This blog was originally published on June 12, 2021.

The introduction of the Dynamic Action concept back in Oracle APEX 4.0 was a great addition to the low code momentum of Oracle APEX. Many did consider it a vital step into simplifying the events interaction and consider it an important feature for the product.

What Dynamic Actions provided was simply to utilize a declarative approach instead of worrying about JavaScript events and lengthy coding. It has enabled developers to define complex client-side behavior declaratively without the need for long JavaScript code. Using the Dynamic Action Create wizard, you specify an action that is performed when a defined set of conditions occur. You can also specify which elements are affected by the action, and when and how they are affected.

Over the past releases of Oracle APEX, Dynamic Action evolved steadily. More events and native actions were added over the years to leverage the power and speed of development for the APEX engine. Many components had the ability to be triggered by various related events and more specific useful actions were introduced gradually.

The Missing Piece

In Oracle APEX 20.2 release, a developer could define a Dynamic Action, set a Client-Side Condition, Server-Side Condition, add an Authorization scheme, or even set a Build Option. Customers have asked for more. They needed those properties to be extended to Actions of the Dynamic Action too. The Oracle APEX team listened and added that in Oracle APEX 21.1. 

Now as part of the Dynamic Action Enhancements, you can define Client-Side Conditions, Server-Side Conditions, Authorizations, and Build Options for Actions of Dynamic Actions. 

A Simpler Flow

The flow now is simpler. If you have a requirement to execute an Action under a certain condition, you can simply define the condition on the Action level rather than having it on the Dynamic Action itself.

This gives more control over the Action and provides consistency with the other components of Oracle APEX in 21.1.

To learn more about Dynamic Actions, please read this chapter Managing Dynamic Actions.

For more information about Using Build Options, the Using Build Options blog post can be useful. Finally, if you require more details about custom Authentication Schemes and Authorization the Custom Authentication and Authorization using built-in APEX Access Control – A How-To blog post is a useful article.

Conclusions

Dynamic Action has been a revolutionary declarative method to handle different types of events and user interactions. It has been highly appreciated by the developers of Oracle APEX. In APEX 21.1 we have extended the support and now as part of the Dynamic Action Enhancements, you can define Client-Side Conditions, Server-Side Conditions, Authorizations, and Build Options for Actions of Dynamic Actions simplifying the logic flow for the business requirements.