Beyond The Yellow Bubble

Over the weekend I had the chance to observe close-hand the making of One Hundredth epsiode of the Taking NotesPodcast.  Bruce Elgort and Julian Julian Robichaux are to be congratulated for there dedication to the Notes community in reaching this milestone.  Taking Notes is probably the #1 radio station broadcasting across the yellowverse.  As you can imagine these podcasts don't just happen.  They require a great deal of planning and preparation plus the time to record and produce the final podcast. Bruce is an absolute legend in the Notes community having been one of the co-founders of OpenNTF.  His company, Elguji provides the Notes community Ideajam and, more recently,  IQJam.  In addition he and Ricky Oliver  came up with the concept of Show N tell Thursday.  Juian has made significant code contributions to the Notes community with OpenNTF projects such as OpenLog and the handy dandy LS2HTML tool.  Both guys are regular speakers at all those conferences ending with "LUG" and "sphere".  Well done guys on reaching this major milestone.  Avid listeners like myself really appreciate all the time and effort that goes into making these podcasts available to the yellowverse.
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Note: Episode 100 covers XPages and the OpenNTF awards.  Bruce and Julian invited two XPage gurus Matt White and Declan Lynch to talk about XPages.  As an Xpage 1st grader I was on a school excursion to the Taking Notes studios and was fortunate enough not only to see how the show is produced but I also got to sit behind a microphone for a while for my first ever podcast experience.

As I slowly work my way through XPages school I am collecting all my written assignments and placing them in a project folder. This project folder is known on OpenNTF as the xDominoFramework project. The project can be downloaded from OpenNTF or you can view various aspects of it on-line from www.dominoframework.com.
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Some of the material was written using crayons while I was in XPages kindergarten. Some material is a little better having been written during my time in first grade. It still has a long way to go but it may offer some assistance to those making a similar journey. You can expect it to improve over time as I learn more about XPages and SSJS.

The content is built from the .DominoFramework and adds the following:-

Developer Tools:
New Summary - I have added a new summary of the developer tools using Xpages repeater control as an alternate way to style a view.
Event Simulator - Following on fromk my recent blog I have provided an on-line event simulator to explore the order tghat evnts are executed on an Xpage.
Code Generator - This tool has been extended to produce property code for SSJS.

Application Design
The Web version demonstrates how a dijit tree control can be combined with framesets to allow an outline control to be generated as Xpage components.

Themes & Styling
I have started to collect a series of popular style sheets such as bluprint, bluetrip, and OneUI (inlcuing the OneUIDummy developed by Stephan Wissel).

OOP Framework
The first attempts have been made at creating a library of SSJS that mirrors the LotusScript Domino class that formed the nucleus of the .Domino Framework.

Yellowverse
I have added an updated version of my blog - Devil's Guide to the Yellowverse as well as provided links tgo wide range of community resources of use to the Note community.

Please feel free to provide any feedback on this project either here or via the .Domino Framework bleedyellow community  

