Developing Applications by Using the Eight Steps

PeopleSoft Application Development Process

There are describes the four phases of application development:

Plan: You should spend most of your effort planning before taking the first actual
development step.
Data Design: You lay the foundation for the application by creating the database tables
that hold application data.
User Interface: You create the user interface that grants access to these tables in an
easy-to-use format. With PeopleSoft applications, this interface is delivered on a
browser.
Test: You run a thorough, rigorous test before making an application available to
end users.

Eight Steps of Application Development

1. Plan the application.

2. Define new fields.
3. Define records.
4. Build tables.

5. Define pages.
6. Define components.
7. Register components.
8. Test the application.
Step 1: Planning the Application
When you are through with the planning phase, you will have an entity relationship
diagram (ERD) of the tables that are required and the relationships between them, and a
list of required definitions (fields, pages, and so on) that includes detailed specifications
and naming conventions, mock-ups of page layouts, and the navigational hierarchy to
give users access to any pages that you create.

Step 2: Defining New Fields

Field definitions in PeopleSoft applications are a bit different from those in other
environments. You define fields apart from any tables they may belong to, and you can
reuse them in separate database tables.

Step 3: Defining Records

Record definitions compile several fields into a single location, organize those fields by
key structure, define prompting options for each field, and may insert code for logic-
based operations.
Step 4: Building Tables
Application Designer includes a feature that takes record definition properties and creates
a database table from them.

Step 5: Defining Pages

This is the first step of the user interface phase. Page definitions present data to users and
enable them to enter data into the application data tables that are created in the previous
step.

Step 6: Defining Components

Component definitions are the core of PeopleSoft applications. A component holds one
or more pages, between which the user navigates by using tabs. The component is also
central to navigation and security access.
Step 7: Registering Components
The Component Registration wizard in Application Designer attaches components to
menu definitions, assigns security access for users, and places navigational links in the
registry.
The Component Registration wizard is a new feature in PeopleTools 8.4. When the
components are registered, the user interface phase is complete and you can view your
application in a browser.
Step 8: Testing the Application

The final step is also the final phase of application development. You test all aspects of
the application and cycle back through the steps to solve any problems.

The Effect of Development on Database Tables

• Steps 2, 3, 5, 6, and 7 write to the PeopleTools tables (by way of the PeopleSoft
Application Designer).
• Step 4 (the build step) reads from the PeopleTools tables (the record definition) and
writes to the system catalog. It creates an application data table. However, no rows are
inserted into that table.
• In the testing step (step 8), you write data to the application data tables.

Application Designer Basics

You perform virtually all application development tasks in Application Designer. You
use it to create PeopleSoft pages that are available over the internet.

Describe how Application Designer enters data into PeopleTools tables.

With Application Designer, you can see and manipulate the data in the PeopleTools
tables to create:
• Field definitions
• Record definitions
• Page definitions
• Component definitions
• Menu definitions

You also use Application Designer to build application data tables that are based on
record definitions.

Page Definitions
Pages comprise several definition types. Use Application Designer to create and maintain
page definitions.
A search page appears before the Professional Details page.

The search page is assembled from the search keys and alternate search keys as described
in the record definition.
All content is organized around component definitions.

Using Application Designer

1. Use the browser to examine a page.

2. Use Application Designer to examine page elements.

Projects
A project is a container that holds references to many definitions. Use projects to:
• Group definitions into logical areas.
• Coordinate the work of several developers who are working on the same application.
• Better understand the relationships between definitions.
• Simplify access to definitions during development.
• Organize definitions to promote them from development to production.
• Streamline the migration of definitions from one database to another during the upgrade process.

Spell Check Properties

The Spell Check feature is new in release 8.44.

• Select Tools, Validate Project to run the spell check.

• The output appears in the SpellCheck tab in the output window. You
can double- click an entry, and the definition appears in the definition
workspace.
• This feature should be used before the application is deployed to the user.
 • The spell check analyzes for misspellings for these user-facing definitions:

• Message Catalog.

• Page label text.

• Translate entries.

• Component tab and menu labels.

• Portal structures labels and attribute labels.

• Field labels.
• The component in this case includes two pages (indicated
by the tabs). Each page has a number of fields.

Steps for creation of projects

1. Select File, New.

2. Select Project from the dialog box.

3. Select File, Save Project As.