PeopleSoft Geekery

Dynamic Email URLs and Addresses

Here is the core code to a function that I wrote that will dynamically generate a URL to a page in PeopleSoft (page specified by you). The email body uses a message catalog entry for formatting. The Send From email address is dynamic to the environment - so the environment that sends the email is identifiable without opening it up.

Hope this helps someone.

import PT_MCF_MAIL:MCFOutboundEmail;

Local PT_MCF_MAIL:MCFOutboundEmail &ObjectEmail = create PT_MCF_MAIL:MCFOutboundEmail();

Local Rowset &rsEmailBody;

Local string &sEmplId, &sEmailAddress, &URI, &URL, &keyList, &dbName;

/* Generate a URL for the user to access their Time Sheet */

/* Use parameters passed to function to build Key List */

&keyList = "&TIME_SHEET_ID=" | &sTimeSheetId | "&VERSION_NUM=" | &nVersionNum | "&EMPLID=" | &sEmplId | "&PERIOD_END_DT=" | &dPeriodEndDate;

/* Use GenerateComponentPortalURL function to make URL dynamic the environment you are in */

&URI = GenerateComponentPortalURL(%Portal, %Node, MenuName.ADMINISTER_EXPENSE_FUNCTIONS, %Market, Component.TE_TIME_ENTRY, "", "U");

&URL = &URI | &keyList;

/* Get data for message body */

&rsEmailBody = CreateRowset(Record.EX_TIME_AW);

&rsEmailBody.Fill("WHERE APPROVAL_OPRID = :1 AND TRANSACTION_ID = :2 AND VERSION_NUM = :3", %OperatorId, &sTimeSheetId, &nVersionNum);

/* Workflow email reply address is should be dynamic */

/* Use %DBName meta variable to capture the environment name */

&dbName = %DbName;

/*-- Initialize the usual fields of an email --*/

&ObjectEmail.From = "workflow_" | Lower(&dbName) | "@company.com";

&ObjectEmail.Recipients = &sEmailAddress;

&ObjectEmail.Subject = MsgGetText(20000, 166, "", &sTimeSheetId);

&ObjectEmail.Text = MsgGetExplainText(20000, 166, "", &sEmplId, &rsEmailBody(1).EX_TIME_AW.GetField(Field.NAME).Value, &rsEmailBody(1).EX_TIME_AW.SUBMISSION_DATE.Value, &rsEmailBody(1).EX_TIME_AW.PERIOD_END_DT.Value, &sTimeSheetId, &nVersionNum, &rsEmailBody(1).EX_TIME_AW.DTL_TOTAL.Value, &rsEmailBody(1).EX_TIME_AW.POL_TOTAL.Value, &URL);

/* Send Email */ 

Local integer &resp = &ObjectEmail.Send();

/* Verify Email was properly sent */

Evaluate &resp

When %ObEmail_Delivered

   /* every thing ok */

   &done = True;

   Break;

   

When %ObEmail_NotDelivered

   /*-- Check &email.InvalidAddresses, &email.ValidSentAddresses and &email.ValidUnsentAddresses */

   &done = False;

   Break;

   

When %ObEmail_PartiallyDelivered

   /* Check &email.InvalidAddresses, &email.ValidSentAddresses and &email.ValidUnsentAddresses; */

   &done = True;

   Break;

   

When %ObEmail_FailedBeforeSending

   /* Get the Message Set Number, message number; Or just get the formatted messages from &email.ErrorDescription, &email.ErrorDetails;*/

   

   &done = False;

   Break;

End-Evaluate;

JDeveloper 11g on OS X

I am back to using my MacBook Pro for work and am loving it. It was only a few months that I had to use a Dell, but it seemed like a long time.

I am starting to get back to working on Fusion Middleware projects and don't want to run JDeveloper in a VM. Oracle does deliver JDev 11g for OS X, but there are a few catches that got me on installation. Check out these tips for a painless installation. Read though the forum tips to create an .app package for JDev.

Happy dev'ing!

Query Pages Expanded

The idea for creating Query Pages came from here.

UPDATE: Ramsey County has agreed (quite enthusiastically) to post the detail design document for this process. You can download it here.

The client I am working for, Ramsey County, wanted to control the information managers saw in Managers Self Service. They did not want to modify the delivered pages, but we were running low on available development hours so creating custom pages wasn't much of an option. Thanks to the idea above, we could create Queries and make them quick to access.

The idea of query pages was expanded to dynamically grab the current user’s OPRID and EMPLD so there would no Prompts for the user. This would allow the user to only see the information tied directly to the person logged in. Ramsey County also wanted to use the REPORTS_TO field for Query security. When Managers ran the Query, it would return information for people who reported directly to them and no one else.

To accomplish the first requirement (grab the current user’s OPRID and EMPLID), the table PSQRYTRANS is used. When a query is run, a row is inserted into PSQRYTRANS that contains the Query Name, the User ID and the Start Time. A new view was created to grab the OPRID and QRYNAME from the PSQRYTRANS table and return a single row based on the Query Name and the Start Time of the query.

Next, the OPRID is joined to the PSOPRDEFN table to grab the current user’s EMPLID. Then, the EMPLID is joined with the view PS_EMPL_CURRJOB_VW to grab the current user’s POSITION_NBR. Finally, the POSITION_NBR is joined to the view PS_EMPL_INFO_VW to return a list of EMPLIDs of users whose REPORTS_TO field matches the POSITION_NBR.

They query in this document is the starting point for all Manager Queries. Because this query returns just them EMPLID of direct reports, it can be expanded to grab any information that includes EMPLID.