Over the years I have given a lot of thought to programming languages, especially as they relate to Lotus Notes development.  I blog about it a lot.  Yes Nathan I'm hitting them all over the head with a stick again....  I have expressed my frustration at the lack of development of the LotusScript language that is core to so many Notes applications.  I have wondered about the lack of penetration of Java into the Notes development world.  And lately I have been asking the question why SSJS and do we need yet another programming language in Notes?    So just what is the best programming language for Notes?
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The Case For LotusScript
Some may view me as something of a LotusScript biggot.  I love the language and what it allows me to do with Notes.  Basic was the first language I ever used.  It was so easy to understand I taught myself by simply reading other people's code and experimenting.  There was a time when LotusScript was more advanced than Microsoft's VBA but now it has fallen lightyears behind VB.Net.  It is popular in Notes because so many people find it (relatively) easy to learn.  It is popular because it can be used almost anywhere inside Notes applications (except View selection formulae, hide-when formulae and a few other spots).  It is popular because so many applications are already built with LotusScript as its core.  And finally with 8.5.1 we have a half-decent editor for LotusScript.
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The Case For Java
In many ways Java is a superior language to LotusScript.  It provides vastly superior support for Object Oriented Programming.  It comes with an extensive library (framework).  It is also one of the most popular programming languages.  Two of the things that have been attributed to holding back Java in Notes (access to Notes UI classes and a decent editor) have both been provided in 8.5.1.  And yet.....  despite all this I do not expect to see a significant momentum towards Java anytime soon (outside of Eclipse, Expeditor, Plug-In development etc.).
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The Case For Server Sided JavaScript
This is a completely new language, so why bother given I have all my existing code is in LotusScript, Java, @Commands (or a combination of all three)?  Well for one thing it is presently the only language supported directly by XPages.  There are ways to execute Java code and even more obscure ways to execute LotusScript code but I don't see these being very practical.  So if you wish to develop Xpages you have little choice.  And if you don't wish to develop with XPages you have little chance to use SSJS at the moment either!   One of the key reasons to consider SSJS  is that this seems to be where IBM is investing most of its time and effort on program language development for the forseeable future.  But perhaps the most compelling reason (at least for me) is that when all things are said and done SSJS is probably the best match for Lotus Notes than any of the other programming language choices.
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Yes you did read that right.  The LotusScript flunkie is actually suggesting SSJS may be a better fit for Notes development than his beloved LotusScript.  I have done a lot of SSJS programming over the past six weeks and the more I use it the more I like it.  I have begun to realize the complexity in using SSJS is not with the SSJS language itself but rather learning to understand the complexities of Xpages. SSJS is not vastly different to LotusScript but it allows me to do things I could only dream about with LS.  There are still areas left for improvement but if IBM are focusing on this language there is more chance these will be fixed than any of the 100+ ideas for LS posted on IdeaJam.
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One of the key reasons I like JavaScript so much is that it is built on objects (and remember I am an OOP).  Until recently I thought it was a weakness that JavaScript was so loosely typed.  Now this seems to be such an asset.  And this seems to fit in so well with whole Notes concept.  Documents as a collection of fields that may or may not be present in any one document and may or may not be of the same data type in every document.  Documents copied and pasted en-mass from one database to another (when allowed).  Views that may contain a collection of doccuments of different types whose only association may be they share a few fields with the same name (if at all).  And yes, love it or hate it there are none of those foreign key constraints that stop me adding whatever document I want to my database.  And replicas of each database created just about everywhere just in case... In an ordered world of tightly defined tables with fixed columns, column types, key constraints and nullable fields a tightly structured language such as Java makes perfect sense.  And C# with its interfaces, sealed classes, abstract classes, partial classes etc. is well suited to projects with 10+ developers.  In the unstructured world of almost anything goes just get the application out the door as quickly as you can  Mr/Ms. sole developer, multi-tasking Notes programmer -- a language such as SSJS seems to be an almost perfect fit.  And not just for the minority of us who write OOP with Notes.  For procedural programmers we have the nifty ability to invoke many of the @Functions as a standard part of SJS language.  The bous for SSJS is that it shares the basic syntax with JavaScript, the dominant language for Web client programming.  So after a while you get used to placing those braces around all your compound statements and you remember that different casing means a different variable/functions.
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 To put it simply, there is a reason we have many programming languages.  Each has its own style.  Each its own strengths (and weaknesses).  The style I see in SSJS seems a very natural fit for Notes and a great many (but certainly not all) of the developers who are attracted to Notes.
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Of course it is not a clear cut as switching from one language to another.  We still have all those legacy apps to maintain.  And there is no sign of SSJS being supported in any of the Notes Classic design elements or even agents real soon.  So that leaves XPages, and the rub with that is for the Notes client, XPages really does not (yet) offer much outside of a glorified embedded browser (I can see the hate mail on this already!)....  But that is today.  IBM have already indicated that they plan to extend XPages to provide Notes client control.  When they do, that opens up the chances of doing some Notes client development with SSJS.  And hopfeully some time soon we will get some sort of clear indication whether or not IBM plan to provide a single programming language that can be used anywhere across the product.  Because as much as I now appreciate SSJS I still see little value in investing too much effort into it outside of Web Client or (possibly) dual client applications.  Until I can build the majority of my apps with XPages alone or SSJS is supported in all the design elements I need, it is difficult to find a compelling reason to consider using two programming languages (plus some @Commands here and there).  So the challenge is very much there for IBM so make some sense with the programming languages it supports.  Can IBM afford to let LotusScript slowly die before it has established a viable alternative?  Do LotusScript and Notes classic design elements need an extension to make them more like SSJS & XPages to tide us over until the transition is complete?  Is it OK that I like hot-dogs without mustard but would still kill for a meat pie with sauce.....
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Related Posts
Programming Language - Does It Matter?
LotusScript v JavaScript
Does LotusScript Have A Future
LotusScript Revamp (20 Things I'd Like To See)

