Developing for Domino/Notes

Development under Domino/Notes is available through the following tools: @commands, LotusScript (an object-based Basic), JavaScript.

The basis of Domino/Notes is a form. It contains differents types of objects (eg. text box, combo box, sub-form, sections, layouts, pictures, etc.)

The second most important element of a database is a view: It lists available documents, and each document will be displayed through a form.

On the left side is the navigation pane, where are listed views.

Elements

Create...

• Field: Text, Date/Time, Number, Dialog List, Checkbox, Radio button, Listbox, Combobox, Rich Text, Authors, Names, Readers, Password, Formula
• Layout Region : New Layout Region, Text, Graphic, Graphic Button
• Insert Shared Field
• Insert subform
• Insert Shared Action
• Action: An action is a toolbar located in a form. It can contain either standard Notes actions (
• Page Break
• Horizontal Rule
• Section : Standard, Controlled Access
• Computed Text
• Hotspot: Link Hotspot, Text Pop-up, Button, Formula Pop-up, Action Hotspot
• Table
• Picture
• Image Resource
• Attachment
• Object
• Java Applet
• Embedded Element: Outline, View, Navigator, Import Navigator, Date Picker, Group Scheduler, Folder Pane, File Upload Control
• Design: Agent, Folder, Form, FrameSet, Navigator, Outline, Page, Script Library, Shared Field, Subform, View

Actions

Click on an empty area of a form, and select Create Action. Name this new toolbar. In the Objects tree, select this new object's Click action, followed by Run Simple Actions in the code window. To select a standard Notes aciton, click on Add Action..., such as Modify Field.

Q&A

What are shared actions?

What's the difference between a form and a page?

Development

Below are notes I took while reading Deborah Lynd & Steven Kern's Lotus Notes and Domino 5 Development Unleashed.

In forms, organize field through tables so that the layout remains the same whether viewed through a Notes client or a web browser.

Use shared objects sparingly as this drives down performance.

In R5, there is no way to limit the maximum size a DB can have.

To set who can create DBs on a server, open the PNAB | Server document | Restriction document.

Development under Domino can be done with the formula language (ie. @commands), a OO Basic proprietary language called LotusScript, JavaScript, Java, and HTML.

It is recommended to add a synonym to a form in case its public name is changed later: To do this, just add a | sign followed by the synonym.

Forms can be cascaded through the \ sign, eg. HW Requisition\PC, HW Requisition\Laptop.

Versioning can be done through Form Properties | Versions = ...

Avoid setting "Store Forms in Document" in a form's properties as it increases the amount of disk space for the DB.

Fields as well as forms have an internal sequence number that the Replicator uses to detect a conflict.

Form inheritance can be activated through the Form Properties | Defaults Tab | On Create = Formulas inherit values from select document

When using @DbLookup/@DbColumn to populate a list from an external view, consider making it hidden since it has no value to users.

Resources

• OpenNTF ("OpenNTF is a site devoted to getting groups of individuals all over the world to collaborate on Lotus Notes/Domino applications and release them as open source to the general public")