Best practice for animating a presentation

I have been asked to animate a 2 minute presentation with no
user interaction where audio clips must synch up with events on
screen with various image tweens and fading. I have done them in
the past using keyframe animations, but I get into performance
issues that I would like to resolve. I am aware that animating
through actionscript along with a preloader will more than likely
allevate my problems, but I am not sure the best way to go about
doing this. I know how to animate symbols such as "this._x =
this._x+5;" but I am not sure how to keep triggering other
animations once one animation gets to a certain point, would I just
use alot of IF statements. Or is it better and easier to use the
tween class? along with animationVar.onMotionFinished = function()
{ play next animation}; and if so what is a good way to keep the
audio in synch. Or is there a way to get the key frame animations
to perform better on things like alpha fades on bitmap images.
I realize this is a question that would have a lengthy answer
if fully explained. Are there any good resources I could look at?

Nothing better than packaging them and using Dropbox to share. I caution you
on one thing as far as packaging:
http://indesignsecrets.com/file-packaging-feature-can-cause-problems-in-dps-
workflows.php

Similar Messages

Best practices for animated 3D renderings of products for Muse portfolio site?

We design books for independent authors. Page layout is done with ID CC, and covers are designed using PS CC, AI CC, etc.
My idea for our Muse portfolio site is to create animated videos from image sequences exported from Luxology Modo. I've built 3D meshes of the various book formats: perfect bound, case laminate, hard bound with dust jacket, etc. I've created an animation which starts out with the book standing upright on a white surface and angled 30° to the right to show the spine and the front cover. The book then rotates clockwise to straight on, pauses, opens to a spread, still centered on the recto page, pauses, pans left to view the verso page, pauses, closes right to left to show the back cover, pauses, then rotates back around to its starting position.
I use Premiere Pro CC to make the videos from image sequences generated from Luxology Modo. The reason for image sequences is so that I can change durations of various hold frames of the products during the animation.
I'm thinking of using an HD-like resolution of 1080 pixels tall, but also with a square format. So it'd be 1080 x 1080.
Not sure about the frame rate, but I'd like to try 12 fps to keep the file sizes down.
Is mp4 the only format? What about bit rate?
So far, my videos look kind of soft. I'd like them to be nice and crisp like an Apple keynote stream.
Any suggestions?

Hi!
My suggestion is to skip the folders all together! It will end as a total mess after a couple of years. My recommendation is to use the classification of the document type and classify the document with the right information. You can then search for the documents and you don't need to look through tons of folders to find the right document.
I know that you have to put the document in a folder to be able to create it in EasyDMS but at my customers we have a year folder and then month folders underneath where they just dump the documents. We then work with either object links or classification to find the right documents in the business processes. Another recommendation is to implement the TREX engine to be able to find your documents. I donu2019t know if this was the answer you wanted to get but I think this is the way forward if you would like to have a DMS system that could be used to 10+ years. Imagine replacing Google with a file browser!
Best regards,
Kristoffer P

Best practices for animation clips in FCPX

I used to be able to treat Motion projects just like any other clip on the time line. Is this no longer possible?
For example, I want to set in and out points in FCPX, but a Motion project imported as a Generator will only allow me to start from the first frame. I can not set an in point. Did I import it improperly? Im not really sure how the best way to bring in my Moption animations. They are not really Titles, Generators or Transitions. Any advice would be appreciated.

Ah, then you have some optoins, if it's something you'll be using a lot, even if only in one production.
Save As Template, and just save it as a Generator template, it'll work the same way pretty much. When you right click it in the Generator, you can Open In Motion to make changes. Once you make the changes, and save, come back to FCP X, you'll just drag-and-drop the new "updated" Generator onto the old one in the Timeline (Replace) and it's that easy. Not the same, but still pretty easy.
I'm doing a mixed media (animations of various types, photos, real life video, etc) project now, and am finding saving my stuff as Generator Templates, in a Theme I've titled the same as my production, very easy to use. There's the extra step of doing a replace edit once a change is made, but it's not a big deal, very easy, very fast.
All of these custom templates are stored in your Movies folder, inside a "Motion Templates" sub-folder, if you ever want to archive or access them directly.

Best practice for speeding up animation...

Hi,
What would be best practice for speeding up an animation? - Increase the frame rate, or is that considered cheating (already set to 25)?
The alternative would be to manually adjust the length of the tweens on each layer.
~ Let me know what you'd do.
Thanks!

