigation paths included.∙Improved performance.Version 1.0∙Initial release.NB. Versions 1.0 and 2.0 were written by Martin Birch, while versions 2.2 and 2.3 were written by Luther Armstrong.DataLoad for DummiesDataload works great if you can figure out what you are supposed to do toget it working.. Basically what your are trying to do is get data into anOracle table and Dataload is a HUGE time saver. Here’s what you needto do step by step.1.Open the Oracle Form you want to load data into(Example the Asset Fiscal Years Form)2.Begin by manually entering the data you want in the form.Starting with the Fiscal Year Name box. Write down your keystrokes on a piece of paper For Example: Fa Fiscal Year TAB Fa Fiscal Year TAB 01-Sep-50 TAB 31-Aug-51 TAB 1951 TABNotice after that last tab it automatically fills in the next record3.Now you are ready to use the DataLoad program4.Open the DataLoad version 4.1.0.1 program5.Make sure the form you want you want to load datainto is open.6.Click the drop down box for WINDOW NAME andselect “Asset Fiscal Years” or the form name you areusing. The form name should appear in thewindow as long as you have that form open on yourPC.7.In the DESCRIPTION box type a description forexample FAXSURFYR 11.0.2 (form name & version)8.Click the drop down box for COMMAND GROUPand select NCA (OR 11i)9.Click in the first cell of the Grid and type your firstkeystroke FA FISCAL YEAR10.Move to the next cell and type your next keystrokeTAB11.Continue until you have typed all the keystrokes you wrote down from Step #2 above.12.Click the SEND DATA TO FORM BUTTON13.Click OK to “Load all cells”14.Watch Dataload – load your data into your form.15.Save your Form**Note if some of your data is in an Excel spreadsheet you can Copy (Ctrl C) and Paste (Ctrl V) from Excel to DataLoad.。