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Links block

This block allows you to display a set of links.

You can configure the behavior of the links block and each link. For example, you can:

  • Set the Access Control for each link to conditionally hide or show the link based on the user's access. Example: hide a link if a user doesn't have a certain responsibility; show a link if a user is in a certain organization; only show a link if the manager has selected a person in their reporting line
  • Create multiple Links blocks and show different links in each. For example, show absence-related links on an absence page, expense-related links on an expenses page.
  • Choose the layout of the links block. For example, show it in a Row, Grid, or Mini-grid layout (the above example uses a Mini-grid)
  • Set the icon, color, label, and description for each link
  • Configure the link to point to a static URL, such as a website, intranet page, or other enterprise application
  • Configure the link to point to another page inside the app. For example, to Payslips, Absence, or Personal Information.
  • Configure the link to point to an Oracle page or form. For example, an Oracle Applications Framework (OAF) page or an Oracle Form (PUI) such as the Work Structures > Define Organization form
  • Configure the link to deep-link to an Oracle SSHR manager page and auto-select the person who is currently selected in the app
  • Configure the link to deep-link to the standard Oracle Enter & Maintain person form and auto-find the person who is currently selected in the app
  • Choose to open pages in the same browser window or in a new browser tab

When navigating to an Oracle page or form (including the Enter & Maintain form) the app will automatically swap to the configured Responsibility and Security Group.

Block settings

The block has these additional settings:

Parameter Example Usage Description
Row Grid Mini-grid Checked Unchecked The type of layout to use when showing the links. See Item templates.
Default layout Row Grid Mini-grid If more than one layout is selected, this specifies the layout that is shown when a user first views the block. A user can still choose to swap between different layouts as they choose.
No items text No links to see at the moment The text displayed when there are no links to display. For example, if the user does not have access to see any links based on the defined Access Control.

Viewing links

Once a link block has been created (or when viewing an existing link block) you can see all the links available in that block. Here you can:

Adding a link

To add a new link, view the links block and hit the Add button against the Links section. See Viewing links.

Adding a new link presents the following options:

Property Example Usage Description
Title Expenses The title of the link as presented to the user
Description Submit new expense claims and view the status of historical claims The description of the link. This is only shown in the Row layout.
Order sequence 10 20 A numerical sequence specifying where this link is shown in the display order. The lowest numbers are shown first, ie, 1 is shown before 2.
Icon dollar The name of the icon to display for this link
Color red, #FF00CC The color of the link. Choose a color from the recommended palette or select a specific hex color.
Type of link
  • Oracle Function
  • URL
  • Applaud HCM Page
 An Oracle Function deep links to an Oracle Applications (OAF) page or an Oracle Form (PUI). A URL is a hyperlink to any site, eg, an Intranet site. An Applaud HCM Page deep links to an in-app page.
Responsibility
  • US Super HRMS Manager
  • iExpenses
 The Responsibility to swap to when deep linking to an Oracle Function. This option is only applicable when the Type of link is Oracle Function.
Security Group
  • Standard
  • Vision Industries
 The Security Group to use when deep linking to an Oracle Function. This is typically used as a force override: when not specified the Security Group is automatically derived from the Business Group of the selected person in the app. This option is only applicable when the Type of link is Oracle function and the site is Multiple Security Groups enabled.
Function Expenses Enter & Maintain The Oracle Function to deep-link into from the selected responsibility. This option is only applicable when the Type of link is Oracle Function.
URL http://www.applaudsolutions.com A hyperlink. If this is not a public link, consider whether a mobile user will be able to access it. This option is only applicable when the Type of link is URL.
Page Id payslips absences The Page Id of the page to navigate to. This option is only applicable when the Type of link is Applaud HCM page.
Object Id <null> 123 {INSTANCE_PK1_VALUE} The Object Id to pass to the page. This can be null if the page doesn't use an Object Id, or if you want to let the page show the default Object for the logged-on user. It can also be {INSTANCE_PK1_VALUE}, which will be the Assignment Id of the person selected in the app. You can use a hard-coded Object Id (eg, to link to the absence page for a hard-coded Person Id) but you will rarely want to do this. This option is only applicable when the Type of link is Applaud HCM page.
Open in new browser tab Checked Unchecked When unchecked, the link opens in the same browser window. When checked, the link opens in a new browser tab or window. Whether it opens a new tab or window depends on the browser and isn't something that can be set here. As a best practice, use the same browser window if deep linking to an Oracle Function or an in-app page; use a new browser tab otherwise. This option is ignored when deep linking to an Oracle Form (PUI) because this has special behavior.

