Javascript embedded in button pl/sql event handler not being executed

Question

Javascript calls not working from pl/sql button event handler. What am I missing? Are specific settings needed to execute javascript from pl/sql proceedures?
Example: Want to toggle target='_blank' off and on in a button pl/sql event handler to open url call in new window & then reset when processing submit is done & the app returns to the form.
portal form button's pl/sql submit handler:
begin
htp.p('<script language=JavaScript>') ;
htp.p('this.form.target="_blank"') ;
htp.p('</script>') ;
PORTAL.wwa_app_module.set_target('http://www.oracle.com') ;
htp.p('<script language=JavaScript>') ;
htp.p('this.form.target="_blank"') ;
htp.p('</script>') ;
end ;
Putting the following in the button's javascript on_click event handler works great:
this.form.target='_blank'
to force opening new window with a call in the button's submit pl/sql code via:
PORTAL.wwa_app_module.set_target('http://www.oracle.com') ;
but then the target='_blank' is left on when the submit is done & we return to the form.
putting the above javascript as a function (called fcn_newpage) elsewhere (e.g., after form opens) & calling in the submit pl/sql with
htp.p('fcn_newpage') ;
also doesn't work.
Metalink thought this was an application issue instead of a bug, so thought I'd see if anyone knows what's going wrong here. (Portal 9.0.4.1)

Answer 1

thanks for your discussion of my post.
Please clarify:
"htp.p('fcn_newwindow') sends a string":
What would you suggest the proper syntax for a function fcn_newwindow() call from a pl/sql javascript block that differs from
htp.p('<script language="Javascript">') ;
htp.p('fcn_newwindow');
htp.p('</script>');
or more simply
htp.p('fcn_newwindow') ;
More generally, what I'm trying to figure out is under what conditions javascript is executed, if ever, in the pl/sql of a button (either the submit or custom event handler, depending on the button).
I've seen lots of posts asking how to do a simple htp.p('alert("THIS IS TROUBLE")') ; in a pl/sql event handler for a button on a form, but no description of how this can be done successfully.
In addition to alerts, in my case, I'd like to call a javascript fcn from a pl/sql event handle that would pass a URL (e.g., http://www.oracle.com) where the javascript fcn executed
window.open(URL). The API call to set_target(URL) in pl/sql has no ability to open in a new window, so calling that is inadequate to my needs and I must resort to javascript.
Its clear in the PL/SQL of a button, you can effect form components since p_session..set_target & p_session.get_target set or get the contents of form components.
So to see if javascript ever works, I tried to focus on something simple that only had to set what amounts to an enviromental variable when we returned to the form after a post. I chose to try to change the html value of TARGET from javascript in the PL/SQL button because it doesn't need to be implemented until we finish the post and return to the form.
So I focused on a hack, setting this.form.TARGET='_blank' in the on_click event handler that forced every subsequent URL call or refresh of the form to be a new window. I then wanted to turn off opening new windows once I'd opened the URL call in a new window by setting TARGET='' in the portal form. I can achieve what I want by coding this.form.TARGET='' in the javascript (on_focus, on_change, or on_mousedown, ...) of every form component that might refresh the form. However, that is a ridiculous hack when a simple htp.p('<script>') ; htp.p('this.form.target=""') ; htp.p('</script>') ; at the end of the button's pl/sql event handle should do the same thing reliably if javascript ever works in the pl/sql event handler.
If we didn't have access to form components through p_session calls, I'd assume it was a scope issue (what is available from the pl/sql event handler). But unless my syntax is just off, when, if ever, can javascript be used in a portal form's pl/sql event handler for a button?
if I code a javascript funtion in the forms' pl/sql before displaying form:
htp.p('<script language="JavaScript">') ;
htp.p('function fcn_new_window(URL)') ;
htp.p('window.open(URL)' ) ;
htp.p('</script>') ;
the function can be called from a button's on_click javascript event handler:
fcn_new_window('http://www.oracle.com')
but from the same button's pl/sql submit event handler this call doesn't work: htp.p('fcn_new_window("http://www.oracle.com")')
So my questions remain: Is there other syntax I need, or does javascript ever work properly from the pl/sql of a form button's event handler? If it doesn't work, isn't this a bug that should be fixed by Oracle?
I can probably figure out hacks to make things work the way I need, but executing javascript from pl/sql event handlers seems to be the expected way to affect portal html pages (forms, reports, ...) and it seems not to work as expected. I don't feel I should have to implement hacks for something as simple as calling a javascript function from pl/sql when almost every example I've found in metalink or the forums or Oracle Press's "portal bible" suggests using javascript from pl/sql via the utility htp.p() to effect web page components in portal.
My TAR on the subject, while still open, returned the result basically: "We can reproduce your situation. Everything looks okay to us, but we can't explain how to use javascript where you want or point you to any documentation that would solve your problem or expain why it should not work the way you want it to. We don't feel its a technical issue. Why don't you post the problem on the portal applications forum."
I'm hoping I'm just missing something fundamental and everything will work if I implement it a little differently. So if anyone sees my error, please let me know.
by the way, not sure this is germain, but in reference to your comment:
"redirections in pl/sql procedures give a peculiar result. in a pl/sql procedure, usually, portals give the last redirection statement and ignore anything else coming after it."
if I try to raise an alert:
htp.p('alert("you screwed up")');
return;
in a pl/sql event handler, it still doesn't raise the alert, even though its the last thing implemented in the event handler. But if I set the value of a text box using p_session..set_value_as_string() at the same spot, it correctly sets the text box value when I return to the form.