.Domino Framework

Simply put...  I bleed yellow because I am able to develop applications of high quality in a fraction of the time required for most other application development platforms.  That's right, I develop applications with Lotus Notes.  So on   Yellow Day   I thought I would outline some of the aids I now use that give me an advantage over and above the edge Lotus Notes already provides.

1) BA/BSAs
This might surprise a few people, but my number one aid is working as part of a small team with either a Business Analyst (BA), or Business/Systems Analyst  (BSA).  I have found that in larger corporations Lotus Notes is increasingly being caught up in greater demands for compliance and corporate governance.  Just Enough Governance is a great blog site on this topic.  While not all BA/BSAs can adapt to the subtle differences of Notes development (e.g. its speed), those that can make a huge difference to developer productivity. I happily allow them to handle all the documentation/compliance needs of my projects while I focus on understanding the requirements and writing the code.

2) Multiple Monitors
One day my chair ran over the video cable of my computer monitor at home.  I didn't notice and thought my monitor had simply blown up.  I chose the fast path solution of rushing down to my local computer store and buying a new monitor.  Later the original problem got noticed and my orginal monitor was soon working again (duh).  I then decided to connect both monitors.  I was so impressed with what I could now do I took my 2nd monitor into work so I could get these savings where it counted most.  Now I have three monitors at home and I insist on having two monitors where I work.  If possible my preference is to have at least one wide screen monitor as the extra width really helps when doing development (e.g. Notes 8 sidebar).  To give me increased flexibility I use USB DVI adapters that allow me to quickly plug one or more external monitors into my laptops.

3) Newsgator FeedDemon
You might already be using a better RSS feed reader.  But if you don't have one at all I would strongly urge you to get one.  The Notes 8 RSS reader is a good start but it is not great.  Newsgator provide an excellent feed reader at the perfect price (FREE)...  Since I started using a feed reader I have felt connected to an immense network of brilliant Lotus Notes minds.  I am presently monitoring 75 separate Lotus Notes feeds via my feed reader.  The software operates very much like my e-mail database (e.g. "in-box", folders, mail rules, search), except I am getting almost no spam.  If anything at all happens in the Notes world my feed reader soon alerts me wherever I may be (home/work/travelling).  If you are unable/unwilling to get access to a feed reader, the next best thing is planetlotus.org.

4) OOP/Framework
After spending a period doing C# development I found it impossible to return to Notes programming without doing ALL my LotusScript in Object Oriented Programming.  Procedural programming had become too counter-intuitive.  One of the advantages of OOP is that it allows me to develop a framework so that the generic code can be inherited from the framework and I only need to focus on the code specific to each application.  Frameworks can vary in size and complexity.  I have developed my own framework (.Domino Framework) which is now an OpenNTF project.  I genuinely believe that OOP/Framework allows me to build Notes applications 50% faster than before.  It is not unusual for me to be able to deliver a prototype application within 24 hours of the first requirements session with the users.   Sometimes even the most ardent "Notes-haters" find themselves taking a new look at this platform because they can't argue with the results they get.

5) (FREE) TeamStudio Tools
One of the downsides of OOP/LotusScript is that the present Domino Developer IDE SUCKS when it comes to coding classes.  Notes 8.5.1 (or beyond???) will address this with a new Eclipse IDE.  In the interim TeamStudio provide two free tools that can be a big help to navigate the huge chunk of code that now resides in the Declaraions sections of each LotusScript library.  ScriptBrowser is a Class browser that allows you to see your class structures and quickly jump to a specific class/proipery/method.  LSGoto allows you to quickly jump to a specific line in a LotusScript module.  Teamstudio also market a range of Notes productivity tools.  I am a big time user of Design Manager, CIAO, Configurator, and Delta and use some of their other products from time to time (Note: these tools are not FREE).

6) MyEclipse
Apart from LotusScript, the Domino Developer IDE also sucks when it comes to maintaining code written in Java, JavaScript, HTML, CSS, or XML.  Domino Designer also does not provide an image editor.  To meet these needs I have recently started using MyEclipse.  This tool is Eclipse based and looks remarably similar to the new Domino 8.5 IDE.  No surprise given they are both Eclipse based.  The basic version costs $30 and a professional version costs a mere $60.

7) Web Browser Tools
While I probably spend less than 20% of my time developing Domino Web applications, when I do, I find I get great value out of developer toolbars.  These toolbars allow me to see what is going on inside my HTML.  Microsoft's Internet Explorer Toolbar and the Firefox add-on Web Developer meet most of my needs.   Both products are free.

8) Blackberry
No, I don't do Blackberry development on my Blackberry, but this device does save me a lot of time by allowing me to use otherwise dead time to great effect processing my mail,  browsing web sites etc.  I have started developing applications for delivery to Blacberry devices so it doesn't hurt to have a device.  I find the physical device is a little easier to control than the Blackberry simulator and it doesn't come with some of the simulator's limitations (e.g. all simulators have the same PIN and so only one can be connected at a time).

9) Bleedyellow Community
The Lotus911 folk have done a great job of bringing the Notes Developer community together via its bleedyellow Web site.  This site allows me to tap into the collective skills of the Lotus911 gurus and many of brilliant Notes developers who connect via the SameTime bleedyellow group.  None of the sites I work for have Lotus Connections so this site allows me to experience the product first hand, including the ability to create blog sites such as this.. (Having a blog site is definitely NOT a productivity aid!!!).

10) Non-Notes Development
Finally I would like to encourage all serious Notes developer who have not already done so to rack up some serious time (6+ months) doing development in a non-Notes development platform.  It is a great way to broaden your horizons as a programmer and the skills learnt can often be applied back to Notes development.  e.g. If you don't already do OOP then a period of time doing C#, VB.NET, or Java development will soon get you into the habit.  It may be hard to go back to LotusScript, because of its limitations as a OOP programming language, but you will appreciate the speed of Notes like never before.