Oracle® Configurator Developer
`
`User’s Guide
`
`Release 11i for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0
`
`April 2000
`
`Part No. A73280-05
`
`CONFIGIT 1003
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`

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`Oracle Configurator Developer User’s Guide, Release 11i for Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0
`
`Part No. A73280-05
`
`Copyright © 1996, 2000, Oracle Corporation. All rights reserved.
`
`Authors: Denise Boyer, Tina Brand, Mark Sawtelle, Jan Stetson
`
`The Programs (which include both the software and documentation) contain proprietary information of
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`
`Program Documentation is licensed for use solely to support the deployment of the Programs and not for
`any other purpose.
`
`The information contained in this document is subject to change without notice. If you find any problems
`in the documentation, please report them to us in writing. Oracle Corporation does not warrant that this
`document is error free. Except as may be expressly permitted in your license agreement for these
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`respective owners.
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`Contents
`
`Send Us Your Comments ................................................................................................................... xi
`
`Preface........................................................................................................................................................... xiii
`Intended Audience ............................................................................................................................... xiii
`Structure................................................................................................................................................. xiii
`Related Documents.............................................................................................................................. xiv
`Conventions.......................................................................................................................................... xiv
`
`1 Introduction
`Welcome to Oracle Configurator Developer ................................................................................. 1–1
`What is a Configurator ................................................................................................................ 1–1
`Building a Configurator with Oracle Configurator Developer ............................................. 1–2
`Plan your Project................................................................................................................................. 1–2
`Multi-User Development Strategy............................................................................................. 1–4
`Design your Configuration Model.................................................................................................. 1–4
`Identify your Product Data ......................................................................................................... 1–4
`Design your Configuration Rules .............................................................................................. 1–5
`Quick Tour of Oracle Configurator Developer............................................................................. 1–5
`Getting Help with Oracle Configurator Developer..................................................................... 1–6
`Product Support .................................................................................................................................. 1–6
`
`2 Constructing a Configurator
`The Oracle Runtime Configurator .................................................................................................. 2–1
`Managing an Oracle Configurator Developer Project................................................................. 2–2
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`The Overall Process ........................................................................................................................... 2–2
`Language Support in Oracle Configurator ................................................................................... 2–4
`The Project........................................................................................................................................... 2–4
`Opening an Existing Project....................................................................................................... 2–4
`Creating a New Project ............................................................................................................... 2–4
`The Item Master ................................................................................................................................. 2–5
`Importing Data into the Item Master ............................................................................................. 2–5
`Modifying the Item Master.............................................................................................................. 2–6
`Adding a New Item Type........................................................................................................... 2–6
`Adding a New Item..................................................................................................................... 2–7
`Changing the Item Type of an Item .......................................................................................... 2–7
`Editing an Item or Item Type..................................................................................................... 2–7
`Deleting an Item or Item Type................................................................................................... 2–7
`The Model ........................................................................................................................................... 2–7
`Properties............................................................................................................................................. 2–9
`The Imported BOM Model ............................................................................................................ 2–10
`Adding Structure to the Imported BOM Model ........................................................................ 2–11
`Assemble to Order Rules................................................................................................................ 2–12
`Building Model Structure .............................................................................................................. 2–14
`Creating a Product..................................................................................................................... 2–15
`Creating a Component.............................................................................................................. 2–15
`Creating a Feature...................................................................................................................... 2–16
`Creating an Option .................................................................................................................... 2–16
`Creating a Total or Resource.................................................................................................... 2–16
`Using Populators.............................................................................................................................. 2–17
`The Define Populator Dialog ................................................................................................... 2–17
`Creating a Populator ................................................................................................................. 2–19
`The Configuration Rules................................................................................................................ 2–20
`Configuration Rules and Logic State ...................................................................................... 2–21
`Logical Relationships ................................................................................................................ 2–21
`Requires....................................................................................................................................... 2–22
`Implies ......................................................................................................................................... 2–22
`Excludes ...................................................................................................................................... 2–23
`Negates........................................................................................................................................ 2–23
`Defaults ....................................................................................................................................... 2–24
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`Summary of Logical Relationships ......................................................................................... 2–24
`All True and Any True ............................................................................................................. 2–25
`Types of Configuration Rules .................................................................................................. 2–25
`Rule Folders................................................................................................................................ 2–26
`Enable and Disable Rules ......................................................................................................... 2–26
`Enforcing Logical Relationships.............................................................................................. 2–27
`Building Configuration Rules....................................................................................................... 2–29
`Building Logic Rules....................................................................................................................... 2–30
`To Build Logic Rules ................................................................................................................. 2–30