PeopleSoft and .ics Files

Someone at work asked if it would be possible to integrate the Interview Calendar in Recruiting with Outlook. While there is no direct functionality, it did get me thinking.

Outlook supports the iCal standard for meeting invites (and so do many other calendars). I was thinking it would be straight-forward to develop a "push" calendar system by exporting .ics files from PeopleSoft to users. Maybe add a new workflow event that emails everyone in the interview an .ics meeting request.

This sounds like it could be a fun project.

LDAP Tool

Microsoft LDAP Support tool

I set up LDAP authentication with PeopleSoft for the first time. I managed to get it working within a day thanks to the LDAP tool above. When working with a large AD domain, I could quickly find the DN's I needed within the directory.

PeopleBooks in PDF

PeopleSoft Enterprise Documentation

All of the current PeopleBooks in .pdf format. I really like Mac OS X's Preview app, so I use .pdf files quite a bit. The other great part is that I can use Spotlight to search PeopleBooks!

Firefox and PeopleSoft

Firefox Tip for PeopleSoft CTRL-J

I use Firefox for anything on the web. Since I primarily use a Mac and sometimes a PC at work, I like to have the same browser on both machines. The UI is the same and there are some extensions that I've grown quite accustomed to.

Firefox wasn't officially supported in PeopleSoft until PeopleTools 8.46, but there were only a few pages that didn't work for me prior to 8.46: ePro > Create Req in Fin 8.8, REN Server. Now that Firefox is officially supported in, I only use Firefox when working in PeopleSoft.

There are a few nuances that Firefox has I want to point out. First, the CNTRL- J combo that PeopleSoft uses to show you the Component and Page information is also the keyboard shortcut for the download manager. There are two ways around this: CNTRL-J-J (double J - very quickly), and CNTRL-SHIFT-J. Choose your poison.

Tabbed browsing in Firefox is great, but tabs don't work well with PeopleSoft. I have Firefox setup to always create a new tab when a link is set to create a new window (such as the "New Window" link in PeopleSoft). Firefox does not handle session cookies in tabs the same as it does for separate windows. So, if you have two PeopleSoft tabs for the same environment, or different environments, the session cookies will invalidate each other.

The Firefox 2 beta seems to have fixed the problem. I have been able to work in different envrionments using tabs without any errors. Hopefully, the problem is fixed.

Better Logging in PeopleCode

Logging PeopleCode with log4j

I have not tried this, but it looks very useful. We will be starting development soon on the project, so I will have to sprinkle in some new debugging code when development starts.

Recruiting 8.9 Letter Generator

With HR 8.9, the Recruiting Solutions module was complete overhauled. Both the functionality and the code were rewritten. The code was changed to be more SOA (a fancy TLA for an API that uses web services to communicate). I think that once I get a good grasp on the design, it will make more sense. But the functionality was also changed on the front end. And the functionality wasn't improved...

One of the biggest headache's I have had with Recruiting 8.9 is the letter generation process. Instead of using the SQR's from previous releases, a new PSJob HRSLETTR was developed. The new App Engines are simple enough to understand and the process for creating letters seems simple. The devil is always in the details. If you install PeopleSoft and Microsoft Word to their default locations, the HRSLETTR PSJob will not work.

Good QA on that one...

Here is why: the default install location (at most organizations I have been) is x:\psoft\ps_home. The default install location for MS Word is c:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\Officexx\ or c:\PROGRA~1\MICROS~1\Office\Officexx\.

The parameters the App Engine HRS_MERGE (part of the PSJob HRSLETTR) stores in its' State Records are as follows:

-HRS_PSHOME %%PS_HOME%% -HRS_WINWORD %%WINWORD%%\WINWORD.EXE

So, if we translate those for our default values and add them to the default App Engine parameters, they are:

-CT ORACLE -CD HR89FIT -CO PS -CP OPRPSWD -R dji_RecruitmentLetterGen -I 644 -AI HRS_MERGE -OT 6 -FP z:\psoft\HR89FIT\appserv\prcs\HR89FIT\log_output\AE_HRS_MERGE_644\ -OF 14 -HRS_PSHOME z:\psoft\HR89FIT -HRS_WINWORD C:\progra~1\micros~1\office\office11\WINWORD.EXE

When you add up the total characters in the parameter list, they exceed the 256 character limit for the field HRS_MERGE_AET.PS_HOME and the WINWORD path is truncated.

There are two simple changes that can avoid this problem. First, install MS Office to c:\Office instead of the default path. Second, when running the process in batch, use a short Run Control ID. (When the process is kicked off online, an auto-generated Run Control ID is created. The ID is fixed length, so if you can test it and the letters are created, the process will work.)

Command Line App Engine Debug Mode

When I have an app engine that is causing problems, I like to run the process in debug mode via the command line. Sometime traces will tell you everything you need, but sometimes I get a better idea of where the problem is when I walk through the program.

First, log into App Designer in 3-tier mode and turn on the PeopleCode debugger (if you have PeopleCode in the app engine). Next, run the following command in the command line from the ps_home/bin/client/winx86 folder:

psae.exe -CT [ORACLE] -CD [HR89DEV] -CO [PS] -CP [PS] -R [RunControl] -I [PID] -AI [HRS_MERGE] -DEBUG Y

The app engine will log into the database and present you with the following prompt:

PeopleTools 8.48 - Application Engine Copyright (c) 1988-2006 PeopleSoft, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Application Engine Debugger - enter command or type ? for help.

HRS_MERGE.MAIN.logout-1>

You can view the current values in the state record, step into code - which will take you into app designer if it is a PeopleCode step. But the best feature is that it allows you to modify the contents of a state record.