Keep the frame rate as low as possible to create acceptable smooth tween and adjust the length (amount of frames) of the tween on the timeline. By keeping frame rate low you are reducing the amount of code execution per unit time (i.e. 24 FPS or 0.04167 seconds per frame)

Best practices for setting up projects

We recently adopted using Captivate for our WBT modules.
As a former Flash and Director user, I can say it’s
fast and does some great things. Doesn’t play so nice with
others on different occasions, but I’m learning. This forum
has been a great source for search and read on specific topics.
I’m trying to understand best practices for using this
product. We’ve had some problems with file size and
incorporating audio and video into our projects. Fortunately, the
forum has helped a lot with that. What I haven’t found a lot
of information on is good or better ways to set up individual
files, use multiple files and publish projects. We’ve decided
to go the route of putting standalones on our Intranet. My gut says
yuck, but for our situation I have yet to find a better way.
My question for discussion, then is: what are some best
practices for setting up individual files, using multiple files and
publishing projects? Any references or input on this would be
appreciated.

Hi,
Here are some of my suggestions:
1) Set up a style guide for all your standard slides. Eg.
Title slide, Index slide, chapter slide, end slide, screen capture,
non-screen capture, quizzes etc. This makes life a lot easier.
2) Create your own buttons and captions. The standard ones
are pretty ordinary, and it's hard to get a slick looking style
happening with the standard captions. They are pretty easy to
create (search for add print button to learn how to create
buttons). There should instructions on how to customise captions
somewhere on this forum. Customising means that you can also use
words, symbols, colours unique to your organisation.
3) Google elearning providers. Most use captivate and will
allow you to open samples or temporarily view selected modules.
This will give you great insight on what not to do and some good
ideas on what works well.
4) Timings: Using the above research, I got others to
complete the sample modules to get a feel for timings. The results
were clear, 10 mins good, 15 mins okay, 20 mins kind of okay, 30
mins bad, bad, bad. It's truly better to have a learner complete
2-3 short modules in 30 mins than one big monster. The other
benefit is that shorter files equal smaller size.
5) Narration: It's best to narrate each slide individually
(particularly for screen capture slides). You are more likely to
get it right on the first take, it's easier to edit and you don't
have to re-record the whole thing if you need to update it in
future. To get a slicker effect, use at least two voices: one male,
one female and use slightly different accents.
6) Screen capture slides: If you are recording filling out
long window based databse pages where the compulsory fields are
marked (eg. with a red asterisk) - you don't need to show how to
fill out every field. It's much easier for the learner (and you) to
show how to fill out the first few fields, then fade the screen
capture out, fade the end of the form in with the instructions on
what to do next. This will reduce your file size. In one of my
forms, this meant the removal of about 18 slides!
7) Auto captions: they are verbose (eg. 'Click on Print
Button' instead of 'Click Print'; 'Select the Print Preview item'
instead of 'Select Print Preview'). You have to edit them.
8) PC training syntax: Buttons and hyperlinks should normally
be 'click'; selections from drop down boxes or file lists are
normally 'select': Captivate sometimes mixes them up. Instructions
should always be written in the correct order: eg. Good: Click
'File', Select 'Print Preview'; Bad: Select 'Print Preview' from
the 'File Menu'. Button names, hyperlinks, selections are normally
written in bold
9) Instruction syntax: should always be written in an active
voice: eg. 'Click Options to open the printer menu' instead of
'When the Options button is clicked on, the printer menu will open'
10) Break all modules into chapters. Frame each chapter with
a chapter slide. It's also a good idea to show the Index page
before each chapter slide with a progress indicator (I use an
animated arrow to flash next to the name of the next chapter), I
use a start button rather a 'next' button for the start of each
chapter. You should always have a module overview with the purpose
of the course and a summary slide which states what was covered and
they have complete the module.
11) Put a transparent click button somewhere on each slide.
Set the properties of the click box to take the learner back to the
start of the current chapter by pressing F2. This allows them to
jump back to the start of their chapter at any time. You can also
do a similar thing on the index pages which jumps them to another
chapter.
12) Recording video capture: best to do it at normal speed
and be concious of where your mouse is. Minimise your clicks. Most
people (until they start working with captivate) are sloppy with
their mouse and you end up with lots of unnecessarily slides that
you have to delete out. The speed will default to how you recorded
it and this will reduce the amount of time you spend on changing
timings.
13) Captions: My rule of thumb is minimum of 4 seconds - and
longer depending on the amount of words. Eg. Click 'Print Preview'
is 4 seconds, a paragraph is longer. If you creating knowledge
based modules, make the timing long (eg. 2-3 minutes) and put in a
next button so that the learner can click when they are ready.
Also, narration means the slides will normally be slightly longer.
14) Be creative: Capitvate is desk bound. There are some
learners that just don't respond no matter how interactive
Captivate can be. Incorporate non-captivate and desk free
activities. Eg. As part of our OHS module, there is an activity
where the learner has to print off the floor plan, and then wander
around the floor marking on th emap key items such as: fire exits;
first aid kit, broom and mop cupboard, stationary cupboard, etc.
Good luck!

