ORACLE E-BUSINESS SUITE HELP

MENU INTEGRATION
OR_EN_2.0


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CONTENTS
Overview of Help Menu Integration............................................... 1
Plan for Deploying In-Application Support....................................................1
Who Needs to be Involved?....................................................................2
When Does it Have to Happen?...............................................................2
What Needs to be Done?........................................................................2
Oracle E-Business Suite Help Menu Integration............................. 5
Implement Context-Sensitive Help Menu Integration.....................................5
Deploy a Custom Library........................................................................5
Modify an Existing Custom Library...........................................................6
Modify the HELP_WEB_AGENT Profile..........................................................6
Display Oracle Help with a Gateway Page ....................................................7
Customize for Different Languages .............................................................7
Use SmartHelp............................................................................... 9
Configure SmartHelp to Deploy Context-Sensitive Help .................................9
Configure SmartHelp to Deploy SmartMatch Enabled help............................ 10
Install SmartHelp for Internet Explorer ..................................................... 11
Standard Installation........................................................................... 11
Offline Installation .............................................................................. 11
Troubleshooting.................................................................................. 12
Uninstall from Internet Explorer............................................................ 12
Install SmartHelp for Firefox.................................................................... 12
Uninstall from Firefox .......................................................................... 13

Overview of Help Menu Integration

1
The Player deployment format from the Developer is not only useful in various training &
educational initiatives; this output is also designed to provide in-application performance
support for the end users.
There are specific add-ons and instructions for certain major enterprise applications to
accommodate context-sensitive in-application performance support; these applications are
referred to as target applications throughout this document. Content for target
applications can generally be deployed using one of the following two methods:
Help Menu Integration - This method allows the target application end users to
invoke context-sensitive in-application performance support material using the
application's existing Help menu.
SmartHelp - This is a toolbar button for browsers that a target application end user
may use to invoke context-sensitive in-application performance support material.
The mechanism for context-sensitivity for target applications is known as ExactMatch. This
technique allows the Player to display a list of content material that is related to the end
user's activity in the application. The relevancy of the content list is determined based on
content items that contain exactly the same context information as recorded during
content creation in the Developer.
For browser-based non-target applications, the SmartHelp toolbar button can still be used
to deploy context sensitive in-application performance support; however, there is a
difference in how the applicable list is generated. Unlike ExactMatch where the recorded
context information is matched exactly with the end user's context in the application, a
statistical analysis is used to rank the most probable content items in order to generate
the list of applicable content items. This method of generating the applicable list is called
SmartMatch.
Finally, content created for non-target applications prior to the introduction of SmartMatch
technology may still be deployed using the SmartHelp toolbar button for the browser in a
non-context sensitive manner. In this case, the Player displays all of the content items;
however, the user may find the appropriate items using the Search feature or by browsing
the content hierarchy.
Note: Please refer to the Help Menu Integration guide for each target application for specific
instructions on Help Menu Integration as well as SmartHelp based content deployment.

Plan for Deploying In-Application Support
Once your organization decides to deploy content for in-application performance support,
some of the fundamental questions that need to be addressed are:
What deployment mechanism is most appropriate for your organization, Help Menu
Integration with a target application or SmartHelp based deployment?
Who needs to be involved?
When does it have to happen?
What needs to be done?
Understanding the answers to these questions will give your organization the information
it needs to implement help menu integration and context sensitive help successfully.
Overview of Help Menu Integration
Overview of Help Menu Integration

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Who Needs to be Involved?
A few roles across typical organizational boundaries are needed.
Content Developer
Web Server Administrator
Application Administrator
Test User

When Does it Have to Happen?
For some target applications, steps must be taken before production recording begins in
order to support context sensitive help. For most applications, application configuration
can occur after and independently of production recording. If your organization wants
context sensitive help, always check that context is being captured while recording.
Note: Please refer to the Help Menu Integration guide for each target application for specific
instructions about Help Menu Integration as well as SmartHelp based content deployment.

