Search Results reference_article

Overview

OKL_ARTICLE_PUB is a public PL/SQL API package in the Oracle EBS Contracts (OKL/OKC) module, delivered under the APPS schema with AUTHID CURRENT_USER semantics. It governs the lifecycle of articles — the reusable clause, term, or boilerplate text records that are attached to contract templates and contract documents. The package exposes a small, tightly scoped public surface (three procedures) that allows callers to associate an existing article with a contract, to duplicate an article into a new catalog entry, and to remove an article that is no longer required. The package name and its procedures are documented in the ETRM 12.2.2 metadata and the source header (OKLPKATS.pls, version 115.2, dated 2002) confirms it has been stable across a long release span, from 11i through 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.

Key Procedures and Functions

• REFERENCE_ARTICLE — Creates a reference (link) between an existing article source and a contract or contract line. It accepts an API version, an initialization flag, standard return-status/message outputs, identifiers for the article source (SAE id and release), the contract header, and an optional contract line, and returns the resulting article catalog id. It is the standard mechanism for reusing a pre-defined article without copying its text.
• COPY_ARTICLE — Performs a true copy of an article into the contract context, producing a new article catalog record that is independent of the source. Its signature mirrors REFERENCE_ARTICLE, including the SAE id/release, contract header, and optional contract line, with the new catalog id returned. Copy semantics preserve the original article for reuse while allowing contract-specific modification.
• DELETE_ARTICLE — Removes an article catalog entry identified by the article catalog id. This is the procedure most commonly sought under the search term "delete_article". It applies the standard EBS API conventions: API version, initialization flag, and return status, message count, and message data outputs for error handling.

Tables Accessed

The supplied ETRM metadata does not enumerate the base tables touched by OKL_ARTICLE_PUB; no table list is documented for this object, and it is not referenced by any other package in the documented set. Functionally, the procedures operate against the OKL article catalog and related contract header/line structures through APPS synonyms. REFERENCE_ARTICLE and COPY_ARTICLE read article source data and write article catalog rows linked to the contract; DELETE_ARTICLE removes the corresponding catalog row. Because the package declares AUTHID CURRENT_USER, all such DML resolves against the caller's schema privileges rather than the definer's, so callers must hold the appropriate grants on the underlying OKL objects. Refer to the package body (OKLPKATS.pls) for the definitive table and view inventory.

Usage Notes

OKL_ARTICLE_PUB is a PUB-classified API intended for programmatic invocation rather than direct end-user execution. Typical callers include Oracle Contracts forms that attach or remove articles from a contract, concurrent programs that mass-maintain article catalogs, and custom extensions or integrations that manipulate article associations. The recommended pattern is to check x_return_status after every call, then inspect x_msg_count and x_msg_data (or the OKC message stack) to surface validation or DML errors. Because the package is one of the older OKL APIs, custom code should pin the correct p_api_version and pass OKC_API.G_FALSE for initialization unless a fresh message list is desired. Deletion via DELETE_ARTICLE should be treated as a hard removal of the catalog entry; callers must ensure the article is not still referenced by an active contract, as referential integrity is enforced by the downstream OKL tables and will raise errors through the standard message stack.