What are the best practices for using the enhancement framework?

Hello enhancement framework experts,
Recently, my company upgraded to SAP NW 7.1 EhP6. This presents us with the capability to use the enhancement framework.
A couple of senior programmers were asked to deliver a guideline for use of the framework. They published the following statement:
"SAP does not guarantee the validity of the enhancement points in future releases/versions. As a result, any implemented enhancement points may require significant work during upgrades. So, enhancement points should essentially be used as an alternative to core modifications, which is a rare scenario.".
I am looking for confirmation or contradiction to the statement "SAP does not guarantee the validity of enhancement points in future releases/versions..." . Is this a true statement for both implicit and explicit enhancement points?
Is the impact of activated explicit and implicit enhancements much greater to an SAP upgrade than BAdi's and user exits?
Is there any SAP published guidelines/best practices for use of the enhancement framework?
Thank you,
Kimberly
Edited by: Kimberly Carmack on Aug 11, 2011 5:31 PM

Found an article that answers this question quite well:
[How to Get the Most From the Enhancement and Switch Framework as a Customer or Partner - Tips from the Experts|http://www.sdn.sap.com/irj/scn/index?rid=/library/uuid/c0f0373e-a915-2e10-6e88-d4de0c725ab3]
Thank you Thomas Weiss!

Best Practice for FlexConnect Wireless roaming in MediaNet environment?

Hello!
Current Cisco best practice recommendations for enterprise MediaNet design, specify that VLANs be local to a switch / switch stack (i.e., to limit the scope of spanning-tree).
In the wireless world, this causes problems if you want users while roaming to keep real-time applications up and running. Every time they connect to a new AP on a different VLAN, then they will need to get a new IP address, which interrupts real-time apps.
So...best practice for LAN users causes real problems for wireless users.
I thought I'd post here in case there's a best practice for implementing wireless roaming in a routed environment that we might have missed so far!
We have a failover pair of FlexConnect 7510s, btw, configured for local switching for Internal users, and central switching with an anchor controller on the DMZ for Guest users.
Thanks,
Deb

Thanks for your replies, Stephen and JSnyder.
The situation here is that the original design engineer is no longer here, and the original design was not MediaNet-friendly, in that it had a very few /20 subnets bridged over entire large sites.
These several large sites (with a few hundred wireless users per site), are connected to an HQ location (where the 7510s in failover mode are installed) via 1G ethernet hand-offs (MPLS at the WAN provider). The 7510s are new, and are replacing older contollers at the HQ location.
The internal employee wireless users use resources both local to their site, as well as centralized resources. There are at least as many Guest wireless users per site as there are internal employee users, and the service to them consists of Internet traffic only. (When moved to the 7510s, their traffic will continue to be centrally switched and carried to an anchor controller in the DMZ.)
(1) So, going local mode seems impractical due to the sheer number of users whose traffic bound for their local site would be traversing the WAN twice. Too much bandwidth would be used. So, that implies the need to use Flex / HREAP mode instead.
(2) However, re-designing each site's IP environment for MediaNet would suggest to go routed to the closet. However, this breaks seamless roaming for users....
So, this conundrum is why I thought I'd post here, and see if there was some other cool / nifty solution I wasn't yet aware of.
The only other (possibly friendly to both needs) solution I'd thought of was to GRE tunnel a subnet from each closet to the collapsed Core / Disti switch at each site. Unfortunately, GRE tunnels are not supported in the rev of IOS on the present equipment, and so it isn't possible to try this idea.
Another "blue sky" idea I had (not for this customer, but possibly elsewhere in the future), is to use LAN switches such as 3850s that have WLC functionality built-in. I haven't yet worked with the WLC s/w available on those, but I was thinking it looks like they could be put into a mobility group, and L3 user roaming between them might then work. Do you happen to know if this might be a workable solution to the overall big-picture problem?
Thanks again for taking the time and trouble to reply!
Deb

