# Oracle APEX - Returning Values from Modal Dialogs

# Introduction

In this post, I will show you two methods for returning values from an Oracle APEX modal page back to the parent page. This is one of those things I find myself looking up every time I need to do it, so this post is for me as much as anyone else. 😊

One reason You may need to do this is to pass a success message back to the parent page after completing a task in the modal. The video clip below shows an example where the user adds a task to a project and receives a Success message once the task is added which includes the name of the newly created task.

%[https://youtu.be/sg4uAqIENpY] 

# Option 1 Close Dialog Return Items

The first approach uses the 'Items to Return' property of the modal page to return value(s) to the parent page.

## Prepare Parent Page

On the parent page, we need to create a `Hidden Item` to receive the value from the modal. In the screenshot below, I have created an item called `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME`.

![APEX Parent Page Item Definition](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674931633404/0a566d46-70ee-48a3-b203-88435fcb443c.png align="center")

**Warning**, if you need to submit the Parent Page for some reason, you will get a 'Session state protection violation' error if you leave the property 'Value Protected' set on. In this example, where we are using `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` to store the new task name to display in a message, it is safe to set the 'Value Protected' switch off. If you were going to use the return value or save it to a table, you need to be more careful, as someone could set the value from the browser console.

### Dynamic Action

We need to create a Dynamic Action to fire when the modal is closed to accept the return value. In this example, the Dynamic Action will fire when the modal, opened by the button `ADD_TASK`, is closed.

![APEX Parent Page DA 2 on Add Task Button](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674932182113/49ba2499-549b-4304-a638-033eabfcdfc9.png align="center")

The dynamic action performs three steps. The first step in the Dynamic Action is the crucial step. Using the Action 'Set Value', we can use the 'Set Type' `Dialog Return Item` to return the value of the modal page item `P22_NAME` to the parent page item `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME`. The following section will show you how to set up the modal page.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674932153003/f9e9953d-ff71-4a73-8b51-e7cf665a8bec.png align="center")

The second step, calls the `apex.message.showPageSuccess` API to display the newly created task name to the user.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674932435370/85899db9-9977-4666-850a-c9fd79d57be4.png align="center")

Finally, we have a step to Refresh the Tasks region to see the latest task added to the report.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674932512715/71a05157-38b4-4e99-a700-7d430ddd0152.png align="center")

## Prepare Modal Page

There are only two steps we need to perform on the modal page. The first is to create an item where the Task Name will be entered (and later passed back to the parent page). In this example, the item is `P22_NAME`.

![APEX Modal Page 1 Page Item](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674932850121/8ffd4ec5-d1ae-4a01-9a69-a198a7bfa886.png align="center")

The second step is the crucial step. Create a Process with 'Type' `Close Dialog` in the 'Processes' area. Then enter a comma-separated list of items from the modal page whose values you want to return. In my example, I want to return the value of the item `P22_NAME`.

![APEX Modal Page 2 Close Dialog](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674932946277/64212c97-4f24-43a9-a674-a2a0ea4dfbb5.png align="center")

# Option 2 Set Values in Session State

In the second approach, we will set the values we want to return in the session state before the modal is closed. Most of the code is the same as the previous approach so I will focus on the differences.

## Modal Page

The main difference is that we need to set the parent page item `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` into session state before the Dialog Close process.

![APEX Option 2 Modal Page 1](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674933632011/22cb1ccb-ba39-4ca9-88f4-ce527654a6a1.png align="center")

We can also clear the 'Items to Return' property.

![APEX Option 2 Modal Page 2](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1674933902312/9d42d612-6f3d-499a-9031-28b923d20bf9.png align="center")

## Parent Page

In the parent page, we need to change the 'Set Item' step in the Dynamic Action to instead fetch the value of `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` from Session State into the browser so it can be displayed in the message.

![APEX Option 2 Parent Page 1](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675000940701/ba2ab140-5bd9-4f51-98fc-7dbd132594ef.png align="center")

**Note**: Just like the previous example, you will still get a 'Session state protection violation' error if you try and submit the parent page.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675001103114/5adc8495-03e5-414c-90ab-7f43a72f78c2.png align="center")

This is because we have included `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` in the 'Items to Return' property (see the above screenshot) and `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` is a Hidden item with 'Value Protected' switched on. The difference between this and the previous approach is that setting the value of `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` in the modal did not cause the issue; it was fetching the value from the Session state that caused it. More on that in the next section.

![APEX Option 2 Parent Page 3](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675001156668/444b7945-2eb4-4f67-8988-cfc3990742ed.png align="center")

# Discussion

You may wonder why we need the second approach at all. The reason is the Session state protection error. In the first example, APEX returns the modal page value via the browser. When the 'Set Value' Dynamic runs on the parent page, that value cannot be trusted (someone could also set that value from the browser console). This is fine for returning values to display enriched confirmation messages, etc., as you won't be trying to process that value on the backend.

If you need to use the returned value in page processing of the parent page, then the second approach is the way to go.

**Note**: If the parent page item is **not** hidden or 'Display Only' (i.e., it is user enterable), you can safely use either approach. The return value is displayed to the user, who can change it before submitting the parent page.

# Returning a Value to a Display-Only Field

What if you wanted to return a value to a 'Display Only' field on the parent page and still process that value safely when the parent page is submitted?

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675002285661/b6e97790-041a-48ef-a368-80bb32cf0f2f.png align="center")

If you use the first dialog return approach and make `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` 'Display Only', you will still get the session state protection violation error. To get around this for a 'Display Only' item, you can set the 'Send On Page Submit' property off.

![](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675002523359/bf68605e-0b98-4bd5-82d2-864ae9ad9211.png align="center")

What if you want to use the 'Display Only' value in page processing (e.g. save the value to a table) when the parent page is submitted? Even though the 'Send On Page Submit' property is off, because it was set into Session State by the 'Set Value' Dynamic Action, it can still be referenced from a page process.

If you try and tamper with the value from the console ...

![APEX Return Dialog Bonus 1](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675003850252/416e6555-706c-4ec4-b02c-855bc832d41f.png align="center")

Because 'Send On Page Submit' is off for `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME`, the value I hacked into the browser console is not submitted with the page. You can safely use the value set into session state by the 'Set Value' Dynamic Action step, which puts the return value from the modal into the parent page item.

Here I am safely referencing `P20_NEW_TASK_NAME` in a Page process.

![APEX Return Dialog Bonus 2](https://cdn.hashnode.com/res/hashnode/image/upload/v1675004075335/48d96c15-973e-4ff9-8eb0-1e2ffc71b945.png align="center")

# Conclusion

Returning a value from a modal page to a parent page is straightforward. Making sure you safely handle the returned value and avoid session state protection errors is not required some thought.

> It would be nice if there was an option for 'Hidden' Items that works like setting the property 'Send On Page Submit' off for 'Display Only' items.