Lotus Notes and Domino 6 Development

Steve Kern is a Certified Lotus Professional who has been working with PCs and writing applications since the early 1980s. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the Ohio State University and lives and works in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife and two daughters, three fish tanks, and a golden retriever. This is Steve's third book published by Sams. He was the co-author for Sams' Lotus Notes and Domino R5 Development Unleashed, and he was the lead author for Lotus Notes and Domino 4.5 Developer's Guide. In this edition, he returns to the lead author role. Steve has also contributed chapters to other technical books. He has written numerous magazine articles as well, including articles for ePro Magazine, Group Computing, Domino Update, and Lotus Notes and Domino Advisor. In addition, he has served as a columnist for Enterprise Solutions for Lotus Notes and Domino. Steve has also been a technical editor for many Notes books, including Sams' Lotus Notes 4 Unleashed and Lotus Notes and Domino Server 4.5 Unleashed, and Que's Special Edition Using Lotus Notes and Domino 4.5, Special Edition Using Lotus Notes and Domino 4.6, Professional Developer's Guide to Domino, and Easy Lotus Notes 4.5. Steve can be reached at stevekern@columbus.rr.com. Debbie Lynd is the content director for The View's conferences and seminars. She has been working with Lotus Notes and Domino since 1992; she is a PCLP in application development and system administration, as well as a CLI. Debbie lives in the suburbs of Philadelphia with her husband, Harry; a very spoiled dog named Gretchen; and a pond full of fish, frogs, and an occasional snake. When not working, Debbie is sleeping or eating, although she has been known to slip away on occasion for a visit with her children, and she has just recently learned that taking Sunday expeditions is a good thing. Deborah "Deb" Penny has more than 12 years of design and development experience in the computer industry. Studying industrial psychology and computer science at Framingham State University in the early 1980s, she was able to obtain a newly defined and unique perspective on people and computers working together at the onset of the technology revolution. This insight helped her to develop an eye for user interfaces and professional graphic design. During the early 1990s, Deborah focused on database design using Lotus Notes/Domino and became a certified Lotus Notes Developer and Administrator. She has actually worked with Domino since an early beta release within several different networking environments. As Internet technologies matured, she was able to apply UI design to database and Web applications. She was able to further self-study the psychology of intuitive design, user interface design, human factors, and the science and application of color. She has been touted as an industry UI and Domino Design expert. Over the last 12 years, Deb has been immersed in commercial Web software development and creative content marketing in the stage-gate and product portfolio management arenas for a young start-up company, Value Innovations (http://www.valueinnovations.com). There, she was able to apply her extensive development background using HTML, DHTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java, and Macromedia product integration such as Flash and Shockwave, along with applied UI and human factoring. She currently resides in Winchester, Massachusetts, with her fianceas, two teenage daughters, and four cats. Deb enjoys restoring her 102-year-old Victorian home, researching her family's genealogy, and gardening in her spare time. Deb can be reached via email at dpenny@attbi.com. Dave Hatter is the president of Libertas Technologies, a technology solutions provider focused on Web-based development and consulting. Dave has nearly 13 years of programming experience in a number of tools and environments, including IBM Websphere and Microsoft IIS/ASP. He has been working with Lotus Notes/Domino for roughly eight years. He is a Principal Certified Lotus Professional: Application Developer (R4, R5) and System Administrator (R4) as well as a Microsoft Certified Professional. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in information systems from Northern Kentucky University. Dave's former company, Definiti, was named a Beacon Award Finalist in 2000 in the Best e-Business Solution Supplier Relationship Management category for the KAM application that he designed, developed and managed for the Cognis Corporation (formerly Henkel). Dave has authored, co-authored, and contributed to numerous books for Pearson/Macmillan Computer Publishing, including Fast Track: CLP Application Development, Domino System Administration, Lotus Notes and Domino Essential Reference, Windows NT Server Security Server Handbook, Lotus Notes and Domino Server 4.6 Unleashed, Special Edition Using Lotus Notes and Domino 4.6, Special Edition Using Lotus Notes and Domino 4.5, Using Lotus Notes 4.5, and Special Edition Using Lotus Notes 4.0. Additionally, he has served as the technical editor of five Macmillan titles: Domino System Administration, Teach Yourself Lotus Notes in 14 Days, Lotus Notes and Domino 4.5 Developers Guide, Lotus Notes and Domino Server 4.6 Unleashed, and Sams Teach Yourself Lotus Notes 4.6 in 24 Hours. Dave feels strongly about community service and stays active in the local community in a number of ways: council member and Web master for the city of Fort Wright, Kentucky; water cooler talk chair and New Economy Transition Team (N.E.T.T) member; e-government chair for the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce; member of the NKU Alumni Council; technology instructor in the NKU Community Education program; and Web master and member of the Kenton County Republican Party Executive Committee. Dave can be reached at dhatter@libertastechnologies.com. Victor Mascari has been in IT for 15 years and has spent most of that time in insurance, specializing in objected-oriented design, development, and implementation. His exclusive focus for the past five years has been Lotus Notes and Domino. He is a CLP Developer and Administrator, as well as a DBA specializing in MS SQL Server and, more recently, PostgreSQL. In addition to Lotus Notes/Domino, he loves C++ and the raw power of pure assembly language, both of which he uses to explore fractals and compression algorithms. He is the president of TPA Solutions, which provides framework solutions for the insurance industry. Victor's interests have led him to develop (in Lotus Notes/Domino) portal systems, workflow engines, and highly scalable Web solutions for various clients. He was the technical editor of several R5 books and has written articles for various Lotus-focused magazines. Victor has a wonderful wife, Betty, and four wonderful children, Patrick, Samantha, Nicholas, and Abigail. He can be contacted at victor@tpas.biz.