What Needs to be Done?
These are the tasks each role needs to complete to successfully deploy in-application
performance support content.
Content Developer
Create content in the Developer - While ExactMatch information for target
applications and SmartMatch information for browser-based non-target
applications will be automatically captured, it is recommended to validate that
context is being captured.
Publish the player package
Give the published player package to the web server administrator
Web Server Administrator
Deploy the published player package to a web server
Provide the URL for the published player package to the application administrator
Application Administrator
Perform the configuration steps detailed in the Help Menu Integration guide for
each application
Receive the player package URL from the web server administrator
Perform the Help Menu Integration guide steps for URL configuration
Test User
Verify the published player package appears from the application using the Help
Menu Integration option or the SmartHelp button, as deployed
If you are deploying context sensitive help, the test user should coordinate with
the content developer to note which parts of the application were used to create
Overview of Help Menu Integration

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content and then verify that the Player launches with an appropriate list of
applicable topics.
Note: Please refer to the appropriate Help Menu Integration guide for specific instructions about
Help Menu Integration as well as SmartHelp based content deployment.


Oracle E-Business Suite Help Menu Integration

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To implement Help Menu Integration for Oracle E-Business Suite, you must install and
compile two library files that are delivered with the Developer installation. To complete the
integration, modify the HELP_WEB_AGENT profile on the Oracle server to point to the
Player content. This causes the Player interface to launch directly from the Oracle Help
menu. If you want the users to have access to Oracle help as well, you can modify a
supplied Java script file so that a decision or gateway page launches instead of the
Oracle Help gateway page. This gateway page contains a link in a separate frame at the
top of the Oracle Help page. Clicking this link opens the Player.

Implement Context-Sensitive Help Menu Integration
If you want to implement context-sensitive Help for Oracle E-Business Suite applications,
the correct Context IDs of the objects in Oracle must be captured while the content is
recorded. To enable this, you must deploy or modify the custom library (CUSTOM.pll) on
the Oracle server before content creation begins.

Deploy a Custom Library
Use the following steps if you have not deployed a custom Library on your Oracle
Applications server.

To deploy a custom library:
1. Back up your existing CUSTOM.pll to CUSTOM.pll.orig.
2. Locate the ODPNCustomPLL.zip file in the ORACLE folder where the Developer is
installed and retrieve the CUSTOM.pll file. Copy it to the $AU_TOP/resource folder
on the Oracle Applications server.
Note: $AU_TOP is defined as a variable and references
/oracle/VIS/apps/apps_st/appl/au in both a Unix and Windows operating system.
3. Locate the ODPNCustomPLL.zip file in the ORACLE folder where the Developer is
installed and retrieve the ODPN.pll file. Copy it to the $AU_TOP/resource folder on
the Oracle Applications server. This should be the same folder you used in the
previous step.
4. Ensure that no one is currently using Oracle Applications (Web Forms). Shut down
the Oracle Forms Server service if you are running 11i.
Note: It is not necessary to shut down any service if you are running R12.
5. While in the $AU_TOP/resource, compile the ODPN.pll and CUSTOM.pll library
files using the command for your specific EBS version:
Oracle 11.5.10 server:
ifcmp60 module=ODPN.pll module_type=LIBRARY userid=apps/apps@<instance>
compile_all=yes

ifcmp60 module=CUSTOM.pll module_type=LIBRARY
userid=apps/apps@<instance> compile_all=yes

For Oracle E-Business Suite R12:
frmcmp module=ODPN.pll module_type=library userid=apps/apps@<instance>
compile_all=yes

frmcmp module=CUSTOM.pll module_type=library userid=apps/apps@<instance>
compile_all=yes
Oracle E-Business Suite Help Menu Integration
Oracle E-Business Suite Help Menu Integration

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Note: Replace the database connect string to reflect your instance.