`Building Numeric Rules................................................................................................................. 2–31
`Contributes to............................................................................................................................. 2–31
`Consumes from.......................................................................................................................... 2–31
`Negative Contributions ............................................................................................................ 2–32
`Unknown Values and Rule Propagation ............................................................................... 2–32
`To Build Numeric Rules ........................................................................................................... 2–33
`Building Comparison Rules .......................................................................................................... 2–34
`To Build Comparison Rules ..................................................................................................... 2–34
`Building Property-based Compatibilities................................................................................... 2–35
`To Build Property-based Compatibility Rules ...................................................................... 2–35
`Building Explicit Compatibilities ................................................................................................ 2–36
`To Build Explicit Compatibility Rules.................................................................................... 2–37
`Building Design Charts.................................................................................................................. 2–37
`To Build Design Charts............................................................................................................. 2–42
`Advanced Expressions .................................................................................................................... 2–44
`The Advanced Expression Editor ................................................................................................. 2–45
`Building Advanced Expressions................................................................................................... 2–51
`Operators .................................................................................................................................... 2–51
`Precedence of Operators........................................................................................................... 2–52
`Operands..................................................................................................................................... 2–53
`Functions..................................................................................................................................... 2–53
`Advanced Expression Errors ................................................................................................... 2–54
`To Build Advanced Expressions for Rules ............................................................................ 2–55
`Building Functional Companions ................................................................................................ 2–55
`Rules that Relate Optional Components .................................................................................... 2–56
`The User Interface............................................................................................................................ 2–57
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`How the Oracle Runtime Configurator Displays the Model .............................................. 2–57
`Oracle SellingPoint Application ....................................................................................... 2–57
`Oracle Configurator Window: Java Applet .................................................................... 2–58
`Oracle Configurator Window: DHTML.......................................................................... 2–58
`Elements of the Generic User Interface .................................................................................. 2–59
`How the Model Shapes the User Interface............................................................................. 2–59
`Data Fields ........................................................................................................................... 2–60
`Data Field Labels ................................................................................................................ 2–60
`Generating a New User Interface ............................................................................................ 2–60
`Customizing the Generic User Interface ..................................................................................... 2–62
`Editing User Interface Objects ...................................................................................................... 2–62
`Editing in the Attributes View................................................................................................. 2–62
`Font ....................................................................................................................................... 2–63
`Picture................................................................................................................................... 2–63
`Color ..................................................................................................................................... 2–63
`Editing in the Preview Window .............................................................................................. 2–63
`Customizing the User Interface Default Settings...................................................................... 2–63
`Changing the User Interface Default Settings ....................................................................... 2–64
`Customizing the Product Selection Section Default Settings................................................. 2–65
`Changing Product Selection Section Default Settings.......................................................... 2–65
`Customizing the Display of the Components Tree ................................................................... 2–66
`Changing the Display Style...................................................................................................... 2–66
`Customizing Screen Display Settings ......................................................................................... 2–66
`Changing the Screen Display Settings.................................................................................... 2–66
`Creating new User Interface Screens ........................................................................................... 2–67
`Customizing Screen Design........................................................................................................... 2–67
`Customizing the Title Bitmap .................................................................................................. 2–67
`Adding Pictures to a Screen ..................................................................................................... 2–68
`Adding Text to a Screen............................................................................................................ 2–69
`Adding Buttons to a Screen...................................................................................................... 2–69
`Text and Graphics on Buttons .......................................................................................... 2–70
`To Add Buttons to a Screen............................................................................................... 2–70
`Customizing Features, Totals, and Resources....................................................................... 2–71
`Changing Feature, Total, and Resource, Nodes.................................................................... 2–71
`Hiding Components from User Interface Display .................................................................... 2–72
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`To Hide a Component............................................................................................................... 2–72
`Test/Debug ........................................................................................................................................ 2–73
`Testing your Model ................................................................................................................... 2–74
`Testing your Configuration Rules........................................................................................... 2–74
`Testing your User Interface...................................................................................................... 2–75
`Configuring an Item in an Oracle Configurator Window................................................... 2–75
`Configurator Developer Messages............................................................................................... 2–76
`Error Messages........................................................................................................................... 2–77
`
`3 Using Oracle Configurator Developer Tools
`Elements of the Oracle Configurator Developer Window ......................................................... 3–1
`Oracle Configurator Developer Editing Tools .............................................................................. 3–2
`Controls.......................................................................................................................................... 3–2
`Dragging and Dropping .............................................................................................................. 3–2
`Keyboard Shortcuts...................................................................................................................... 3–3
`Menu Bar .............................................................................................................................................. 3–3
`File Menu.............................................................................................................................................. 3–4