 Amongst the many great things that happened during 8.5.1 week was the announcement that IBM was simplifying the licensing structure.  So now we seem to have (in non-legal jargon):-

1. If you wish to use the Notes client and connect to a Domino server you need either a Notes Express or Notes Enterprise CAL.
2. If you wish to develop applications with Notes designer in a stand-alone mode no license is required.  A Notes client is provided for free but ONLY for the purpose of testing those apps.
3. If you wish to develop applications with Notes designer and then upload/store them on a Domino server then a Notes Enterprise CAL is required.

Seems quite simple... right?
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But, unless I missed something obvious the one teensy weensy teeny tiny little gap in the product offering is the scenario of a person wishing to use the Notes client in a stand-alone mode.  Perhaps to run those handy dandy personal apps they have just developed using the free designer client, perhaps as a rich client mail and personal organizer client for internet hosted mail, perhaps to download some cool personal productivity tools from OpenNTF or business partners.  Or perhaps a combination of the three.  And given IBM seem to be thinking about expanding the role of the Notes client to integrate RSS feed and Task Manager it may make sense to market a Home Edition of Lotus Notes.  When Ed Brill recently posed the question "What kind of applications do you run on the Notes client stand alone" there were an amazing 89 comments posted.  Man I struggle to find 89 people to just read my blog entries!   So the topic certainly has a lot of people's interest/attention.  Was last week's announcement a clearing of the decks in preparation of a Notes Home Edition announcement?  Could it be that we might see an announcement filling this void around the mid-January time-frame?  (I happen to know a lot of IBM execs, including Ed, have that week blocked off in their calendars marked LS.  LS could be Lotus Standalone??)

 I my last blog I outlined my excitement at finally getting a Notes/Designer client that provided reasonable performance and was also stable.  I have been so impressed that over the course of the past week I have upgraded all my four workstations to Notes 8.5.1 and upgraded my development server to Domino 8.5.1.  So I am now operating in a 8.5.1 ONLY environment, both at home and with my clients.  I continue to be impressed with the performance and stability of both the Notes and Designer clients.  Every other Notes developer I have spoken in the past week also seems to be raving about this release.  It is interesting, the discussion has been more about the improved performance than the exciting new features this release brings.  This is especially true of anyone that had been using Domino Designer 8.5.0.  For many it has been a struggle since 8.0.0 was released.  Lots of cool new stuff but these releases have been dogged with performance and stability issues.  Even 8.5.0 was falling short of expectations in several migration projects I have participated in.  I cannot yet be certain if 8.5.1 will meet the needs of the most concerning Notes user but I am pretty sure its the single best option for most Notes developers.  This version of Notes truly is the real deal....
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IMHO if you are a Notes developer and you are wanting to take advantage of any of the new features added to Notes since Notes 7.0 then, if your company will allow you, I would not hesitate to move to 8.5.1 at the earliest opportunity.  You will be rewarded with improved productivity that comes with a faster Designer client.  Your stress levels will be reduced with a stable Designer client.  Sorry it still won't debug your code for you!!!  Your productivity may also be improved significantly by the new LotusScript and Java editors.  And you will also get the chance to exploit the many new features IBM have recently added to Notes.  With Xpages, even a mug Web developer like me can turn out half-decent Web applications.  I have always said Lotus Notes made me look good as a developer.  I am sure this version of Notes/Domino Designer will help you look even better than you already do.  And in a tough global economy that never hurts!
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The world of Notes Development is changing and this release is a significant turning point where we are finally seeing IBM walk the talk.