Note: Shutting down the Forms server is not necessary.

Modify an Existing Custom Library
Use the following steps if you have custom logic in your custom library (CUSTOM.pll) that
you do not want to overwrite. You must place a line of code in the custom library that will
call out to a new library (ODPN.pll). After doing this, you will only need to recompile your
existing CUSTOM.pll if you receive new versions of OPDN.pll with software upgrades.

To modify a custom library:
1. Back up your existing CUSTOM.pll to CUSTOM.pll.orig.
2. Copy the CUSTOM.pll from the $AU_TOP/resource folder on the Oracle Applications
server to a client machine that has Oracle Forms Builder installed.
3. Copy the APPCORE2.pll from $AU_TOP/resource folder on the Oracle Applications
server to a client machine that has Oracle Forms Builder installed. This should be
the same folder you used for the previous step.
4. Locate the ODPNCustomPLL.zip file in the ORACLE folder where the Developer is
installed and retrieve the ODPN.pll file. Then copy it to the client machine into
same folder as previous file copies. Note that this library is not version-specific to
11.5.10 or 11.5.9.
5. Open CUSTOM.pll using Oracle Forms Builder 6i and attach ODPN.pll. Place this file
in the same folder on the client side as your CUSTOM.pll prior to the attachment.
6. Answer Yes, when asked to remove directory path.
7. Add the following code to the Event procedure:
gkod_event (event_name, 'SPECIAL15');
8. Ensure that no one is currently using Oracle Applications (Web Forms). Shut down
the Oracle Forms Server service.
9. Copy the CUSTOM.pll and ODPN.pll files from the client to the $AU_TOP/resource
folder on the Oracle Applications server.
10. Compile both the ODPN.pll and the CUSTOM.pll files using steps 5 and 6 in the
previous section.
Modify the HELP_WEB_AGENT Profile
You must modify the HELP_WEB_AGENT profile in Oracle to point to the
oracle_gateway.html in the Player content deployed on the server.
For Oracle E-Business Suite 11i , the URL consists of two parts: the path for the
oracle_gateway.html file located in the \oracle\hemi folder in the Player content, plus the
path of the default dbc file for the Oracle server.
Following is an example for 11i:
URL=http://<server
name>:<port>/oracle/hemi/oracle_gateway.html?dbc=d:\oracle\o11iapp
l\
fnd\11.5.0\secure\<server name>.dbc
Oracle E-Business Suite Help Menu Integration

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Following is an example for R12:
URL=http://<server name>:<port>/oracle/hemi/oracle_gateway.html

To modify the HELP_WEB_AGENT profile in Oracle E-Business Suite:
1. Sign on to the Oracle EBS Application via the web browser as an administrator.
2. Click the System Administrator link and locate the System Profile.
3. When the java form launches, enter APPLICATIONS_HELP% in the Profile field
and click Find.
4. Enter or edit the URL with the path to the oracle_gateway.html.
Note: For Oracle 11i, include the location of the .dbc file in the URL string. Once
you have completed your changes, stop and restart the Oracle Forms service.
5. For the profile change to take effect in the current session, exit from the Oracle
application and sign in again.
6. Click Help in Oracle, and the Player launches.
Display Oracle Help with a Gateway Page
You can configure the gateway page so that the Oracle Help pages are still accessible. To
implement this, you modify a JavaScript file to add a pointer to the Oracle Help file on the
Oracle server.