Best Practice for Using Static Data in PDPs or Project Plan

Hi There,
I want to make custom reports using PDPs & Project Plan data.
What is the Best Practice for using "Static/Random Data" (which is not available in MS Project 2013 columns) in PDPs & MS Project 2013?
Should I add that data in Custom Field (in MS Project 2013) or make PDPs?
Thanks,
EPM Consultant
Noman Sohail

Hi Dale,
I have a Project Level custom field "Supervisor Name" that is used for Project Information.
For the purpose of viewing that "Project Level custom field Data" in
Project views , I have made Task Level custom field
"SupName" and used Formula:
[SupName] = [Supervisor Name]
That shows Supervisor Name in Schedule.aspx
============
Question: I want that Project Level custom field "Supervisor Name" in
My Work views (Tasks.aspx).
The field is enabled in Task.aspx BUT Data is not present / blank column.
How can I get the data in "My Work views" ?
Noman Sohail

Best practice for distributing/releasing J2EE applications.

Hi All,
We are developing a J2EE application and would like some information on the best
practices to be followed for distributing/releasing J2EE applications, in general.
In particular, the dilemma we have is centered around the generation of stub, skeleton
and additional classes for the application.
Most App. Servers can generate the required classes while deploying the EJBs in the
application i.e. at install time. While some ( BEA Weblogic and IBM Websphere are
two that we are aware of ) allow these classes to be generated before the installation
time and the .ear file containing the additional classes is the one that is uploaded.
For instance, say we have assembled the application "myapp.ear" . There are two ways
in which the classes can be generated. The first is using 'ejbc' ( assume we are
using BEA Weblogic ), which generates the stub, skeleton and additional classes for
the application and returns the file, say, "Deployable_myapp.ear" containing all
the necessary classes and files. This file is the one that is then installed. The
other option is to install the file "myapp.ear" and let the Weblogic App. server
itself, generate the required classes at the installation time.
If the first way, of 'pre-generating' the stubs is followed, does it require us to
separately generate the stubs for each versions of the App. Server that we support
? i.e. if we generate a deployable file having the required classes using the 'ejbc'
of Weblogic Ver5.1, can the same file be installed on Weblogic Ver6.1 or do we
have to generate a separate file?
If the second method, of 'install-time-generation' of stubs is used, what is the
nature/magnitude of the risk that we are taking in terms of the failure of the installation
Any links to useful resources as well as comments/suggestions will be appreciated.
TIA
Regards,
Aasif

Its much easier to distribute schema/data from an older version to a newer one than the other way around. Nearly all SQL Server deployment features supports database version upgrade, and these include the "Copy Database" wizard, BACKUP/RESTORE,
detach/attach, script generation, Microsoft Sync framework, and a few others.
EVEN if you just want to distribute schemas, you may want to distribute the entire database, and then truncate the tables to purge data.
Backing up and restoring your database is by far the most RELIABLE method of distributing it, but it may not be pratical in some cases because you'll need to generate a new backup every time a schema change occurs, but not if you already have an automated
backup/maintenance routine in your environment.
As an alternative, you can Copy Database functionality in SSMS, although it may present itself unstable in some situations, specially if you are distributing across multiple subnets and/or domains. It will also require you to purge data if/when applicable.
Another option is to detach your database, copy its files, and then attach them in both the source and destination instances. It will generate downtime for your detached databases, so there are better methods for distribution available.
And then there is the previously mentioned method of generating scripts for schema, and then using an INSERT statement or the import data wizard available in SSMS (which is very practical and implements a SSIS package internally that can be saved for repeated
executions). Works fine, not as practical as the other options, but is the best way for distributing databases when their version is being downgraded.
With all this said, there is no "best practice" for this. There are multiple features, each offering their own advantages and downfalls which allow them to align to different business requirements.

Best practice for PK and indexes?

Dear All,
What is the best practice for making Primary Key and indexes? Should we keep them in the same tablespace as table or should we create a seperate tableapce for all indexes and Primary Key? Please note I am talking about a table that has 21milion rows at the moment and increasing 10k to 20k rows daily. This table is also heavily involved in daily reports and causing slow performance. Currently the complete table with all associated objects such as indexes and PK is stored in one seperate tablespace. If my way is right then please advise me how can I improve the performance of retrival or DML operation on this table?
Thanks in advance..
Zia Shareef

