Lotus Training : Lotus Domino Designer 8: LotusScript

Lotus Domino Designer 8: LotusScript

Lotus Training Overview

LotusScript is a BASIC derivative that uses many of the same statements and function names, so most developers will find it easy to understand and use without too much relearning. While this course teaches the basics of LotusScript, its primary emphasis is not on the language itself, but rather on how to use it to operate on Notes database, view, document, field, and ACL objects. With this knowledge, you will be able to develop powerful custom applications and extend the standard templates such as Mail or Discussion.

Lotus Training Course goals

In this course, you will learn how to: This course will teach you how to:

use fundamental LotusScript language elements as you program and debug applications using Domino Designer
use LotusScript in various Notes events to operate on objects in the Domino Object Model
configure client, server, database, and document security mechanisms to allow LotusScript to operate
reconcile LotusScript and Notes data types and validate user input
design error handling routines to gracefully recover from runtime errors
operate on new and existing documents as well as on collections of documents
use messaging to send email, documents, and newsletters
operate on the database ACL and develop an alternative user interface so users can more easily administer database security
interact with users with both the primitive LotusScript and sophisticated Notes dialog boxes
use Profile documents to store application and user-specific configuration settings
develop custom procedures and classes and use Script Libraries to store and share commonly used procedures across design elements and applications
develop server-based Agents that use LotusScript and Notes objects to process documents
debug Agents using the Remote LotusScript Debugger, report errors to a log file, profile Agent performance, and work with your server administrator to develop application probes to monitor ongoing Agent performance
operate on file system based text files
generate MIME content that can be used to send formatted emails with intact HTML
parse XML files to extract element data and attributes
run procedures stored in Windows, Notes, and other product DLLs
instantiate objects from other products such as Office applications, Windows Script Host, and Windows Management Instrumentation via COM to use their properties and methods.

Lotus Training Audience

This course is designed for Notes programmers well versed in using Domino Designer 8. It assumes that you have:

extensive experience using Notes 8
thorough knowledge of the Domino Designer 8 development environment, including Form and View design
mastered the concepts covered in the Domino Designer 8: Basic Notes Applications course.

The course does not review any aspects of the non-LotusScript specific development environment such as how to design forms or views.

Though not required, experience in any event-driven or structured programming language is helpful in understanding LotusScript. If you have used LotusScript in other Lotus applications or have built applications using Microsoft� Visual Basic�, you will find that this course won't be repetitive as it focuses mostly on Notes objects.

This course is part of a series of Domino Designer 8 training courses. Follow these paths to master all aspects of developing applications using Domino Designer:

Domino Designer 8: Basic Notes Applications provides the base knowledge for this additional training:

Client Track

Configure Domino to use DB2 as a database engine and build applications that access relational data, DB2 for Domino 8 Administrators and Developers.
Specialize in programming Notes applications to respond to built-in user interface features, Domino Designer 8: Special Notes Features.
Convert an application written for Notes clients to be used in browsers, Domino Designer 8: Basic Browser Applications.
Provide data to cutting-edge Web applications, Domino Designer 8: Web Agents and Web Services.

Language Track. These languages apply to both Notes and browser clients:

Learn sophisticated application techniques that fully exploit the formula language in Domino Designer 8: Formula Language.
Develop sophisticated applications and Agents with LotusScript in Domino Designer 8: LotusScript.
Add powerful client-side scripting to browser applications in Domino Designer 8: JavaScript.

Course design

This is a lecture/lab course in which you will closely examine demonstration code and create additional code. You will immediately apply the concepts and techniques as you work in your own project database.

This is not an introductory programming course. Its emphasis is on how to use LotusScript to manipulate Notes objects. All major concepts are reinforced with examples and exercises, during which you will code and debug LotusScript. From this experience you will have the necessary skills to build sophisticated applications.

All code fragments are labeled to make talking about them and reusing them in exercises easier. The intent in labeling them is also to help build a sense of modularity, purpose, and a way of "thinking" about LotusScript.

Lotus Training Course duration

4 days

Lotus Training Course outline

Topic 1: LotusScript in Notes and Domino

What is LotusScript?

Advantages of LotusScript for Notes/Domino

When to use LotusScript

Where the code runs

LotusScript respects security

What LotusScript cannot do

Limits and performance

Other resources

Topic 2: Lotus Notes Events

Event-driven language

Enter LotusScript code

Automatic code completion

Programmers Pane properties

Print code

Syntax errors

Compile and test the code

Exercise: Create button event script

What is the sequence of events?

Exercise: Experience the event model

What happened? Create document events

Query what? Post what?

