Oracle Apps How to Customize a WebADI Template Layout

After you have mastered using the standard WebADI layouts, you may find the seeded templates don’t
quite fit your business process. There may be fields you don’t use or fields you wish to add. Oracle does
apply you to customize a template’s layout. Changes that you can make to a template layout are:
1. Adding fields
2. Removing fields
3. Changing a field’s placement (context, header, or line)
4. Re-ordering fields
5. Hiding fields
6. Making a fields display only
7. Making a field required
8. Defaulting a value
Before we get into an example of customizing a layout, let’s talk about the different sections of a template
and how Oracle determines where to place the fields on the spreadsheet.

Sections of a WebADI Template

There are three placement areas on a template: context, header, and line. The context area is at the top of the
spreadsheet and it provides the user information about the template and the instance it was created in. The
second area is the header. The header fields are copied to all the lines when the spreadsheet is uploaded into
Oracle. By placing fields in the header area, you can reduce the need to enter these values for each line. The
last area is the line are. The line area contains information about the specific record you are uploading to
Oracle.

Web ADI Sections

WebADI Layout Pages

So, how does Oracle first determine if it should display a particular field and second where should it display
it (context, header, line). On the “Oracle WebADI: Define Layout” web page, you will see a check box for
displaying your optional fields (required fields must be on the layout, but you can hide them) and a drop
down menu for the placement. The required fields and optional fields are determined by the Integrator
definition. If you want to add fields to this list, you will need to define a custom Integrator.

Web ADI Required Fields

Web ADI Optional Fields

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 After you have selected your fields, you can change the defaults for the fields. A default can be a constant,
an environment variable, a parameter, a value based on a SQL query, or an Excel formula (a value based on
another field in the spreadsheet).

Web ADI Default Formula

After you have determine which fields you are including, their placement, and their defaults, you will click
the next button to go to the page that allows you to further refine your layout. In this page you will see four
regions: create layout, context, header, and line.
In the “Create Layout” section, you can determine how the spreadsheet will behave when loaded into Excel.
Do you want the spreadsheet protected? Use a style sheet? Or, apply filters? In the “Context” section, you
can re-order or hide the fields. In the “Header” section, you can re-order, make the fields read-only, or hide
the fields.

Web ADI Read Only and Hide

In the “Line” section, you can set how many rows will appear when you load the spreadsheet, re-order the
fields, change their width, or apply a frozen pane to the spreadsheet. The frozen pane is an Excel feature that
allows you to keep certain columns in view while you scroll.

Web ADI Reorder Field and Change Data Entry Rows

Steps for Creating a Custom Web ADI Layout:

1. Select the Oracle WebADI responsibility
2. Select the Layout menu
3. Select an Integrator
4. Copy the layout you wish to modify
5. Enter your new layout name
6. Modify the field layout attributes
7. Change the field order and visibility attributes
8. Optionally, create a menu function to access this new layout
9. Optionally, add your new menu function to a menu

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 I think the best way to explain these steps is in an example. For this example, I want to improve the
“Transaction Import” template for the Projects module. I selected this template because it has a security
function that prevents you from opening the template from the Oracle Web ADI responsibility.
My new layout will be a copy of the “Costed Transactions” layout, I will modify fields in the context section,
header section, and line section. I will also re-order and hide some fields. It’s a good idea to create the
spreadsheet you wish to modify so you can have a better visual of the current layout. Here’s my starting
spreadsheet (before my changes).

Web ADI Review Document

Web ADI Layout Before

Step 1: Open the Oracle WebADI responsibility

This responsibility contains the menus required to create / modify a layout.

Step 2: Click the Layout Menu

This menu will open the Layout web page

Web ADI Define Layout Menu

Step 3: Select an Integrator

This integrator will be the one associated with the template you wish to modify. It is listed in the “Document
Creation Review” page when you are creating the document. In my example, I will select the “Projects
Transaction Import” integrator.

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 Web ADI Select Integrator

Step 4: Copy the layout you wish to modify

The layout name is also listed in the “Document Creation Review” page

Web ADI Duplicate Layout

Step 5: Enter your new layout name

This will be the layout name used in your new template. I have found it works best if you use all capitals
with no spaces.

Web ADI New Layout Name

Step 6: Modify the field layout attributes

Here’s where we start modifying the fields. First I will move fields from the header to the lines. Second, I’ll
remove a couple unnecessary fields from the lines section. Next, I’ll add some fields to the header and line
sections. Lastly, I will add defaults to some of my fields.

Web ADI Add Header Field

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 Web ADI Remove Fields

Web ADI Default Formula

Web ADI Default Constant

Step 7: Change the field order, display attribute, and number of default rows in Excel.

Web ADI Reorder Field and Change Data Entry Rows

Web ADI Read Only and Hide

Step 8: Optionally, create a menu function to access this new layout

Since this integrator using function security, I’ll need to create a custom function. I will first query an
existing function and copy the values to my new function. In the parameters field, I’ll need to change the
layout name.

Web ADI Create Form Function

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 Web ADI Create Form Function

Web ADI Create Form Function

Web ADI Create Form Function

Step 9: Optionally, add your new menu function to a menu

Web ADI Create Menu

After I have my new function, I can add it to the Project Super User menu. Now I’m ready to use my new
layout.

Web ADI Layout After

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