Well, thanks for valueable advices... I am using Oracle 8i and let me tell you exact problem...
My billing database has two major tables having almost 21 millions rows each... one has collection data and other one for invoices... many reports are showing the data with the joining of Customer + Collection + Invoices tables.
There are 5 common fields in between invoices(reading) and collection tables
YEAR, MONTH, AREA_CODE, CONS_CODE, BILL_TYPE(adtl)
My one of batch process has following update and it is VERY VERY SLOW:
UPDATE reading r
SET bamount (SELECT sum(camount)
FROM collection cl
WHERE r.ryear = cl.byear
AND r.rmonth = cl.bmonth
AND r.area_code = cl.area_code
AND r.cons_code = cl.cons_code
AND r.adtl = cl.adtl)
WHERE area_code = 1
tentatively area_code(1) is having 20,000 consumers
each consuemr may have 72 invoices and against these invoices it may have 200 rows in collection tables (system have provision to record partial payment against one invoice)
NOTE: Please note presently my process is based on cursors so the above query runs for one consumer at one time but just for giving an idea I have made it for whole area.
Mr. Yingkuan, can you please tell me how can I check that the table' statistics is not current and how can I make it current. Is it really effect performance?

Best Practice for Distributing Databases to Customers

I did a little searching and was surprised to not find a best practice document for how to distribute Microsoft SQL Databases. With other database formats, it's common to distribute them as scripts. It seems that feature is rather limited with the built-in
tools Microsoft provides. There appear to be limits to the length of the script. We're looking to distribute a database several GBs in size. We could detach the database or provide a backup, but that has its own disadvantages by limiting what versions
of the SQL Server will accept the database.
What do you recommend and can you point me to some documentation that handles this practice?
Thank you.

Its much easier to distribute schema/data from an older version to a newer one than the other way around. Nearly all SQL Server deployment features supports database version upgrade, and these include the "Copy Database" wizard, BACKUP/RESTORE,
detach/attach, script generation, Microsoft Sync framework, and a few others.
EVEN if you just want to distribute schemas, you may want to distribute the entire database, and then truncate the tables to purge data.
Backing up and restoring your database is by far the most RELIABLE method of distributing it, but it may not be pratical in some cases because you'll need to generate a new backup every time a schema change occurs, but not if you already have an automated
backup/maintenance routine in your environment.
As an alternative, you can Copy Database functionality in SSMS, although it may present itself unstable in some situations, specially if you are distributing across multiple subnets and/or domains. It will also require you to purge data if/when applicable.
Another option is to detach your database, copy its files, and then attach them in both the source and destination instances. It will generate downtime for your detached databases, so there are better methods for distribution available.
And then there is the previously mentioned method of generating scripts for schema, and then using an INSERT statement or the import data wizard available in SSMS (which is very practical and implements a SSIS package internally that can be saved for repeated
executions). Works fine, not as practical as the other options, but is the best way for distributing databases when their version is being downgraded.
With all this said, there is no "best practice" for this. There are multiple features, each offering their own advantages and downfalls which allow them to align to different business requirements.

Best practice for data migration install v1.40 - Error 2732 Directory manag

Hi
I'm attempting to install SAP Best Practice for Data migration 1.40 on Win Server 2008 R2 (64 bit).
Prerequisite error
Installation program stops with missing file error
The following file was not found
... \migration\InstallationWizard\BusinessObjects Data Services\setup.exe
The file is necessary for successful installation. Please connect to internet or refer to Quick Guide (available on SAP note 1527151) for information regarding the above file.
Windows installer log displays
Error 2732 Directory Manager not initialized
SAP note 1527151 does not exist or is internal.
Any help appreciated on what is the root cause of the error as the file does not exist in that folder in the installation zip file.
Other prerequisite of .NET 3.5.1 met already.
Patch is released since 20.11.2011 so I presume that it is a good installation set.
Thanks,
Alan

Hi Alan,
There are details on data migration v1.4 installations on SAP website and market place. The below link should guide to the right place. It has a power point presentation and other useful links as well.
http://help.sap.com/saap/sap_bp/DMS_V140/DMS_US/html/index.htm
Arun

Best Practice for Conversion Workflow

Hello,
I'm converting video files from our "home grown" virtual media reserve to iTunes U. Some of the files are in RM format, some are already compressed .mov's (not H.264) and some I have the original DV files for.
Anyone out there have a best practice for converting these file types for posting to iTunes U? I have Final Cut Studio (Compressor), QT Pro and Squeeze available to me.
Any experience you have with this would be helpful.
Thanks,
Jeana

