Remove fields from a Database - search and replace

How? Very carefully...

Create an agent to run from the actions menu.
The below is LotusScript to remove the fields.
The comments should roughly tell you what it does.

Dim session As New NotesSession 
  Dim db As NotesDatabase 
  Dim collection As NotesDocumentCollection
  Dim doc As NotesDocument
  Dim item As NotesItem

  Set db = session.CurrentDatabase

  'set collection to contain all documents in the database
  Set collection = db.AllDocuments

  'tell doc to hold the first document from our collection of all documents
  Set doc = collection.GetFirstDocument()

  While Not(doc Is Nothing)  
    'Check if there is a field of the required name on our document
    If doc.HasItem( "field1" ) Then
      'there is, do get a hold of the field
      Set item = doc.GetFirstItem( "field1" )
      'remove the field
      Call item.Remove
      'save our changes
      Call doc.Save( False, False )
    end if

    'check for the second field
    If doc.HasItem( "field2" ) Then
      Set item = doc.GetFirstItem( "field2" )
      Call item.Remove
      Call doc.Save( False, False )
    end if

    'get the next document from our collection
    Set doc = collection.GetNextDocument(doc) 

  Wend

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A more serious answer: are you sure you want to do that? And why? Do you want to save space in the databases? You could save up to 2% per database I assume.

At least make backups of all templates involved, for if you delete one field too many, a disaster may have been created. And what if those templates or databases are interrelated, and users start to use them, and all relations are wrong?

Next issue: do you use replication? If you loop through all databases, and there are many updates, ALL documents will be updated, leading to long replications per database. Plus, if there are people who rely on the last modification time, they see ALL documents modified (marked unread).

So I'd say, if you go through with this, don't loop through them all, but make a button or action per template.

Here's a recipe (intended for LotusScript):
- do a db.Search per database on @IsAvailable(field1) || @IsAvailable(field2)
- loop through the collection found
- per document, use doc.RemoveItem("field1") to remove fields one by one
- save the document
- and go to the next

Ok maybe I didn't do a good job of explaining

The RF database consists of 400 records.  Each record contains a list of (up to 50) component or field names that are required to be in the data file when data is merge into a template.  If all required fields are not there, the program will error out that request.

This is the structure of the records that displays when the database is opened

Item # - template ID                 QRS#1    QRS#2  Notes Form Name

    1        ADV-WEIGHTMGMT        F04          C06     ADV-WEIGHTMGMT        


when you open a record the following displays

QL Template Name:   ADV-WEIGHTMGMT        
Notes Form Name:     ADV-WEIGHTMGMT        
QRS #1:                    F04
QRS #2:                    C06
REQ Fields:                BRT_ID
                                 PBR_NM
                                 PBR_ADR_LN1
                                 PPH_PHN_NB
                                 PPH_FAX_NB
                                 PXD_DGH_NM
                                 CNF_INR_TX
                                 CNF_DSP_QY
                                 CNF_RFL_QY
                                 BNF_NM
                                         
I want to remove two of the REQ field names from each record that we no longer need displayed here.

Is this clearer?

Yes  your analysis is correct and its a multivalue field. I'll try you solution in a little while.  I think this will work

Thank you

Mike

Thanks Sief and Sam for your help