APEX Message Service (AMS) is the newest member of the United Codes product family. AMS brings real-time communication to Oracle APEX, which means you’ll always have the most up-to-date information without the need to refresh pages. So, where did this idea come from?

It all started with my presentation, ‘Building real-time APEX Maps with WebSocket’. I had chosen a Map Region in combination with a WebSocket server to visualize real-time data changes for all users in the application. After presenting at different conferences, I received great feedback, and people were enthusiastic about the concept! This was just the tip of the iceberg since there are many great use cases for integrating real-time data in APEX applications. That’s why we decided to build AMS!

Our initial idea for the server setup was quite simple. Of course, when considering things like scalability and security, the complete solution took a little bit longer than expected. Is it ever any different? 😉 AMS comes in 2 different flavors, Cloud and On-Prem. Both include a free version. For more information about the different plans, please visit the website or have a look at the documentation.

Whenever we’re developing products at United Codes, we’re always trying to make integration and configuration as easy and declarative as possible. AMS is no exception. There are three options to integrate AMS into your application:

• Dynamic Action plug-in
• Process plug-in
• PL/SQL API

Implementation, in most cases, will also be a three-step process:

• Connect to the AMS server: This typically happens on Page Load with the AMS Dynamic Action plug-in.
• Sending messages: Send whatever data you like across the entire application using a Dynamic Action or Page Process. We also provide a PL/SQL API to send messages from the backend.
• Listening for events: With another Dynamic Action, you can listen for incoming AMS messages and process them accordingly.

The best way to get familiarized with APEX Message Service is by using the AMS Sample Application. We’ve provided examples for different use cases, including the Maps Region from my presentation!

We believe that AMS is a game-changer for developers who are looking to build interactive and dynamic web applications. Whether you're building a dashboard, a chat application, a social network, an interactive map, or a stock trading platform, AMS can help you deliver a superior user experience. So why wait? Take your APEX development game to the next level, and try AMS today!