`Edit Menu............................................................................................................................................. 3–4
`Cut/Copy/Paste........................................................................................................................... 3–5
`Find................................................................................................................................................. 3–6
`Create Menu (for Model)................................................................................................................... 3–6
`Create Menu (for Item Master)......................................................................................................... 3–7
`Create Menu (for Configuration Rules) ......................................................................................... 3–7
`Create Menu (for User Interface) ..................................................................................................... 3–8
`View Menu........................................................................................................................................... 3–8
`View Menu (lower) ...................................................................................................................... 3–8
`View Menu (upper) ...................................................................................................................... 3–9
`Tools Menu........................................................................................................................................... 3–9
`Manage Properties........................................................................................................................ 3–9
`Options........................................................................................................................................ 3–10
`Display Log Messages Window....................................................................................... 3–10
`Select Test Environment.................................................................................................... 3–11
`Help Menu ........................................................................................................................................ 3–12
`Toolbars.............................................................................................................................................. 3–12
`Module Toolbar ........................................................................................................................ 3–12
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`Editing Toolbar .......................................................................................................................... 3–13
`Panes and Views............................................................................................................................... 3–14
`Model View ................................................................................................................................ 3–14
`Context Tree View ..................................................................................................................... 3–14
`Attributes View.......................................................................................................................... 3–15
`Tree Views ......................................................................................................................................... 3–16
`The Oracle Configurator Developer Modules ........................................................................... 3–16
`Model Module .................................................................................................................................. 3–17
`Tree Views for this Module...................................................................................................... 3–17
`Model Tree View ................................................................................................................ 3–17
`Item Master Tree View....................................................................................................... 3–18
`Model Attributes (for the Model module) ............................................................................. 3–18
`Name .................................................................................................................................... 3–19
`Description .......................................................................................................................... 3–20
`Visibility (UI)....................................................................................................................... 3–20
`Type ...................................................................................................................................... 3–20
`Count .................................................................................................................................... 3–21
`Populators............................................................................................................................ 3–21
`Properties............................................................................................................................. 3–22
`Initial Value ......................................................................................................................... 3–22
`Item Master Attributes.............................................................................................................. 3–22
`Name .................................................................................................................................... 3–23
`Description .......................................................................................................................... 3–23
`Type/Properties ................................................................................................................. 3–23
`Properties............................................................................................................................. 3–24
`Configuration Rules Module......................................................................................................... 3–24
`Tree Views for this Module...................................................................................................... 3–24
`Model Tree View ................................................................................................................ 3–24
`Configuration Rules Tree View ........................................................................................ 3–24
`Model Attributes (for the Configuration Rules module)..................................................... 3–25
`Associated Rules................................................................................................................. 3–26
`Configuration Rules Attributes ............................................................................................... 3–26
`Name .................................................................................................................................... 3–27
`Description .......................................................................................................................... 3–27
`Parameters ........................................................................................................................... 3–27
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`Definition............................................................................................................................. 3–28
`Logic Rules ................................................................................................................... 3–28
`Numeric Rules ............................................................................................................. 3–28
`Comparison Rules....................................................................................................... 3–28
`Property-based Compatibilities ................................................................................ 3–28
`Explicit Compatibilities.............................................................................................. 3–28
`Design Charts............................................................................................................... 3–28
`Functional Companions ............................................................................................. 3–28
`Violation Message .............................................................................................................. 3–29
`User Interface Module .................................................................................................................... 3–29
`Tree Views for this Module...................................................................................................... 3–29
`Model Tree View ................................................................................................................ 3–29
`User Interface Tree View................................................................................................... 3–29
`Model Attributes (for the User Interface Module)................................................................ 3–30
`Associated UI Nodes.......................................................................................................... 3–31
`User Interface Attributes .......................................................................................................... 3–31
`Name .................................................................................................................................... 3–32
`Model Object ....................................................................................................................... 3–32
`Description .......................................................................................................................... 3–32
`Version ................................................................................................................................. 3–32
`Styles ..................................................