A new link will not be visible until you define at least one Access Control policy. See Defining access control for a link.

A link will not work until the Applaud Navigation Helper function has been added to the selected responsibility's menu.

Viewing the details of an existing link

To view the details of an existing link, select that link from the Links block page. See Viewing links.

From here you have various options:

Editing a link

To edit an existing link, view it and hit the Edit button. See Viewing the details of an existing link.

When editing a link you are presented with the same options as to when you add a link. See Adding a link for an explanation of the available properties.

Defining access control for a link

You set access control policies for each individual link. This allows you to define fine-grained access control so that users only see links that are relevant to them within the context they are working. For example, let's say you define a links block that contains Manager Self Service links that show when a manager has selected a direct or indirect report. You might want:

  • Different links showing for managers in different directorates
  • Different links showing based on the manager's seniority
  • Different links show depending on whether the selected person is an employee or contingent worker

Access Control for links follows a similar approach to access control for Blocks. See Blocks for more information on Access Control in general. All links are based on the object Applaud HR Assignment.

To manage access control policies for a link:

  1. View an existing link; see Viewing the details of an existing link
  2. Navigate down to the Grants block
  3. Hit Add to define a new grant or select the Delete item action to delete an existing grant

When adding a new grant you specify the Grantee who can see the link and the Object Ids (the Assignments) for whom that link would show against.

Adding the Applaud Navigation Helper function

To allow linking to various Oracle pages and forms, and Applaud Oracle Applications Framework page called Applaud Navigation Helper is used to assist with the navigation. This function must be added to each responsibility you wish to navigate to via a link.

To add this to a responsibility:

  1. Use the Define Responsibility form to retrieve the Menu attached to the responsibility you wish to navigate to via a link
  2. Query this menu in the Define Menu form
  3. Add the Applaud Navigation Helper function anywhere on this responsibility. Leave the Prompt blank but do remember to tick the Grant flag.

Deep linking an Oracle Manager Self Service page

You can configure a link to deep-link to an Oracle Manager Self Service page.

Consider the standard Oracle navigation paths to a manager action:

A. Navigating directly to the function:

  1. A manager navigates to the Oracle Applications Home Page
  2. A manager selects the function they wish to use
  3. A manager navigates through their hierarchy and chooses the person they wish to perform the function on
  4. A manager starts the action

B. Navigating via Manager Actions:

  1. A manager navigates to the Oracle Applications Home Page
  2. A manager navigates through their hierarchy and chooses the person they wish to perform a function on
  3. A manager chooses the Function from the Available Actions
  4. A manager starts the action

C. Navigating via Talent Profile:

  1. A manager navigates to the Oracle Applications Home Page
  2. A manager chooses Talent Profile
  3. A manager selects the person they wish to action from the drop-down list
  4. A manager selects the Action from the drop-down list and hits Go
  5. A manager starts the action

D. Navigating via the standard Oracle Org Chart (12.2+):

  1. A manager navigates to the Oracle Applications Home Page
  2. A manager chooses Organization Chart
  3. A manager navigates to the person they wish to action from the Org Chart
  4. A manager selects the Action on the person's Org Chart node
  5. A manager starts the action

Options B, C, and D all require the standard Oracle Manager Actions functionality to be configured. To understand standard Oracle functionality, please refer to the Oracle Self Service HR Implementation Guide. Similarly, the app also requires the standard Oracle Manager Actions functionality to be configured to allow deep-linking to a Manager function.

To configure a link for deep-linking:

  1. Start creating a new link. See Adding a link.
  2. Ensure the Type of link to set to Oracle Function
  3. Select the manager self-service responsibility that should be navigated to
  4. Choose the manager function under that responsibility
  5. Confirm that this manager function is correctly configured in the standard Oracle Manager Actions functionality. You may wish to test this using navigation paths B, C, or D.
  6. Save. The link will automatically be configured to deep-link to the selected person in the app.

