Learn about shortcuts and when to use them.

Use a shortcut to define frequently used code once and then reference it in many places thus reducing code redundancy. For example, you can create a shortcut to define a page control such as a button, HTML text, a PL/SQL procedure, or HTML.

You can use a shortcut within the following locations:

• The Region Source attribute of regions defined as HTML Text (with shortcuts).
• Region Header and Footer Text attribute.
• Item Label attributes, Pre Element Text, Post Element Text, and Default Value attribute.
• Region Templates attributes.

"MY_SHORTCUT"

Oracle APEX supports six types of shortcuts.

Define a shortcut on the Shortcuts page.

1. Navigate to the Shared Components page:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click App Builder.
   2. Select an application.
   3. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.

      The Shared Components page appears.

2. Under Other Components, select Shortcuts.
3. Click Create.
4. For Create Shortcut, select From Scratch and click Next.
5. On Shortcut Attributes:
   1. Name - Enter the name by which the shortcut will be referenced.
   2. Type - Select a shortcut type. Options include:

      • PL/SQL Function Body

      • HTML Text

      • HTML Text with Escaped Special Characters

      • Image

      • Text with JavaScript Escaped Single Quotes

      • Message

      • Message with JavaScript Escaped Special Quotes

   3. Shortcut - Enter the text of the shortcut. The shortcut must be less then 30,000 characters in length.
   4. Error Text - Enter the text to display if an error should occur during the processing of a shortcut.
   5. Build Option - Select a build option for this component.
6. Click Create.

   New shortcuts are added to the Shortcuts page (also referred to as the Shortcut repository).

Once you create a shortcut, you can alter it by editing attributes on the Edit Shortcut page.

1. Navigate to the Shared Components page:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click App Builder.
   2. Select an application.
   3. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.

      The Shared Components page appears.

2. Under Other Components, select Shortcuts.
3. Select a shortcut.

   The Edit Shortcut page appears.

4. Edit the attributes.

   To learn more about an attribute, see field-level Help.

5. Click Apply Changes.

Copy existing shortcuts from the Shortcut repository.

1. Navigate to the Shared Components page:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click App Builder.
   2. Select an application.
   3. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.

      The Shared Components page appears.

2. Under Other Components, select Shortcuts.
   The Shortcuts page appears. You can copy an existing shortcut from the Create Shortcut Wizard or by clicking Copy icon in report view.
3. To copy an existing shortcut the Create Shortcut Wizard:
   1. On the Shortcut page, click Create.
   2. On Creation Method, select As a Copy of an Existing Shortcut and click Next.
   3. From Copy From Application, select the application you want to copy shortcuts from and click Next.
   4. Copy From Application - Select the application from which you want to copy shortcuts.
   5. New Shortcuts:
      • To Name - Optionally enter the new shortcut name.
      • Copy - Select an action:
        • Yes - Copy the shortcut.
        • No - Do not copy this shortcut.
        • Copy and Subscribe - Copy and subscribe to this shortcut. Subscribing to a shortcut copies it to application and sets the plug-in master reference.
   6. Click Copy Shortcut.
4. To copy an existing shortcut by clicking the Copy icon:
   1. On the Shortcut page verify report view is enabled.
   2. In the Copy column, click Copy.
   3. Copy Shortcut - Select the shortcut to copy.
   4. Shortcut Name - Enter the new name of the shortcut to be copied.
   5. Click Copy.

Copy a shortcuts from the current application or from another applications. When copying a shortcut from another app, you can also subscribe to it.

To copy or subscribe to a shortcut:

1. Navigate to the Shared Components page:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click App Builder.
   2. Select an application.
   3. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.

      The Shared Components page appears.

2. Under Other Components, click Shortcuts.

   The Shortcuts page appears. Note that the report includes the following columns: Subscribed From, Subscription Status, and Subscribers.

3. From the Tasks list, click Copy from another app.
4. Copy From:
   1. Copy From Application - Select an application from which to copy.
   2. Click Next.
5. New Shortcuts:
   1. To Name - Optionally enter the new shortcut name.
   2. Copy - Select an action:
      • Yes - Copy the shortcut.
      • No - Do not copy this shortcut.
      • Copy and Subscribe - Copy and subscribe to this shortcut. Subscribing to a shortcut copies it to application and sets the plug-in master reference.
6. Click Copy Shortcut.

View the shortcut Subscription and History reports.

1. Navigate to the Shared Components page:
   1. On the Workspace home page, click App Builder.
   2. Select an application.
   3. On the Application home page, click Shared Components.

      The Shared Components page appears.

2. Under Other Components, select Shortcuts.
3. Click one of the following tabs:

   • Subscription - Displays the Subscribed Shortcuts page which displays all subscribed shortcuts in your application.

   • History - Display the Shortcut History page which displays a history of recently changed shortcuts by date.

   Note:

   The Subscription and History tabs only appear after you create a shortcut.