For converting old files to a podcast compatible video and based on the machine you have, consider elgato turbo.264. It is a fairly priced "co-processor" for video conversion. It is comprised of an application and a small USB device with a encoder chip in it. In my experience, it is the fastest way to create podcast video files. The amount of time that you will save will pay for the device quickly (about $100). Plus it does batch conversion of any video that your system currently plays through QuickTime. it has all the necessary presets and you can create your own. It has a few minor limitations such as not supporting (at this moment) enhanced podcasting features such as chapter markers and closed-captions but since you have old files for conversion, that won't matter.
For creating new content, the workflow varies a lot. Since you mention MP3s, I guess you are also interested in audio files. I would stick with GarageBand, especially if you are a beginner plus it supports enhanced podcasts.
In any case the most important goal is to have the simplest and fastest way to go from recording to publication. The less editing the better. To attain that, the best methods will require the largest investments. For example, for video production the best way is to produce the content live so when you finish recording it is only a matter of encoding and publishing. that will require the use of a video switcher that can ingest at least one video camera and a computer output to properly capture presentation material. That's the minimum. there are several devices that can do this for you. Some are disguised PCs and some connect to a PC for tapeless recording. You can check the Tricaster, which I like but wish it was a Mac and not a Windows Xp PC. Other routes may include video mixers from manufacturers like Edirol, Pansonic or Sony connected to a VTR or directly to a Mac for direct-ti-disc capture. I f you look at some of the content available in iTunes U, you will see what I explain here. This workflow requires preparation and sufficient live support but you will have your material ready for delivery almost immediately after the recorded event. No editing required. Finally, the most intensive workflow is to record everything separately and edit it later, which is extremely time consuming.

Best Practice for Updating children UIComponents in a Container?

What is the best practice for updating children UIComponents in response to a Container being changed? For instance, when a Canvas is resized, I would like to update all the children UIComponents height and width so the content scales properly.
Right now I am trying to loop over the children calling InvalidateProperties, InvalidateSize, and InvalidateDisplayList on each. I know some of the Containers such as VBox and HBox have layout managers, is there a way to leverage something like that?
Thanks.

you would only do that if it makes your job easier. generally speaking, it would not.
when trying to sync sound and animation i think most authors find it easiest to use graphic symbols because you can see their animation when scrubbing the main timeline. with movieclips you only see their animation when testing.
however, if you're going to use actionscript to control some of your symbols, those symbols should be movieclips.

Query Best Practice for Reports

I am new to Apex and I am wondering what is the best practice for store your sql quries for reports. I am a believer of storing all sql behind pacakge functions or procedures. And it looks like the only options for report pages are to use a direct SQL query, or a function that returns a query as a string. Yes the function method counts as putting the code in Oracle but not really. It is still getting compiled and parsed on the Apex side. It would be nice if Apex could handle a cursor but I have read that it doesn't directly. You have to have a function that returns a cursor and then create a pipelined function that calls the cursor function. That is kind of silly. Is there some other way to do this?
Apex 4.2
Oracle 11.2.0.2
Thanks for any input.
Jeff

Hi Jeff,
I'm not necessarily a believer in packaging queries. I'm a little more pragmatic in that I believe it may make sense in environments where you have a client environment that just expects a result set that is then manipulated by the client for the purposes of presentation, pagination etc. Apex has a different architecture in that the client is purely an HTML presentation layer (browser) and the presentation, pagination etc is formulated in the database along with the data using the Oracle web toolkit, which is a set of internal packages that produce HTML. Note that handling and manipulating ref cursors inside PL/SQL is not a joy, they were mainly designed to be passed out to external clients. (Often to shield programmers who don't or won't even try to understand relational concepts)
This means that when you create a report based on a query, the Apex engine will manipulate that base query, depending on the display requirements and pagination requirements of your report, before it submits that query to the database for execution. To get an idea of how this manipulation occurs, you can run your report in debug mode and check the actual query that is submitted to the database. If the query is presented as an already executed ref cursor, then the Apex engine can't execute in the way that it does. As you have already found out, the only way of using packaged queries returning ref cursors is by the use of a pipelined function, so that the Apex engine can treat the result as a normal query.
This is the architecture of Apex, and I suspect that re-engineering the Apex engine to handle ref cursors natively, as opposed to using a pipelining trick, would be a considerable change. I hope this at least helps to explain why ref cursors and Apex don't mix. I personally don't see the purpose of having an abstraction layer of packaged queries below an abstraction layer of an API such as Apex. SQL is a perfectly good API.
Regards
Andre

Best practice for animating a presentation

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