Monday, November 03, 2014

Deleting Rows in ExcelToCI

Go to http://www.cedarhillsgroup.com/knowledge-base/kbarticles/deleting-rows-in-exceltoci to see How to modify delivered ExcelToCI template to delete rows which is not delivered by default. One of the use case is delete roles from user profiles in mass without using backend SQL . This uses delivered USER_PROFILE component interface. Tested in PT 8.53 and works fine. Make sure that you select Action as UPDATEDATA in Connect Information worksheet of ExcelToCI

In Summary, Go to Tools | Macros | Visual Basic Editor

Open StagingAndSubmission Module and Navigate to WriteCollectionHeader function do the following.

You will see a case statement “Select Case lScrollLevel”

Change the “Case 1” statement as PSROLEUSER is in level 1. If your target rows exist in other levels, you will need to modify that Case statement.

sXmlLine = sIndent & "<" & sXmlTag & ">"

To

sXmlLine = sIndent & “<” & sXmlTag & " CINodeAction=""DELETE"">"

Tuesday, October 14, 2014

Unable to Select or Edit a Field on a Page in Application Designer

On a very long page, we were not able to select the fields towards the bottom of this page. We found the following in PeopleBooks

Home -> PeopleSoft PeopleTools 8.53 -> PeopleSoft Application Designer Developer’s Guide -> Understanding Page Controls -> Data Entry Controls

Note: PeopleSoft Application Designer allows you add up to 405 fields on a page. When you reach this limit, typical system behavior includes being unable to select, move, or edit the page fields with an order number exceeding the 405-field limit. While this limit has no effect on the page at runtime, it has the potential to disrupt productivity during design time. If you find a page nearing the 405-field limit, you should use subpages to decrease the number of fields on a single page.

Below PeopleSoft resolution describes the same issue which is there since Version 8.2

E-AD Is there any limit on the number of fields on a Page Definition ( Doc ID 648823.1 )

Using Sub pages is the easiest way to resolve this issue. However this require changing the code.

The below query can be used to identify any such pages

select pnlname,count(*) from pspnlfield group by pnlname order by count(*) desc

Thursday, September 11, 2014

Integration Network WorkCenter Incorrect Formatting after PeopleTools upgrade

After upgrading to PeopleTools 8.53 from 8.50, Integration Network Workcenter in Portal 9.1 application was not displaying properly. The culprit was missing classes from cloned stylesheet. Used the below sql to identify the missing sub style sheets and classes from the cloned stylesheet class and copy them manually.

Screenshot of incorrect formatting.

image

select * from PSSTYLECLASS a where a.stylesheetname = 'PSSTYLEDEF_SWAN'  and a.styleclassname not in (Select b.styleclassname from  PSSTYLECLASS b
where   b.stylesheetname = 'PREFIX_PSSTYLEDEF_SWAN_PT850')

minus
select * from PSSTYLECLASS a where a.stylesheetname = 'PSSTYLEDEF_SWAN'  and 'PREFIX_' || a.styleclassname || '_PT850'  in (Select  b.styleclassname   from  PSSTYLECLASS b
where   b.stylesheetname = 'PREFIX_PSSTYLEDEF_SWAN_PT850')

Replace the compared to stylesheetname with your custom stylesheet name and also do not overwrite your custom styleclass if any. In this particular instance adding the below class from delivered 'PSSTYLEDEF_SWAN resolved the issue.

STYLECLASSNAME

----------------------

PSAVSCHART

PSCHARTGANTT

PSCHARTSTYLE_FREEFORM

PTAL_SUBSTYLE_REQ_SWAN

PTAL_SUBSTYLE_VL_SWAN

PTWC_SUBSTYLE_SWAN

PT_ACE_SS1_SWAN

Unified Navigation WorkCenter error

If you have upgraded the Portal 9.1 (Portal Interaction Hub or Enterprise Portal) from 8.50 to 8.53 and tried to use the Unified Navigation WorkCenter, You will get the following error.

Navigation : Portal Administration –> Unified Navigation WorkCenter

.arrowlistmenu{width:320px;} .arrowlistmenu .menuheader{font: 10px Arial;color: black;background-color: #FDFDFE;padding: 1px 0px 5px 5px;margin-bottom:2px;cursor: hand;cursor:

image

To fix this issue , Go to Portal Administration –> Pagelets –> Pagelet Wizard –> Pagelet Wizard

Open Pagelet ID : PAPP_EPPUN_UNPGLT

Navigate to Step 4 Select Display Format and Select Radio button Passthru. It is currently Custom

image

Click Next (Step 5 of 6) and Press Save.

Retest the Unified Navigation WorkCenter link. The issue should be resolved now.

Friday, August 22, 2014

Running Delivered and Custom App Engine Process using PSAE command line crashes when terminating.

