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Web-Enabled Lotus Application
Posted on 2004-08-29
Where can i find tutorials or articles that can guide me in web enabling my lotus application?
I have a background in Lotus Notes database running in Notes environment only but i have zero, as in zero, idea on how to develop web-enabled applications.
Please send me some dummy's guide or advices from you gurus on the above topic.
Your prompt replies will be much appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance.
I have a background in Lotus Notes database running in Notes environment only but i have zero, as in zero, idea on how to develop web-enabled applications.
Please send me some dummy's guide or advices from you gurus on the above topic.
Your prompt replies will be much appreciated.
Thanks a lot in advance.
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13 Comments
You can web enabled Lotus Notes database easily with few steps.
Any Lotus Script won't run(All UI), so run it through agent and call it in WebQueryOpen/WebQuerySave.
Some formulas won't work. like: @IsDocSaved, etc.,
just let us know what type of application u want to web enable.
Any Lotus Script won't run(All UI), so run it through agent and call it in WebQueryOpen/WebQuerySave.
Some formulas won't work. like: @IsDocSaved, etc.,
just let us know what type of application u want to web enable.
Redbooks are too advanced...do we have other sites or materials which is more simple?
Maddy,
What are the easy steps you're referring to?
Thanks
Maddy,
What are the easy steps you're referring to?
Thanks
you can directly open Notes forms on web.
http://yourServername/dbpath/dbname.nsf/formname?openform
if the the form is not displayed, then you would be using @DbLookups/dbcolumns. Remove them and test.
AND don't use any Scripts. call then through agents.
u should be familiar with Java Script and HTML.
Thats why I want to know the basic concept of your database. is it very huge?
U can copy the notes form and name it as $$ViewTemplate for yourformname. alias should be the formname which ur using in notes.
Open the $$ViewTemplate for yourformname on web and look for result.
and for views:
$$ViewTemplate for yourviewname.
or for views create a $$ViewTemplateDefault form and place a field in that (call $$ViewBody)
u can play with this. check for notes help for more info.
http://yourServername/dbpath/dbname.nsf/formname?openform
if the the form is not displayed, then you would be using @DbLookups/dbcolumns. Remove them and test.
AND don't use any Scripts. call then through agents.
u should be familiar with Java Script and HTML.
Thats why I want to know the basic concept of your database. is it very huge?
U can copy the notes form and name it as $$ViewTemplate for yourformname. alias should be the formname which ur using in notes.
Open the $$ViewTemplate for yourformname on web and look for result.
and for views:
$$ViewTemplate for yourviewname.
or for views create a $$ViewTemplateDefault form and place a field in that (call $$ViewBody)
u can play with this. check for notes help for more info.
My experience is that the RedBook by IBM on R4.6 is the best reference on the subject. However, feel free to read this online book. Relatively much easier reference.
http://docs.rinet.ru/PozaNotes/index.htm
http://docs.rinet.ru/PozaNotes/index.htm
The most important thing is to first work on a relatively simple app that was developed from scratch (not based on a discussion template or anything similar), and that you know well. Try it out on the web, and slowly start tweaking things that either don't work at all, or are awkward on the web.
Here are the basic things to know:
1) All databases are automaically web enabled, the question is whether they work well on the web
2) Views/folders work pretty well, but they are very "basic" and don't really provide a good web page by themselves. The "view template" forms (read up on $$ViewTemplateDefault in the designer help) provide a web page to "enclose" views.
3) All field formulas work OK
4) ****Most**** simple formula buttons/actions/hotspots work OK
5) LotusScript events and buttons/actions/hotpots do not work at all. Instead, you develop "Web Query Save" and "Web Query Open" agents, which we won't talk about just yet.
6) Hide From Web / Hide From Notes is your friend -- whther in a form (paragraph hide when) or as a complete design element
Here are the basic things to know:
1) All databases are automaically web enabled, the question is whether they work well on the web
2) Views/folders work pretty well, but they are very "basic" and don't really provide a good web page by themselves. The "view template" forms (read up on $$ViewTemplateDefault in the designer help) provide a web page to "enclose" views.