Introduction.


Who Should Read This Book. How This Book Is Organized. Conventions Used in This Book.

I. INTRODUCTION TO RELEASE.

1. What's New in Release 6?


A Brief History of Lotus Notes. Major Features of Lotus Notes. Types of Applications. What's New in Domino Designer? New Design Element Features. New Language Features. Summary.

2. The Release 6 Object Store.


Defining a Domino Database. Understanding the Database Structure. Creating a Database. Working with Database Properties. Understanding Design Templates. Creating Your Own Templates. Inheriting Designs from Templates. Using Templates to Replicate Design Changes. Using Templates as Design Libraries. Archiving Versions with Templates. Summary.

3. The Integrated Development Environment.


Working in the Application Design Environment. Working with the Properties Box. Understanding the Work Pane. Using the Programmer's Pane. Understanding the Info List. Understanding the Action Pane. Customizing the Tools Menu. Printing Source Code. Using the HTML Editor. Locking Design Elements. Summary.

II. FOUNDATIONS OF APPLICATION DESIGN.

4. Forms Design.


Designing Forms. Setting Form Properties. Working with Text Properties. Working with Fields. Writing Formulas in Fields. Summary.

5. Advanced Form Design.


Working with Tables. Using Graphic Objects on Forms. Working with Form-Level Events. Using Form Actions. Working with Hotspots. Understanding Sections and Section Properties. Using Layout Regions. Working with Special Forms. Creating Reusable Design Objects. Using Embedded Elements. Using the Form Design Document. Summary.

6. Designing Views.


Defining the Elements of a View. Creating a View. Setting View Properties. Creating Advanced View Selections. Adding and Editing View Columns. Using View Column Properties. Adding Actions to a View. Creating Calendar Views. Understanding Folders. Summary.

7. Using Shared Resources in Domino Applications.


Shared Resources. Sharing Images Within a Database. Creating Shared Files. Creating Shared Applets. Shared Code. Creating Subforms. Creating Shared Fields. Creating Shared Actions. Script Libraries. Database Resources. Summary.

8. Using the Page Designer.


Understanding Pages. Working with the Page Properties Box. Using the Page Designer. Adding Layers to Your Pages. Summary.

9. Creating Outlines.


Creating an Outline. Working with Outline Entries. Embedding Outlines. Adding an Outline to a Frameset. Summary.

10. Adding Framesets to Domino Applications.


Creating a Frameset. Using the Frameset Designer. Working with Frames. Viewing the HTML Source of Your Frameset. Launching the Frameset. Summary.

11. Automating Your Application with Agents.


Working with Agents. Creating an Agent. Working in the Agent Builder Design Window. Using @Commands in Agents. Putting Your Agent to Work. Creating a Complex Agent. Using LotusScript in Agents. Creating Web Agents Using Formulas and LotusScript. Using Java in Agents. Testing and Debugging Agents, the Agent Log, and Agent Properties. Agent Properties via the Agent InfoBox. Summary.