To enable a gateway page:
1. Locate the odcontenturl.js file in the oracle\hemi folder within the published Player
content.
2. Rename this file to odcustomurl.js.
3. Open this file in any text editor, such as Notepad, and edit the
Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONHELP_URL as follows:
For EBS 11i, the URL should point to the fndhelp.jsp file on the Oracle server.
Example:
Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONHELP_URL=http://<oracle
server>:<port>/OA_HTML
/jsp/fnd/fndhelp.jsp
For EBS R12, open this file in any text editor, such as Notepad, and edit the
Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONHELP_URL to point to the Oracle Help.
Example:
Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONHELP_URL=http://<oracle
server>:<port>/OA_HTML/help
4. Save the file.
Customize for Different Languages
If you have Player content published in multiple languages, you can specify language
codes to launch the appropriate language for the end user.
If you have enabled the gateway page, you use the OD_URL[LANG_ID] variable in the
odcustomurl.js file. This value is used to select the appropriate content based on the
language in which the user logged in to Oracle. The lang parameter is used in the Oracle
Help URL to determine the login language.
Oracle E-Business Suite Help Menu Integration

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If you invoke help directly from the Oracle Help menu, you can also specify a language
code. To do this, rename the odcontenturl.js file to odcustomurl.js described above, but do
not add the value for the Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONHELP_URL variable. It should be
left empty.
// To customize the content locations and languages, rename this file
to odcustomurl.js and edit the variables below

//Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONHELP_URL = "<default content path>";
//Gkod.Variables.OD_URL[LANG_ID1] = "<content path for LANG_ID1>";
//Gkod.Variables.OD_URL[LANG_ID2] = "<content path for LANG_ID2>";

Note: The // at the beginning of a line indicates that the line is a comment. After you change the
variable in a line, you must remove the //, or the line will be ignored.

The value for the [LANG_ID] variable should be replaced by the appropriate language
code. Oracle support for languages and the corresponding language codes can be found in
the Metalink document #393861.1.
Note: The language code must match the code displayed by the Oracle E-Business Suite Help
launch URL. In EBS 11i, the Help URL contains a query string named lang (for example,
lang=US); in EBS R12, the Help URL contains a query string named locale (for example,
locale=en_US).


Use SmartHelp

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For browser-based applications, the SmartHelp toolbar button can be used to deploy
in-application performance support. Two scenarios in which SmartHelp can be utilized for
browser-based applications are:
Context-sensitive content deployment for target applications
SmartMatch content deployment for non-target applications
The traditional Help Menu Integration approach is recommended for deploying
context-sensitive in-application performance support content for a single target application
as it does not require the SmartHelp toolbar button to be distributed to end-user desktops.
However, if content is being deployed for multiple browser-based target applications or for
non-target applications, then SmartHelp may be a consistent way to deliver help for all
browser-based applications.
SmartHelp is a toolbar button for Internet Explorer and Firefox browsers. Browser-based
applications that suppress the browser's toolbar may not take advantage of the SmartHelp
features. SmartMatch functionality for non-target applications (statistically relevant
content items ranked in order to generate the list of applicable content items) is only
available with the SmartHelp toolbar button.
It is possible to configure the same SmartHelp toolbar button to deploy multiple
browser-based target applications as well as non-targeted applications. The end users will
benefit from ExactMatch behavior when using the SmartHelp toolbar button for target
applications and SmartMatch behavior when using the SmartHelp toolbar button for
non-targeted browser-based applications.
The following sections will provide guidance on the following:
Configuring SmartHelp to deliver context-sensitive in-application performance
support
Configure SmartHelp to deliver SmartMatch enabled content for non-target
applications
Deploying the SmartHelp component for the Internet Explorer browser
Deploying the SmartHelp component for the Firefox browser

Configure SmartHelp to Deploy Context-Sensitive Help
You can add a SmartHelp toolbar button to the browser which will launch context-sensitive
help content for target applications.
To configure SmartHelp:
1. Copy the help content and the appropriate configuration files to a web server.
2. In the published and copied help content, locate the /stdhemi/hemi folder.
3. Copy and rename the odstdcontenturl.js file to odstdcustomurl.js.
4. Edit the odstdcustomurl.js file with a text editor and modify the
Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONSCRIPTS_URL variable to point to the published
content as follows:
Gkod.Variables.OD_APPLICATIONSCRIPTS_URL = ['http://[server]/[virtual
directory]/oracle']
Note: To configure multiple application urls, modify the array by separating each
Use SmartHelp
Use SmartHelp