Only Oracle Manager Self Service functions are supported in Manager Actions. If you can navigate to a function through navigation path A but cannot get the function to show via navigation paths B, C, or D it will not work in the app either.

Once that's configured, deep-linking in the app works as follows:

E. Deep-linking via the app:

  1. A manager navigates to the person they wish to action
  2. A manager clicks on the link in the links block
  3. A manager starts the action

The manager will not need to choose the person from their hierarchy in the standard Oracle pages; it will be pre-populated with the person who was selected in the app.

Deep linking to the Enter & Maintain person form (PERWSHRG)

You can configure a link to deep-link to the Enter & Maintain person form. This can be a very convenient navigation path for professional users:

  • When the Enter & Maintain person form is launched, the user does not have to use the Find window to select the person. The person is automatically queried from the person who was selected in the app
  • Searching for people in the app is far easier than using the Find window. You can find people across Business Groups, using multiple criteria (eg, Name, Employee Number, National Identifier, Job) and who might be ex-employees or future hires.
  • A professional user on a site with Multiple Security Group enabled tend to have a large number of identical responsibilities. This means you need to know which Business Group the person is in before you can select the right responsibility to find them. With the app, you can find people across Business Groups, and then when deep-linking to the Enter & Maintain person form it will automatically swap to the correct Responsibility-Security Group pair based on the employee's responsibility.

To deep-link to the Enter & Maintain person form:

  1. Start creating a new link. See Adding a link.
  2. Ensure the Type of link to set to Oracle Function
  3. Select the responsibility with the Enter & Maintain function on it
  4. Select the Enter & Maintain function you wish to deep-link to
  5. Save. The link will automatically be configured to deep-link to the Enter & Maintain person form
Once that's configured, deep-linking to the Enter & Maintain form works as follows:
  1. A professional user finds the person they wish to action and navigates to them
  2. They select the Enter & Maintain link from the Link block
  3. The Enter & Maintain person form is launched and auto-queried without having to use the Find window

Link groups - deprecated

Previous versions of the app required that all links for all Links blocks were added into a single menu defined by the XXAS: Registered Actions profile option. To allow different links blocks to show different links, a feature called Link groups was used.

Link groups no longer need to be used. New links blocks that are created now automatically segregate links within it so that these links do not appear in any other links block.

Link groups still work so that existing configuration continues to work.

Link groups worked by grouping links together. Each link was tagged by one or more arbitrary labels and a link block defined which groups should be shown. For example, say a link is tagged with the groups quicklinks and mss, and that three links blocks have been created: one to show the group quicklinks, another to show the group mss and a third to show the group absence. The two links blocks specifying the groups quicklinks and mss would show the link (subject to access control) but the third, configured to show the group absence, would not.

To use link groups, you need to manually update function parameters using the standard Oracle Functional Administrator responsibility.

To set the groups that a links block shows:

  1. View the existing link block and copy the Linked function.
  2. Navigate to Functional Administrator: Core Services: Functions, query the copied Function and hit Edit
  3. Add this parameters (or edit the existing one, if it already exists): &pShowGroups=<one or more group names separated by a comma>. For example: &pShowGroups=ess or &pShowGroups=quicklinks,mss
  4. Save

Be careful not to accidentally paste in carriage returns or whitespace at the end of the string. This happens regularly when pasting from an application like Notepad.

To tag a link with one or more groups:

  1. View the details of the existing link and copy the Linked function. See Viewing the details of an existing link. Alternatively, find the function by navigating to Functional Administrator: Core Services: Menus and query the menu specified by the XXAS: Registered Actions profile option.
  2. Navigate to Functional Administrator: Core Services: Functions, query the copied Function and hit Edit
  3. Add this parameters (or edit the existing one, if it already exists): &pGroups=<one or more group names separated by a comma>. For example: &pGroups=ess or &pGroups=quicklinks,mss
  4. Save

Be careful not to accidentally paste in carriage returns or whitespace at the end of the string. This happens regularly when pasting from an application like Notepad.

 

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