Recalculate document event

Save document event

Close document event

Switch modes events

Read document events

Agent events

Database events

View events

Field events

Topic 3: Debugging

Script errors

Remark code

Script Debugger

Find errors

Debugger Buttons

Debugger tabs

Exercise: Use the Debugger

Exercise: Break points

Persistent breakpoints

Debugging with Msgbox and Print

Topic 4: Language Fundamentals

Basic language rules

MessageBox parameters and return values

InputBox

Variables

Declare variables

Advantages of explicit declaration

Global variables

Exercise: Global variables

Constants

User-defined data type

Statements and functions

Exercise: Experience LotusScript functions

String functions

Math functions

Date functions

Data type conversion

Boolean operators

How Designer Help helps

Platform considerations

Topic 5: Program Control Structures

Program structure

Experience control structures

Branching structures

Exercise: Branching structures

Looping structures

Looping performance

Code benchmarking

Exercise: Looping

How to exit a structure

Break out of an endless loop

Exercise: Exit a structure

Topic 6: User Input Validation and Error Handling

Check for empty variable

Failure to exit loop

Check data type

Other data type tests

Exercise: User input validation

Error handler

Resume after error

Goto after error

Resume 0

Specific error number handling

Reverse engineer Err codes

Error cases

Exercise: Error handling

Multiple error handlers

Error handlers and the Debugger

Topic 7: Domino Object Model

What is an object?

Object class properties and methods

Domino Object Model

Back-end vs. Front-end classes

Back-end object classes

Front-end object classes

How Designer Help helps

Topic 8: Notes Object Instantiation

Object instantiation steps

How to instantiate an object

Container objects

Object reference variables

Best practice: Use generic object names

Access current database using back-end methods

Best practice: Use constants

Use Domino Designer 8 Help

Exercise: Object containers

Access other databases using back-end methods

Access other database on server

Exercise: Instantiate object in another database

Best practice: Public declarations of Notes objects

Notes object properties

Read object property

Set object property

Chain/pipe references

"With" statement

Notes object methods

Run Notes object methods

Three types of methods

Exercise: Open method

LotusScript is not a keystroke macro language

Interact with users via front-end methods

Exercise: Open database for user

Delete object reference

Topic 9: NotesSession Object Operations

Session properties

NotesName object class

NOTES.INI access

Data type assignment from environment

Exercise: Set environment

Topic 10: NotesDatabase Object Operations

Paths to instantiate NotesDatabase

Select and open database

Ways to create a new NotesDatabase object

Is the database really open?

Open database on servers

Exercise: Database Info

Iterate \data to look for a database

NotesReplication class

Exercise: NotesReplication class

Open database for user in UI

Open a database by property

Error handling when opening databases

Exercise: Find database

Create non-replica database copy

Who can create a database?

Copy documents to new database

Exercise: Database Copy

Error handler review

Create replica copy

New database from template

ACL of new database from using template

Delete database

Case Study

Topic 11: New Document Object Operations

New document (back-end)

Security issues with back-end methods

Document properties

Exercise: Create Document (back-end)

New document using Form (front-end)

Security issues with front-end methods

Exercise: Create NotesUIDocument object

Topic 12: NotesItem Object Operations

Create a new item Option 1: Extended class syntax

Data type of a new item

Create a new item Option 2: NotesItem object New method

Item properties you can set

Create a new item Option 3: Document object method

Create a new item Option 4: AppendItemValue method

Read item values Option 1: Extended class syntax

Read item values Option 2: NotesItem object Values property

Read item values Option 3: Use GetItemValue method

Modify existing item values

Best practice: Be sure an item exists before using it

Access system fields

Read all items

Remove item

Exercise: Manipulate NotesItem objects

Challenge Exercise I: System Inventory

Objects required for Challenge Exercise

Pseudocode for Challenge Exercise

Topic 13: UI Object Classes

NotesUIWorkspace object

Close method

NotesUIDocument object

Instantiating the current UI document object

Front-end UI methods

Back-end to front-end interaction

Example of back-end to front-end interaction

NotesUIDocument limitations

Using the "Source" object reference variable

Instantiating container object

Exercise: Flip-Flop via back-end methods

Exercise: Flip-Flop via front-end methods

NotesUIView object

Refresh a View

Topic 14: Notes Data Validation

Form translation and validation

Check empty object

Example: Check empty object

Check for empty item (Field)

Example: Check for empty item (Field entry)

Accessing fields in a Form

Field focus

Simple Field validation

Exercise: Item validation

Compute with Form

Continue variable

Example setting Continue I: Stop a Form from closing

Example setting Continue II: Require Action Button clicks

Stop users from deleting documents in folders

Stop users from pasting documents

Topic 15: Multi-Value Items and Arrays

Array basics

How to declare an array

Assign values to an array

Split

Join/Implode

Read single array element value

Iteratively read array elements

Examples of object properties returning an array of values

Find an array element

Replace values in an array

Replace

Determine the number of elements in an array

Remove blank elements

ArrayUnique

Dynamically sized array

Create copy of an array

Erase array values

Exercise: Dynamic array

Append one array to another array

Multi- dimension arrays

Items and multi-value Fields

Variable assignment

Testing equivalence

Read an array of strings or array of objects?

Get multi-value Field in current document

Set multi-value Field in current document

Append to existing multi-value Field

Exercise: Translate a multi-value Field