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quoted string with a comma and space. For example:
'http://example.com/content/app1', 'http://otherexample.com/content/app2'.
5. To control what is displayed if no content is found for the current application, edit
the variable to point to the published content as follows:
Gkod.Variables.OD_STANDARD_URL= "http://<server>/<contentdirectory>"
Note: Published content will display in All view with the entire table of contents.
While this step is not required, if you do not edit this variable the user will simply
receive a generic "no content is available" message.
6. Remove the // in front of the variables to uncomment them.
7. Save the file.
8. Instruct the users to follow the instructions to install the SmartHelp toolbar button
for the browser.
Once the toolbar button is installed and configured, the users can access context-sensitive
help content with the SmartHelp toolbar button while in the application.
Note: You may configure additional SmartHelp locations for language or other types of content
segmentation as desired for distribution. All content launched through SmartHelp must be
published in the same version of the Developer.

Configure SmartHelp to Deploy SmartMatch Enabled help
When you record browser-based non-target application content, the content is
automatically ready for SmartMatch enabled deployment with the SmartHelp toolbar
button. You can host the published content on a web server and use the instructions below
to install SmartHelp (for supported versions of Internet Explorer or the Firefox browser)
from the hosted content location.
Other than deploying SmartHelp to end users, there is no required content configuration
that is necessary to take advantage of SmartMatch functionality. However, if desired, there
are options to disable the SmartMatch capability in deployed content. It is also possible to
deploy the SmartHelp button from one web server location while hosting the content in
another web server location.
To configure SmartHelp:
1. Copy the help content and the appropriate configuration files to a web server.
2. In the published and copied help content, locate the /stdhemi/hemi folder.
3. Copy and rename the odstdcontenturl.js file to odstdcustomurl.js.
4. Edit the odstdcustomurl.js file with a text editor and set
Gkod.Variables.OD_ENABLESMARTMATCH = 0 if you wish to disable SmartMatch
for the deployed content.
5. Set the content location using the Gkod.Variables.OD_SMARTMATCH_URL variable.
6. Remove the // in front of the variables to uncomment them.
7. Save the file.
8. Instruct the users to follow the instructions to install the SmartHelp toolbar button
for the browser.
Once the toolbar button is installed and configured, the users can access context-sensitive
help content with the SmartHelp toolbar button while in the application.
Use SmartHelp

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Note: You may configure additional SmartHelp locations for language or other types of content
segmentation as desired for distribution. All content launched through SmartHelp must be
published in the same version of the Developer.

Install SmartHelp for Internet Explorer
An ActiveX control must be installed on the end-user system to enable the SmartHelp for
Internet Explorer. A key feature of ActiveX controls is their simple download and execute
deployment model. However, due to security concerns, some organizations may limit their
installation. For this reason, there are two installation options for the SmartHelp for
Internet Explorer.

Standard Installation
Users can install SmartHelp by accessing the following page from Internet Explorer:
http://<server>/<content_directory>/stdhemi/hemi/smarthelp/smarthe
lpsetup.html
Under normal circumstances, Microsoft Windows XP users must have at least power user
privileges to complete the installation, and Microsoft Vista users must have administrator
privileges. Organizational policies may affect the minimum privileges necessary for
installation.
Microsoft provides the ActiveX Installer Service for environments in which Microsoft Vista
users do not have administrator privileges on their systems. See The ActiveX Installer
Service in Windows Vista article at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/technetmag/issues/2007/07/AxIS/default.aspx for
more information.
Install SmartHelp with Internet Explorer 7 in Protected Mode
SmartHelp will not install correctly if Protected Mode is enabled in Internet Explorer 7. The
button does will not appear in the browser toolbar. To install SmartHelp successfully, you
must disable Protected Mode first. After installation is complete, you can enable Protect
Mode again.