Application Engine program XXX ended normally

15339: 1404097409: PSPAL::Abort: Unexpected signal received
15339: 1404097409: PSPAL::Abort: Location: /vob/peopletools/src/pspal/exception_sigaction.cpp:494: RecoverableSignalHandler
15339: 1404097409: PSPAL::Abort: Generating process state report to /opt/pshome/logs/psae.15339/process_state.txt
15339: 1404097409: PSPAL::Abort: Terminating process now.

On examining the process_state.txt, found the following

(Looking for PSPAL::)

#9  0x00007f18e0e52c3b in STWGCTimer::register_gc_start(long) () from /opt/tools/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so
#10 0x00007f18e117d8a8 in PSScavenge::invoke_no_policy() () from /opt/tools/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so
#11 0x00007f18e117ef21 in PSScavenge::invoke() () from /opt/tools/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so
#12 0x00007f18e1136020 in ParallelScavengeHeap::failed_mem_allocate(unsigned long) () from /opt/tools/jre/lib/amd64/server/libjvm.so

It seems that issue is happening, when the application engine program that invokes the java code and at the time of terminating trying to clean the JVM memory. When the JVM memory area points to invalid locations, it crashes the JVM. This is observed in 8.53.12 and currently there is no official solution, other than POC to fix this issue. You will need to open a support case to get the POC. In POC, libpsjni.so has been modified so that it does not try to clear the java memory when exiting the program.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Application Designer Page not responding

When you have a complex page with a Level 1 scroll area and lot of group boxes on a single page and try to move a field using arrow key, page becomes un responsive and CPU goes to 100% usage for one particular core. The control comes back after a minute. If you want to align lot of fields it becomes cumbersome. This is observed with PeopleTools 8.53.12 on a custom page with HRMS 9.1 on multiple windows 7 64 bit laptops (Dual Core with 8 GB RAM). Clearing the cache or rebooting the machine does not help.

Workaround : What we found is that changing the fields under a scroll area to a subpage (All fields must be level 0 in a subpage) and using that subpage resolves the issue. I have not seen this before in older PeopleTools releases (8.50 and earlier) and so it seems to me a new issue.

Oracle Support was able to replicate this issue and opened a new Bug 19492406 - APP DESIGNER GOES INTO NOT RESPONDING STATE WHEN MOVING A PAGE FIELD .

There is also a BUG 18773369 and 19565638  related to this issue.

This issue is fixed in 8.55 and 8.54.03. Currently there is no fix for 8.53, but the below workaround also works in addition to moving fields to sub pages. The fix may be included in 8.53.18.

Click on Application Designer Menu item Layout->Grid Settings..., set the Show Grid to No. This can minimize the refresh, but this is not a permanent setting. Every-time a page is opened, click Layout->Grid Settings..., set the Show Grid to No must be done.

If you are on lower 8.53 patch level you can request a POC fix which provides updates to psped.dll and pspnlrtwin.dll to resolve the issue.

Patch name : 19531601 and POC is POC-913314-02.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Error in Breadcrumb Update function, doBcUpdate: QuotaExceededError: DOM Exception 22 when using iPhone

This happens when private mode is turned on in Safari browser in iPhone or iOS, as breadcrumb update function relies on Session Storage which is disabled in private mode. The simplest resolution to this issue is to turn off the private mode. You can use the below Apple safari article for more precise instructions.

iPhone/iPad Turn on-off Private Mode

Following My Oracle Support article describes this issue.

E-PIA : Breadcrumb Throws Exception Error When Private Browsing Is On In Safari (Doc ID 1645653.1)

This issue happens in PT 8.51 or higher and I have seen it happening in 8.53.12.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

PeopleTools 8.53 upgrade known issues/Tips

Upgrading from 8.50 to 8.53.10

Known Issues when upgrading to PeopleTools

1. Compilation of cobol program used in Pension Administration PAPCOPTF compilation hangs (PAPCOPTF.cbl)

Workaround : If you do not use Pension administration remove this offending cobol from src/cbl folder and recompile all the remaining cobol files.

This is experienced on Linux platform with MF Cobol 5.1 and no fix is posted on MOS. (My Oracle Support).

Reference : https://community.oracle.com/message/12107453#12107453

2. Environment Management HUB URL does not display agent status. Instead is just shows the following “PeopleSoft Environment Management Hub is running”

According to peoplebooks this is supposed to display the Agent Status. Change assistant detects the Environment correctly and also GetEnvInfo.sh collects the information and can be viewed using viewer.html

No workaround yet.

