Some Responsibilities do not launch forms interface from Self Service

After applying ATG RUP4 on an instance, some responsibilities do not launch forms from Self Service. However everything works fine if you go through the direct URL containing f60cgi/dev60cgi. On closer inspection, it was found that only those responsibilities did not launch which had brackets ( ) in their name, For example Payables Administrator (Head Office). This is due to the fact that the context variable s_f60blockurlchar contains brackets. As a result, ATG blocks any responsibility which contains brackets ( ).

This is a known issue and is described in unpublished Metalink Note 413561.1:

Symptoms
Some forms don't start if executed from SSWA from some custom responsibilities, for instance:

SEC - VIE - Personnel Administrator (incl. Element entry)
KOS - PRI - Personnel Administrator (incl. Element entry)
SRM - BLG - Personnel Administrator (incl. Element entry)

The forms are correctly launched if you change the responsibility (inside classic Navigator / Forms)

Changes
Installation of 11i.ATG_PF.H RUP4 (as part of CPUOct2006)

Cause
The url generated contains brackets in the responsibility parameter (for instance gv3=KOS_PRI_PERS%20(EL)
and FORMS60_BLOCK_URL_CHARACTERS variable exludes brackets.

Customer has this error from Firefox browser when trying to use any of these responsibilities because the responsibility name has brackets in it, for instance "KOS - PRI - Personnel Administrator (incl. Element entry)" :

Oracle Forms Web CGI: Error detected
Your request cannot be serviced at this time due to the following error:
ERROR: URL Contains One or More Restricted Characters
http:// ...

FORMS60_BLOCK_URL_CHARACTERS value is :

%0a,%0d,!,%21,",%22,(,%28,),%29,;,[,%5b,],%5d,{,%7b,|,%7c,},%7d,%7f,>,%3c,<,%3e thus do not allow bracket characters ()

Solution
To implement the solution, please execute the following steps: Use OAM or Editcontext to update s_f60blockurlchar in context xml file i.e. to change: from: %0a,%0d,!,%21,",%22,(,%28,),%29,;,[,%5b,],%5d,{,%7b,|
,%7c,},%7d,%7f,>,%3c,<,%3e

to:

%0a,%0d,!,%21,",%22,%28,%29,;,[,%5b,],%5d,{,%7b,|
,%7c,},%7d,%7f,>,%3c,<,%3e

i.e. remove the bracket characters (, ) .

then run Autoconfig and retest.

I found Metalink Note 732586.1 which informs us that this is changed in the file

$IAS_CONFIG_HOME/Apache/Apache/conf. So, if you don't want to run autoconfig, you can manually search for FORMS60_BLOCK_URL_CHARACTERS in this file and change it also.