Offline Installation
Offline installation can be used to install the ActiveX control in environments where, due to
security concerns, the standard installation would not work. In this case, the installation
requires two steps.
1. Run the setup.exe that is provided with the published Player package in the
/stdhemi/hemi/ietbutton directory.
2. Access the browsertbutton/browsertbuttonsetup.html page from Internet Explorer.
In the following example, substitute the server name for <server> and the name
of the directory in which the Player package is located for <content directory>.
http://<server>/<content_directory>/stdhemi/hemi/smarthelp/smar
thelpsetup.html
Because setup.exe is used to install the ActiveX control, Microsoft Windows XP and Vista
users need only Users privileges in order to complete the configuration by browsing to the
smarthelpsetup.html page.
Setup.exe can be run silently, with the following command-line options.
Setup.exe /S /v/qn
Use SmartHelp

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Troubleshooting
When the smarthelpsetup.html page displays an error, additional information is available
by appending ?diagnosticmode to the URL. For example:
http://<server>/<content_directory>/stdhemi/hemi/smarthelp/smarthe
lpsetup.html?diagnosticmode
In most cases, after you restart the browser the new toolbar button will appear
automatically. However, if the user has customized the Internet Explorer toolbar, the new
button may not appear. In this case, the toolbar button is added to the choices in the
Customize Toolbar dialog box, and it will appear if the toolbar is reset. For more
information, see the article on the Microsoft Developer Network at
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Aa753588.aspx.
By default, the Internet Explorer 7 toolbar is not completely displayed; only the first 5
items appear. The SmartHelp button in Internet Explorer 7 will always be added in the
dropdown list area for more buttons.

Uninstall from Internet Explorer
Please see the Microsoft Windows Knowledge Base article 15485 at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/154850 for instructions on how to uninstall SmartHelp for
Internet Explorer. You will need to follow the instructions to remove the HemiIEButton
Class.
In general, in Control Panel, you open Add/Remove Programs, look for the SmartHelp
entry, and uninstall it. Then, in the System folder under the Windows folder, locate the
Downloaded Program Files folder, right-click the SmartHelp entry, and select Remove.

Install SmartHelp for Firefox
Configure the Web Server MIME Type for Firefox Extensions
It may be necessary for an administrator to configure the application/x-xpinstall and the
application/x-jar MIME types for the xpi file extension on the web server before the button
can be installed on Firefox. With Apache HTTP Server, this can be done by adding the
following directive to the configuration file or .htaccess:
AddType application/x-xpinstall .xpi
AddType application/x-jar .jar
For IIS, follow the directions in Microsoft KB article 326965 at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/326965.
Information about XPI can be found at http://developer.mozilla.org/en/docs/XPI.
Install the SmartHelp Button
Users can install the toolbar button by accessing the following page from the Firefox
browser:
http://<server>/<content_directory>/stdhemi/hemi/smarthelp/smarthe
lpsetup.html
When installation is complete, users must use the Restart Firefox button in the in the
Add-ons dialog box or the button will not be configured properly. Users may then need to
add the button to their toolbar with the Customize option.
Use SmartHelp

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Install SmartHelp on Firefox 3
To successfully install the SmartHelp button on Firefox version 3, the location of the
deployed player package must be added to the addon exception list.
To install the SnartHelp button on Firefox 3:
1. On the Tools menu, select Options.
2. Click the Exceptions button.
3. In the Address of web site field, enter the host name of the location of the Player
package.
4. Click the Allow button.
Uninstall from Firefox
Please see Firefox documentation for removing add-ons. In version 2.0 the instructions for
removing add-ons is as follows:
1. From the Tools menu, choose Add-ons.
2. Select the SmartHelp add-on.
3. Click the Uninstall button.
4. Restart the browser.