Lotus Worldwide Technical Sales How to Build Notes Components Stefan Neth Senior IT Specialist © 2007 IBM Corporation Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Objectives Understand the steps required in order to build a Notes component using Domino Designer 8 Understand inter-component communication concept and background Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Prerequisites It is assumed that you are familiar with – Creating new Notes databases in the Lotus Notes client. – Using prior versions of Lotus Domino Designer to modify Notes views, create simple Notes forms, – Using the Programmers pane to input Notes formulas and LotusScript code Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Agenda What is a Notes Component Required Procedures to build a Notes Component Inter-Component Communication – Concept and Background – Publishing and Consuming Properties – LotusScript API for Publishing and consuming properties Composite application-related LotusScript APIs Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 What is a Notes Component Notes components are elements of a Lotus Notes application surfaced in a composite application. – – – – Views Forms Frameset Documents or other design elements of a Notes application The Composite Application Editor feature is used to surface Lotus Notes elements as components in a composite application A same Notes database can contain multiple components, and those components can be used in multiple composite applications. Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Elements of composite applications Composite applications can consist of various combinations of elements – Rich client component types and application types – Web client component types and application types Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Procedures to build a Notes Component Create a new Notes database including Forms, View and documents Determine the properties the component will publish Determine the actions the component will perform when it is wired to the property of another component Create and Import into the Notes Application the WSDL that lists the actions and properties for the component. Modify the NSF design elements (Forms, View, Document, or Framesets) to link them to the defined properties and actions Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Additional methods for creating Notes-based Composite Application Create a new composite application from a Lotus Notes 8 application template. – Create a new application based on the new Blank Composite Application template – Use the Composite Application Editor to begin adding components to the application. Create a new composite application in an existing Lotus Notes 8 application. – – – – Open an existing Lotus Notes application in the Domino Designer 8. Navigate to the Composite Applications - Applications view. Click the New Blank CA button. Open the Database Properties box and select the application launch options and set to Launch as Composite Application. – Save and exit from Domino Designer 8. – You can now use the Composite Application Editor to begin adding components to the application. Create a new composite application by importing an existing composite application XML file into the Lotus Notes 8 application. – – – – – – Open an existing Lotus Notes application in Domino Designer 8. Navigate to the Composite Applications - Applications view. Click the Import XML button. Select the application launch options and set to Launch as Composite Application. Save and exit from Domino Designer 8 You can now use the Composite Application Editor to begin adding components to the application. Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Inter-component communication concept and background A Composite applications is an assembly of multiple components with on-the-glass aggregation. Purpose: keep the application user focused on the business process, eliminating the need for the application user to switch between applications or switch between open windows. To increase organizational productivity, components form causal relationships with other components through properties and actions. A property broadcasts a value and an action consumes a value. To insure consistent communicating both properties and actions describe the type of value they broadcast or consume in a WSDL file Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Composite application-related LotusScript APIs LotusScript API for Publishing and consuming properties – Notes 8 provides many new properties, methods, and classes in the LotusScript APIs to publish and consume properties: NotesSession NotesSession.GetPropertyBroker([Namespace]): NotesPropertyBroker. NotesPropertyBroker NotesPropertyBroker.InputPropertyContext (property): NotesProperties NotesPropertyBroker.Namespace (property): Default Namespace NotesPropertyBroker.HasProperty(Name,[Namespace]): NotesProperty NotesPropertyBroker.GetPropertyValue(Name,[Namespace]) NotesPropertyBroker.SetPropertyValue(Name, Value, [Namespace]) NotesPropertyBroker.ClearProperty: purges any new or modified property NotesPropertyBroker.Publish: publishes all new and modified properties. Lotus WTS Enablement 2007 Summary NSF components are elements of a Lotus Notes application surfaced in a composite application You can have components form causal relationships with other components through properties and actions defined in WSDL file imported in Notes Applicaion A property broadcasts a value and an action consumes a value For inter-component communication, each component references a WSDL file that lists the properties and actions available in that component When Notes applications are used as components, you also need to specify the properties and actions in various design elements in the database that reference the WSDL. Properties, actions, and types are defined in the WSDL file This release includes many new properties, methods, and classes in the LotusScript APIs to broadcast and consume properties.