Search Results fnd_help_builder




Overview
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Overview

FND_HELP_BUILDER is an Oracle E-Business Suite PL/SQL package owned by the APPS schema and classified under the ETRM metadata as an "OTHER" API type. Its business purpose is to provide a programmatic entry point for launching the Oracle EBS Help Builder utility, the tool used to create, edit, and maintain the application-level help system that underpins the Oracle Applications Help window. The package allows callers to open the Help Builder interface while programmatically constraining the scope of the help hierarchy that is presented, so that developers and administrators can focus on a specific application, region, or help node rather than navigating the entire help tree from the top.

The package body header (AFMLHEPS.pls, 115.10) dates from 2002 and the source is shipped with the FND (Application Object Library) layer. It is a thin wrapper: it does not perform the help authoring logic itself, but rather orchestrates the launch of the Help Builder session with the desired starting context.

Key Procedures and Functions

  • LAUNCH — The single documented procedure in the package. Its purpose is to start the Help Builder utility. It accepts optional parameters that set the customization level and define the root of the help hierarchy to display: a root parent application and key, and a root node application and key. All parameters have defaults, so LAUNCH can be invoked with no arguments to open the builder at its default entry point. By supplying the root parameters, the caller can open the builder positioned at a specific application and node within the FND_HELP hierarchy, which is the practical use case for developers extending or reviewing help content for a particular module.

No other public procedures or functions are documented in the ETRM metadata, and the package is not referenced by any other packages, indicating it is a top-level entry point rather than a shared library routine.

Tables Accessed

The ETRM metadata lists no directly referenced tables via APPS synonyms for this package. This is consistent with its role as a launcher: the actual persistence of help content occurs through the Help Builder's own forms-based infrastructure and the underlying FND help tables, not through direct DML issued by FND_HELP_BUILDER itself. Because the package is declared AUTHID CURRENT_USER, any objects it touches at runtime are resolved against the privileges of the calling session rather than the definer, which is relevant when the procedure is invoked outside the standard APPS context.

Usage Notes

FND_HELP_BUILDER is typically invoked interactively by a user with the appropriate Help Builder responsibility. In Oracle EBS releases 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 this is normally triggered from the Help Builder form or from a menu/function that calls the Launch procedure. The parameters permit the caller to open the tool directly at a given application and node, which is useful when a developer has identified a specific help topic to revise.

Custom code can invoke APPS.FND_HELP_BUILDER.LAUNCH directly, relying on the default arguments to open the builder generically or supplying the root application and node values for a targeted session. Invocation should be limited to environments where help authoring is permitted; because the routine launches a client UI, it is not suited to concurrent program or batch processing. When called from outside the standard APPS sign-on, ensure that the session owner has the necessary FND privileges for help maintenance and that AUTHID CURRENT_USER resolution does not strip required object access.