Making the move from Forms to Apex: What a developer needs to know

It's been close to 5 months since I first dipped my toes in the waters of Oracle Application Express and whilst I am not foolish enough to yet claim the status of expert, I believe I've travelled far enough down the road to be able to advise those coming behind me.

This entry is aimed mostly at Oracle Forms developers who are thinking of taking up Apex. I know you: I was you.

The most comforting thing about Oracle Forms is its insularity - it's a small, closed world which one can easily conquer. All you need do is master PL/SQL and a few Forms trigger/validation tricks and you're basically there. But you and I both know that despite Oracle's half-hearted protestations the road Forms is travelling down is a dead-end. It's time to get out.

So what do you need to know or do if you want to jump ship to Application Express?

1. You already have the tools: The good news is that your PL/SQL skills are not redundant. Validations, page processes, LOVs and lots more in Apex are - or can be - coded in PL/SQL. Which means that you're practically ready to get started. However...
2. You do not have all the tools: I don't know about you, but as a Forms developer after I'd mastered PL/SQL I never really did that much studying. If you're thinking of transferring to Apex be prepared to go back to hitting the books. PL/SQL is useful, but it's not all you'll need. Because Apex is a web technology and is reasonably open you'll need to be familiar with other web technologies. You will definitely need to learn HTML and JavaScript; you'll probably want to acquaint yourself with Ajax and CSS. You may want to look into DHTML; I have needed to dabble with a bit of Flash. The list is endless so be prepared to study. However...
3. Don't expect to find any books: Cos there aren't any at the moment. I've had this book on pre-order for close to a year and it's been pushed back more times than Bruce Willis's hairline. However...
4. The internet is full of resources: You've somehow found your way to this blog. Good. You're obviously intelligent and discerning; probably drop-dead gorgeous too. No need to be modest about it. However you'll find the Apex forum even more useful. Also take a look at Oracle's documentation (the 2 Day developer's guide is a very good start, and if you work your way through the User's guide you won't need to spend thousands of pounds/euros/dollars/naira on an Apex course). You'll also want to keep an eye on the growing army of Apex blogs: the Apex Blog Aggregator is the best way to do so. With all of this you'll be ready to get started with Application Express. However...
5. You will want to install the ApexLib framework: the ApexLib framework is an Application Express add-on developed by a guy named Patrick Wolf. It's a pl/sql-javascript brew that adds an extra layer of user-friendliness and developer-friendliness to Apex. If you're a newbie you might not, as yet, appreciate it's full impact but - trust me - it's brilliant. (If you're a little worried that Apex should need an add-on, don't be. Instead appreciate the fact that you're moving to an IDE that allows the development of add-ons. We didn't get that in the closed shop of Forms! I don't currently know that many other Apex add-ons - tho you can buy some extra themes from ApexSkins - but I'm sure others will appear with time.) Finally...
6. You will want to bear in mind the differences between Forms and Apex: Perhaps the most frustrating thing when you start developing in Apex is actually a little thing. You have reduced control over the actual look of your application. You know how you can draw and size and align and position text items in Forms' WYSIWYG editor, right? Well, because Apex is a web technology you have no such luxury. It's a small thing but it may irritate you. But the fact that you even notice that tells you how short the learning curve is. I guarantee you that you'll be up and running in no time.

So should you make the jump from Forms to Apex? In my opinion you should. In my experience Apex has been welcoming, robust and reliable. In Apex you can develop forms as rapidly as you would in Oracle Forms: debugging them is not necessarily a breeze, but then debugging is more of a bitch in Forms.

Of course I cannot guarantee you that Oracle Application Express will enjoy the longevity of Oracle Forms - as a matter of fact, I doubt that in today's fast-changing world any tool will last that long. However, for the Oracle Forms developer, still hobbled by Forms' closed shop, it is - again this is just my opinion - the best introduction to the wider world of web technologies. So if/when Apex does disappear you and I will be armed and ready to attack the next big thing.