Search Results setup_param_info




Overview
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Overview

APPS.HR_API_PARAMS is an internal Oracle E-Business Suite package that provides runtime introspection facilities for PL/SQL APIs within the HR (Oracle Human Resources) product family. Its principal business function is to resolve the parameter metadata of a named procedure contained within a named package, so that calling code — most notably the Oracle Forms-based API user interfaces shipped with EBS — can present the correct parameter prompts, data types, and mandatory/optional flags to the end user before an API invocation is attempted. The package is declared AUTHID CURRENT_USER and is classified under ETRM as an OTHER API, indicating that it is not a business-facing public API but a supporting utility. The package header ($Header: hrapiprm.pkh 115.1 2002/11/29) confirms it is a long-standing, low-revision component whose interface has remained stable across releases, including Oracle EBS 12.1.1 and 12.2.2.

Key Procedures and Functions

ETRM documents three procedures or functions in total, of which two are explicitly named in the source excerpt.

  • SETUP_PARAM_INFO — Accepts the name of a package and the name of a procedure within that package. It invokes the dictionary-supplied DBMS_DESCRIBE.DESCRIBE_PROCEDURE utility to obtain the parameter listing for the specified procedure, then caches that information in package global variables so it can subsequently be retrieved. If the package or procedure does not exist, an out flag is set to signal the absence of the object rather than raising an unhandled exception. This procedure is documented as a pre-requisite step, called from the form prior to any attempt to retrieve parameter details.
  • RETRIEVE_PARAM_DETAILS — Returns the parameter information previously loaded into the package globals by SETUP_PARAM_INFO. This is the procedure referenced by the search term "retrieve_param_details" and forms the read-side counterpart to the setup routine.

The metadata does not enumerate a third named program unit beyond the two above; the total of three reflects the package-level declarations documented in the source unit.

Tables Accessed

The only documented reference for this package is DBMS_DESCRIBE, the standard Oracle supplied package through which DESCRIBE_PROCEDURE is invoked. No application tables — neither HR foundation tables nor any other APPS-owned objects — are read or written by HR_API_PARAMS through direct SQL. All intermediate state is held in PL/SQL global variables within the package session. This design keeps the package side-effect free with respect to the database and avoids invalidating dependent objects when underlying tables change.

Usage Notes

HR_API_PARAMS is designated Internal Development Use Only and is not intended for direct invocation by customers or by general integration code. It is invoked from Oracle Forms when the user selects an API to run: the form first calls SETUP_PARAM_INFO with the target package and procedure names, then calls RETRIEVE_PARAM_DETAILS to populate the parameter block. Because the cached values are held in package globals, correct sequencing of the two calls within a single session is essential; calling RETRIEVE_PARAM_DETAILS without a preceding SETUP_PARAM_INFO returns stale or empty information. The package is referenced by zero other PL/SQL packages according to ETRM, reinforcing its role as a form-layer support routine. In 12.1.1 and 12.2.2 environments the package remains available in the APPS schema and is unaffected by the Online Patching (adop) cycle beyond standard editioning considerations. Custom code should not depend on this package, as its interface and global state model are undocumented and may change without notice.