 Oh what a difference 24 hours can make.  Yesterday, like many of you, I downloaded and installed the 8.5.1 Gold code.  I am not sure what the issue was with Passport Advantage entitlements!  The unistall (8.5.1 beta) took 45 minutes and the install a mere 20 minutes.  Notes must still be the slowest software product of all time to install!
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Having been a beta particpant I knew all the soft spots I had found during the beta program and so I wanted to verify these had all been addressed because they had been driving me nuts.  Ever since moving to 8.5.0 I have had no end of problems the moment I start DDE.  And I was finding 8.5.1 Gold was no different:-

1. A soon as Designer started to load I would get screen flickers for no apparent reason on one or both clients (I have 3 monitors)
2. At times the Notes and Designer client would go blank for 2-3 seconds
3. If I launched Designer (eclipse) help it would jump behind the Designer window and refuse to come out unless I moved it to another monitor
4. When I ran LS code via the LS debugger the Debugger window would also disappear behind the designer window.  I could switch to the window but then it jumped behind again when I stepped over the next line of code.
5. The LS debugger was taking 5-10 seconds to execute every line of code making a debug session take forever.
6. After a while (20mins to 1hr) I would get eclipse pop up windows appearing in an endless cycle causing both clients to lock up and I would have to restart my computer.
7. A few minutes after loading Quicken my Notes/Designer windows starting to flash endlessly until I closed Quicken.

The bottom line was I was devastated.  I decided to do another install the next day (today) before I vented and potentially rained on Ed's parade.  I was puzzled that everyone else seemed to be having pleasant experiences with their new toy so maybe it was just me....
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The second install on a laptop with Vista was a completely different story.  It was not lightening fast (what ever is with Vista) - but it was much better.  So I went back to my original workstation and tried to identify something in my environment that might be leading to some of these problems.  Sure enough it turned out that by disabling my NVIDIA graphic card's nView Desktop Manager I was suddenly unable to reproduce ANY of the above problems.  One small change to my configuration was the difference between 8.5.1 being a complete disaster and what I am now seeing.  What I am now seeing is all the great new features covered so well by so many people this past week, but I am now seeing it in a pretty snappy and stable environment.   I cannot describe how thrilled I am to finally have a version of 8.X that is not dogged by both performance and stability issues.  OK, so DDE is still not as fast as Notes 6.0 Designer but then I didn't have a powerful LotusScript Editor that more than compensates my time.  8.5.1 Designer is free and this latest release represents the future of Lotus Notes development .  So if you are still sitting on the fence I suggest now may be the time to get your hands dirty. The is not just the best thing since sliced bread, it is actually better than sliced bread.... 
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Oh, and if you are finding issues check out your software configuration as a few small tweaks may make a world of difference.

One of the (many) cool things about Notes is that the code exists in the NSF as documents much the same as data documents.  This means we can do many of the same things with design elements as we do documents.  And that includes tagging.  I have been doing some work over the weekend to take some of the stuff I am developing for Discussion NextGen and adding it to the .Domino Framework to allow users of the framework to easily discussion-enable any application.  To assist in this process I need a simple way to identify the design elements that are needed to discussion-enable an application.  Users of TeamStudio Design Manager may know that the product provides a way to easily update a group of design elements from one database into another.  This is done by "tagging" design elements with group names.  Underneath the hood this works by storing the groups (tags) in a field called $GroupInfo.  Not wanting to reinvent the wheel I have been making use of this field within the .Domino Framework.  e.g. I have a view that will display all design elements categorized by $GroupInfo.  Today I added an new view action that allows you to assign new tags to the $GroupInfo field.  This essentially provides you with a way of assigning tags to design elements and view the design elements grouped by tag.  And if you use TeamStudion Design Manager you get the added benefit of being able to move all the design elements with a specific tag between databases.  Keep a look out for the next version of the .Domino Framework for this and other developer tools.  The next version is being developed for Notes 8.5.1 and will include tools and code for XPage and SSJS developers.