3) All field formulas work OK
4) ****Most**** simple formula buttons/actions/hotspots work OK
5) LotusScript events and buttons/actions/hotpots do not work at all. Instead, you develop "Web Query Save" and "Web Query Open" agents, which we won't talk about just yet.
6) Hide From Web / Hide From Notes is your friend -- whther in a form (paragraph hide when) or as a complete design element
sometimes you can use form or page in notes as simple html file with html and js code in it. Or parts of html and notes elements. Ultimately Domino converts and treats each design element requested by browser as html file. Different is that when you submit the form, the html elements are saved to notes record as fields/data
HTML and JS...
Web browsers do not understand anything else! They don't know anything about Domino. So, Domino generates a page containing HTML to represent a particular piece of a view or folder, or to display a particular form/document. HTML is not programmable, it is a language for displaying formatted information, collection data in fields, and pushing the field data to a web server on submit. Domino adds some Javascript automatically to most pages, to make this process a little easier for itself (e.g., so it can tell whether the user pressed a button labelled SUBMIT or CANCEL).
Sometimes, what Domino generates isn't "good enough." For example, users don't like the way validations work -- you get the error message in a new page, and haveto press the BACK button to get back to the data (and sometimes, the data disapears when you do that). So, programmers sometimes add Javascript to pre-check the user's input BEFORE submitting the input to the server.
Or, you might have a little UI in Notes that pops up a box (@DialogBox) to guide the user through some questions, and puts the results back in simplified format on the main screen. The web doesn't have this, so you can code your own HTML and Javascript to simulate that.
I use lots of "little bits of HTML" to improve Domino's formatting, and the occasional bit of Javascript for a more dynamic experience (DHTML, validations, pop-ups), but I try to avoid it. Why? A big part of the beauty of Domino is that you get decent stuff done quickly in Notes, with minimum of time, effort, cost, and fuss. You get a lot of the same with the browser. But once the sponsor starts asking you to fiddle with it a lot to make a cleaner interface, it starts getting bogged down, and the costs, time, effort, and fussiness can easily triple. At that point, Domino has lost much of its edge, while still leaving youwith Domino "baggage" (non-relational, non-locking, platform density).
Web browsers do not understand anything else! They don't know anything about Domino. So, Domino generates a page containing HTML to represent a particular piece of a view or folder, or to display a particular form/document. HTML is not programmable, it is a language for displaying formatted information, collection data in fields, and pushing the field data to a web server on submit. Domino adds some Javascript automatically to most pages, to make this process a little easier for itself (e.g., so it can tell whether the user pressed a button labelled SUBMIT or CANCEL).
Sometimes, what Domino generates isn't "good enough." For example, users don't like the way validations work -- you get the error message in a new page, and haveto press the BACK button to get back to the data (and sometimes, the data disapears when you do that). So, programmers sometimes add Javascript to pre-check the user's input BEFORE submitting the input to the server.
Or, you might have a little UI in Notes that pops up a box (@DialogBox) to guide the user through some questions, and puts the results back in simplified format on the main screen. The web doesn't have this, so you can code your own HTML and Javascript to simulate that.
I use lots of "little bits of HTML" to improve Domino's formatting, and the occasional bit of Javascript for a more dynamic experience (DHTML, validations, pop-ups), but I try to avoid it. Why? A big part of the beauty of Domino is that you get decent stuff done quickly in Notes, with minimum of time, effort, cost, and fuss. You get a lot of the same with the browser. But once the sponsor starts asking you to fiddle with it a lot to make a cleaner interface, it starts getting bogged down, and the costs, time, effort, and fussiness can easily triple. At that point, Domino has lost much of its edge, while still leaving youwith Domino "baggage" (non-relational, non-locking, platform density).
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