Query /report asking for input ? in Apex

Question

Hello all, my name is John and I am asking for help with the following,
I am new to Oracle, Apex and SQL, PL/SQL (as you can tell from my query below.)
I have the very basics of Apex (in that of making reports,forms etc).
I created this query on a view in SQL Developer where it is asking for start and end dates to filter the report. , which is what I want it to do and returns the results I want.
Now I would like to create a report in Apex where it asks for the between dates as it does in the posted query, When that is done I want to pass it to the bipublisher report for pdf printing.
I am running this query as a totals report already (without the line with WHERE clause query asking of course.) in an apex application, crude as it may be.
I have it running as a Interactive reports and can filter the dates that way of couse but I want to learn to create the user input type query/report in Apex.
I have been reading that I would need to use a "pl/sql anonymous block with a "declare' and a page process?. (gettting confused in the "declare" variables and the execute sections)
I have looked at numerous samples and still do not quite getting the blocks down.
If you could point me in the right direction of where to go or better yet if someome could show me coding on how to get this to work in apex report/query (s)?
Slow learn I guess
I am using APEX 3.1.2 on 11g database.
Thanks in advance for help on this.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
----query for truck totals from view-----------
,select
trucktotals.truck_number as "Truck Number",
trucktotals. truck_type as "Truck Type",
sum (trucktotals.end_miles-trucktotals.begin_miles) as "Total Miles",
sum (trucktotals.reg_hours+trucktotals.ot_hours) as "Total Hours",
sum (trucktotals.total_net_tons) as "Total Tons",
avg (trucktotals.equip_rent) as "EQR P_HR"from "trucktotals"
<strong>where trucktotals.wage_date between to_date(:Start_date) and to_date(:end_date)</strong>
group by trucktotals.truck_number, trucktotals.truck_type
order by trucktotals.Truck_Number----end query for truck totals from view------------------+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Edited by: [email protected] on Oct 31, 2008 12:49 PM
Edited by: [email protected] on Oct 31, 2008 12:53 PM
Edited by: [email protected] on Oct 31, 2008 12:54 PM

Answer 1

Hi Martin,
Thank you for the information, it is a real help to me and gives me more insight toward my learning .
It took me little while , the condition had to be modified a little bit
(had to put parentheses around the :PXXX_START_DATE .... END_DATE, and remove the period to get it to work).
where (:PXXX_START_DATE) is not null and (:PXXX_END_DATE) is not null
It does work to the sense it shows the start and end date fields and the button and the report results below that, and you can enter the dates and the results change.
Looking at my question, I should have been a little more clear in the fact I want query to ask for the dates first in a pop up type window, when you press the "Show Report" button,
and then branches off to show the report. That is the reason I think, I referred to a block or procedure to acomplish this?
Thanks and still learning
John