Somewhere across the expanses of the yellowverse there must be a time zone where it is getting close to being October 12 .  8.5.1 is sitting on its launch pad ready for its date with destiny to arrive.  And if all is ready and the 8.5.1 pilots are half as keen as I am they will surely push the necessary buttons that will allow us all to gain access to its cargo as soon as possible thereafter.  I was invited to be a test pilot on earlier missions.  In fact I must say had more joy flying some of the earlier versions than the last beta that I am now using.  Unfortunately the last code drop delivered doesn't seem to work well in my environment.  It can sometimes be hard to reach for the stars when your spaceship keeps falling out of the sky on a regular basis.  Previous versions seemed faster and more reliable than the 8.5.0 Gold code I am running elsewhere.  So when all the debug code is removed, those last few bolts tightened  and any cracked heat shield tiles are replaced I am sure we are going to have the single best release since 8.0.0.  And the great news is that we can all pilot this new spaceship thanks to the announcement earlier this week that Domino Designer will be available for free download.  So even if you are working at a shop using Notes R5 you can download 8.5.1 and start showing everyone what they are missing out on.  I am sure when the yellow faithful gather near Cape Canaveral next January there will be lots of success stories with 8.5.1 to share.  The era of Notes Sucks is now well behind us and Lotus Knows we are entering an era in which Notes Rules. 
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Note: When the signal is given that we a go for launch, don't bother me I have something IMPORTANT I will be doing!

This one has got me a couple of times now.  When developing Xpage applications you need to be mindful of the security rights you might need on the server to execute Xpage operations.  With LotusScript it was usually pretty clear what those operations were that were restricted and hence required signing by a Notes ID that had rights to run unrestricted.   It seems that a number of typical Xpage operations invoke "restricted" Java operations and hence need to be signed by an ID with these rights. 
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Examples I have encountered so far include:-

1. Storing something in a state variable (e.g. sessionScope)
2. Action to expand categories in an XPage view control

Many companies have tight controls over what IDs have these rights and can sometimes make it difficult to get code signed by such an ID.  If you are in one of those organizations you may want to have a test environment that mirrors these security constraints to ensure any security issues are detected before they are deployed to production.
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Update: It looks like I will in fact have to abandon my use of prominic.net to host my framework website (www.dominoframework.com) because they are not prepared to allow me to run some of these basic Xpage operations.   sigh.....

 I'm not one to either read a lot of books or blog book reviews but this is one of the best technical books I have read for a while (Are there any other types of books?).

Object-Oriented JavaScript by Stoyan Stefanov provides an excellent coverage of JavaScript from an Object-Oriented perspective.  It starts with a great coverage of JavaScript itself before it goes into details about the inner workings of functions, object and the Prototype statement.  The book is targeted at client-sided JavaScript but the majority of the book is equally applicable to Server Sided JavaScript (SSJS).  I have a few other books on JavaScript from my tome doing .Net development but I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to transition from LotusScript to JavaScript, and especially those of you that wrote classes in LotusScript and want to know how the JavaScript equivalent (Objects) work.

 There seems to be a lot of essential documentation about XPages missing from the on-line documentation.  One of the key items I have been searching for is a description of the page lifecycle for an XPage.  After performing some experiments I have mapped out the following basic lifecycle.  I will try and expand on it as time and the need dictates....
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The following example is based upon a single XPage (X) with 2 custom controls (A & B).
Note: (controls seem to be processed in the order they are listed)
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The following are executed ONCE only:-
X.beforePageLoad
A.beforePageLoad
A.afterPageLoad
B.beforePageLoad
B.afterpageLoad
X.afterPageLoad
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The next set of events are ONLY executed when a Full or Partial refresh occurs:-
X.afterRestoreView
A.afterRestoreView
B.afterRestoreView
if any control events have been fired they are then executed here.....
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The following occur next, although it is not yet clear if this exact pattern is always repeated for Full & Partial Refreshes.
X.beforeRenderResponse
A.beforeRenderResponse (only appears to occur with PageLoad)
B.beforeRenderResponse (only appears to occur with PageLoad)
X.afterRenderResponse
A.afterRenderResponse (only appears to occur with PageLoad)
B.afterRenderResponse (only appears to occur with PageLoad)
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So what exactly does this mean?

