Message Catalog Usages

This report searches the entire PeopleSoft database and codebase to locate every usage of a specific Message Catalog entry.
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Message Catalog Usages Report

Report ID: msgcat-usages Category: Objects / Development

Purpose

This report searches the entire PeopleSoft database and codebase to locate every usage of a specific Message Catalog entry. It answers the question: “If I modify or delete this message set or number, what fields, pages, or PeopleCode programs will be affected?”

Use this when someone hands you a (10, 12) error code, or when you want to know if anything still references a message before you delete it.

What Gets Searched

The report dynamically discovers and queries all tables that store message reference columns (MESSAGE_SET_NBR and MESSAGE_NBR), as well as the PeopleCode codebase.

  1. Whitelisted Tables: The report automatically queries all whitelisted database tables containing both message columns. The most common UI placement searched is:

    • PSPNLFIELD (Page Fields): Finds where message catalogs are assigned as static labels or tooltips on page controls.

  2. PeopleCode Source (PSPCMTXT): Searches the actual text of all compiled PeopleCode programs for function calls that fetch catalog messages. This includes:

    • MsgGet(...)
    • MsgGetText(...)
    • MsgGetExplainText(...)

  3. Non-Whitelisted Tables: Discovers any other database tables in the system that match the column criteria but are not currently in the SWS whitelisting table. The report generates a custom SQL snippet for each of these so developers can query them manually.

Report Output

The generated markdown report contains:

  • Summary Table: A overview of the tables searched, indicating which ones are whitelisted/accessible and the count of matches found in each.
  • Detailed Findings: Individual tables showing the key identifiers of matching objects, accompanied by deep links back to their respective psLens detail pages.
  • PeopleCode References: A detailed table listing the PeopleCode program type, record/package name, event, and field where the MsgGet call was found.
  • Manual Query Snippets: Ready-to-copy SQL queries for non-whitelisted tables.

Parameters

ParameterRequiredTypeDescription
message_set_nbrYesIntegerThe Message Set number to search for (e.g., 10 or 20000).
message_nbrNoIntegerThe specific Message number. If omitted, the report returns all usages across every message in the specified Message Set.

Use Cases

  1. Impact Analysis: Before updating a delivered or custom message text, run this report to ensure the change is appropriate for all context areas where it is displayed.
  2. Error Debugging: If an application log or user screenshot displays an error message ID (e.g., (10, 12)), run the report with message_set_nbr = 10 and message_nbr = 12 to instantly locate the exact line of PeopleCode emitting the error.
  3. Audit and Cleanup: Scan custom message sets (e.g., set numbers > 20000) to find orphan messages that are no longer referenced anywhere in code or page labels.