III. PROGRAMMING DOMINO APPLICATIONS.

12. Using the Formula Language.


Overview of the Formula Language. Knowing Where to Use @Functions and @Commands. Formula Syntax. Limitations of the Formula Language. Working with Statements. Using Logical @Functions. Working with Date and Time @Functions. Working with Strings. Getting Session and User Information. Working with Documents. Retrieving Data with @DbColumn and @DbLookup. Working with Lists. Getting User Input. Controlling the Flow of a Formula. Error Handling. Summary.

13. Real-World Examples Using the Formula Language.


Programming Practices. Using Formulas in Forms and Subforms. Writing Field Formulas. Writing View Formulas. Using Hide When Formulas. Working with Forms, Views, and Shared Actions. Summary.

14. Writing LotusScript for Domino Applications.


Software Construction. Fundamental Elements of LotusScript. New Technologies and LotusScript. Summary.

15. Real-World LotusScript Examples.


Real-World Example 1: Importing a Delimited Text File. Real-World Example 2: Delete a Parent Document and All Its Children: DeleteParentAndChildren. Real-World Example 3: Schedule an Agent Robot to Refresh All the Documents in a View: Robot-DailyRefreshAllDocs. Real-World Example 4: Return a Web User to the Place Where He Started After a Document Is Submitted: WebQuerySave-DocSubmit. Summary.

16. Writing JavaScript for Domino Applications.


What Is JavaScript? JavaScript Is Not Java. JavaScript and the Domino IDE. The Document Object Model. JavaScript Support in Domino 6. When to Use JavaScript. A Look at JavaScript in Domino. JavaScript Libraries in Domino. JavaScript Principles 101. Syntax and Command Blocks. Statements. Output. Functions. Objects. Input Validation. Calculations. JavaScript Application. Summary.

17. Real-World JavaScript Examples.


Real-World Example 1: Dynamic Drop-Down Lists on the Web. Real-World Example 2: Dialog Boxes and window.opener on the Web. Real-World Example 3: Dynamic Tables. Real-World Example 4: Useful JavaScript Utilities. Summary.

18. Writing Java for Domino Applications.


Introduction to Java. Choosing a Java Solution in Domino. Understanding the Notes Object Interface. Writing Java Agents. Using Other Java IDEs. Other Uses for Java. Summary.

19. Real-World Java Examples.


Writing Java Applications. Writing Java Servlets. Writing Java Applets. Summary.

20. Enhancing Domino Applications for the Web.


What's New in Designer 6. Understanding the Domino Web Application Server. Understanding the Basics of HTML. Using HTML in Domino Designer. Adding Power with Domino URLs. Views and Forms Working Together on the Web. Incorporating Flash into Your Web Pages. What It's All About: XML Exposed. How Does Domino Use XML? Summary.

IV. ADVANCED DESIGN TOPICS.

21. Accessing Data with XML.


What Is XML? Domino and XML. Summary.

22. Accessing Data with DECS and DCRs.


What Is DECS? The External Data Source. DECS Administrator. Creating the Activity. Accessing the Application. DECS Summary. Data Connection Resources. DCR Example. Tips on External Data Access. Summary.

23. Security and Domino Applications.


How Does Domino Security Work? Enabling Physical Security. Setting Server Access. Database Access Control Lists. The Role of the Domino Directory in Application Security. ACL Privileges. Enabling Database Encryption. Using Roles. Implementing View-Level Security. Implementing Form-Level Security. Implementing Document-Level Security. Applying Field-Level Security. Hiding the Design of Your Application. Summary.

24. Creating Workflow Applications.


The Evolution of Groupware. Introducing Workflow. Creating Mail-Enabled Applications. Using Triggers to Send Email. Sending Mail with LotusScript. Summary.

25. Analyzing Domino Applications.


Using the Design Synopsis Dialog Box. Using the Design Synopsis. Teamstudio Analyzer. Summary.

V. APPENDICES.

Appendix A. HTML Reference.


Applet Tags. Document Tags. Formatting Tags. Frameset Tags. Hyperlink Tags.

Appendix B. Domino URL Reference.


Domino URL Identifiers. Alphabetical List of Domino URLs.

Index.