1. PageLoad events are a good place to place code you only wish to execute the very first time the page is created.
2. afterRestoreView events seem to be the best place for code that you wish to execute each time a refresh occurs.
3. Events on a page/control will execute after the afterRestoreView events have fired so they will have access to any variables/object you create in these events.
4. To have code execute every time the page is processed you probably need to place it in a PageLoad and an afterRestoreView event
5. Wen placing code in a control's afterPageLoad event don't assume the beforePageLoad events of the other controls have fired or that the page's afterPageLoad has fired.
   

Based upon the chatter across the airwaves in the past 48 hours I can only conclude that IBM have rolled out Notes 8.5.1 onto its launch pad ready for a launch later this week.  So look out yellowverse, here its comes.... After a delay last week due to some last minute technical hitches it is going to be a fitting end to what Ed Brill for some reason is calling "8.5.1 week"!

For me this will be perhaps the most exciting release since Notes 6.0.  Notes 7 was a dud.  Notes 8 was a great release for the Notes client & Notes 8.5.0 was cool for Domino Web development.  Notes 8.5.1 finally delivers some goodies for Notes client development.  The payload on board Notes 8.5.1 includes:-

1. ELSE - The long awaited Eclipse LotusScript Editor.
2. Improvements to Composite Applications, including NotesView and NotesDocument containers.
3. The ability to display Xpages within the Notes client.
4. Improvements to the speed and stability of DDE (at least I hope so).
5. A number of Fixes to the DXL Import/Export process.
6. And more general bug fixes than you can poke a stick at....
   

Houston... We are go for launch.

 As part of my work on the Discussion NextGen project I have been looking at ways the discussion thread capabilities provided by a discussion database could be easily added to any existing Notes Application.

I have now taken the work I have done so far on Discussion NextGen and folded it back into my own.Domino Framework project.  With a few tweaks I have been able to

1. Add a discussion area to the framework database in which people can add new discussion topics and/or create responses; and
2. Add discussion threads tied to other documents that already existed in the framework database.

The steps involved to discussion-enable your own application would include:-

1. Copy a defined collection of design elements into your application
2. Add outline entries that connect to the standard Discussion views you wish to include
3. Add a sub-form to any existing forms you wish to discussion enable

There will also be some advanced configuration options available with the installed code that can be added that would allow you to fine tune the discussion capabilities you require.  e.g. Turning off advanced discussion features such as sticky Notes, read-only topics etc.

My goal is to make this task no longer than 5-minutes and in the coming weeks I hope to have a 5 minute video that proves it.

Note: It has not yet been determined if any of these feature will be included as part of IBM's discussion template.  But at the very least you can expect the components to be available as part of an upcoming release of the .Domino Framework.

I have never had the good fortune to attend LotusSphere but if there was one session that might tempt me more than any other to attend it would be the following:-

INV100 Notes/Domino Development Strategy
An outline of IBM's 5-year plan for Notes/Domino as an application development platform.  The session will outline our multi-client strategy for developing applications that run on the Notes client, Web client and/or mobile devices.  The strategy behind Xpages will be made clear and what that means for the Notes Classic design elements.  We will outline our intentions for Xpages as a modern Web development environment  and how it will be positioned against non-IBM Web development platforms such as .Net, Java, PHP etc.  The future for each of the programming languages (@Language, LS, Java, JS, and SSJS) will be clarified.  We will cover planned enhancements to styles/themes, including oneUI and adding styles to Notes classic design elements.  Hear about our plans for JavaScript libraries (e.g. Dojo) and extensions into SSJS.  We will also be covering XPages for the Notes client and our plans for new Rich Client controls. And finally we will wrap this session up with details of how DDE will be improved to allow all the above to be developed as part of a rapid application development environment for which Lotus Notes has always been known.  Expect to come away with a clear road-map of what we would like to achieve over the next five years and how you, the Notes development community, will have a chance to shape that future.