3. If you are planning to use Crysal Report 2008 SP3 for use with PeopleTools please read these documents before trying to configure Process scheduler server as Crystal related configuration step will fail

with the following message

“Errors encountered installing PS ODBC driver and Crystal Runtime
Refer to psodbccrinst.log for details”

Refer to following documents

E-CR: How to Install and Configure Crystal Runtime And Other Components for PeopleTools 8.53? (Doc ID 1540788.1) (These instructions must be followed and I wish they have added it to installation document).
E-CR: What Are The Certified Crystal Client And Runtime Versions For PeopleTools 8.50 Through 8.53? (Doc ID 1596062.1)
E-CR: PeopleTools 8.53 Crystal Reports Runtime Installer Returns Error "Crystal Reports 2008 -- Error 1904. Module" (Doc ID 1550642.1)

For PeopleTools 8.53, The Certified version is as follows

Client Versions

Crystal Reports 2011 SP4 or Crystal Reports 2008 SP3

Runtime Versions (Download instruction is in 1540788.1)

SAP Crystal Reports runtime engine for .NET framework 4 SP3

Also Crystal Runtime is 32 bit.

4. If you are configuring stand alone windows batch server (2008 or later), please make sure to run the following before installing the PeopleTools 8.53 batch server to avoid getting the error

The application was unable to start correctly (0xc000007b). Click OK to close the application.

Workaround Run before or after the PeopleTools installation

"PS_HOME\setup\psvccrt\psvccrt_retail.msi"
"PS_HOME\setup\psvccrt\psvccrt_retail_x64.msi"

You can see it listed under Programs and Features
Visual Studio 2010 Retail Assemblies x64 for PeopleSoft
Visual Studio 2010 Retail Assemblies x86 for PeopleSoft

Note : These files are not present in the stand alone batch server installation and must be run from the location where you have installed the file server. Also these needs to be installed on all client desktops which has not been used for fileserver installation.

Also you will need to run the following .NET in your windows 2008 R2 environment for use with Crystal

Install Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 SP1 and 4.0:

cd /d PS_HOME\setup\dotnetredist
dotnetfx35.exe    (Probably included) as nothing happens already.    
dotNetFx40_Full_x86_x64.exe  

check for the Dot net version in Power shell
Get-ChildItem 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\NET Framework Setup\NDP' -recurse | Get-ItemProperty -name Version -EA 0 | Where { $_.PSChildName -match '^(?!S)\p{L}'} | Select PSChildName, Version

 

PSChild Name Version
v2.0.50727 2.0.50727.5420
v3.0

3.0.30729.5420

Windows Communication Foundation

3.0.4506.5420

Windows Presentation Foundation                             3.0.6920.5011
v3.5 3.5.30729.5420
Client 4.0.30319
Full 4.0.30319

4. Context Sensitive Search for Hosted PeopleBooks for PT 8.53.10 does not work in app designer.

This is a known bug with no workaround for now.

Thursday, January 09, 2014

Required Browser Settings for PeopleSoft, Download to Excel and Attachments

Please refer to the following Oracle KB Document for recommended settings for IE 6, 7, 8, 9 , 10 browser settings. Same may apply to IE 11 or higher versions as well.

E-PIA: Required Browser Settings for PeopleSoft, Download to Excel and Attachments (Doc ID 657386.1).

Following issues may be encountered by users if these settings are not correct.

  1. A Popup blocker warning may appear if the peoplesoft site is not added to popup blocker exception list when user is trying to download the Excel file.
  2. When user click on Download to Excel link, a new browser window or tab opens and closes quickly without asking the user to save the file.
  3. User May get a message “Your current security settings do not allow this file to be downloaded.”
  4. Internet Explorer cannot download q/ from site.com. Internet Explorer was not able to open this Internet site. The requested site is either unavailable or cannot be found. Please try again later. This will be followed by message : Microsoft office Excel cannot access the file. The file name or path does not exist. The file is being used by another program. The workbook you are trying to save has the same name as a currently open workbook.

Resolutions to above issues

  • Add PeopleSoft site to Popup Exception list
  • Tools –> Internet Options –> Advanced –> Security
    Uncheck the Do not save encrypted Pages to disk. (Check box should not be selected)
  • Create the following registry Settings for Issue No. 4
  • [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]
    "BypassSSLNoCacheCheck"=dword:00000001
    "BypassHTTPNoCacheCheck"=dword:00000001

    [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]
    "BypassSSLNoCacheCheck"=dword:00000001
    "BypassHTTPNoCacheCheck"=dword:00000001

  • For 2 or 3, Change the following settings for the appropriate zone your website belongs to. Typically I needed to change the Internet Zone and Trusted Zone settings as follows
    Tools –> Internet Options –> Security –> Internet/Trusted Sites –> Custom Level –> Scroll to Downloads and Set the below values to Enable.
  • "Automatic prompting for file downloads" = Enable
    Download "File Download" = Enable

    image

    If your administrator has enabled AD Policies for IE and you have these settings grayed out, you will need to contact your AD Policy administrator to change the settings.