Lotus Training Audience

This course is designed for Notes programmers well versed in using Domino Designer 7. It assumes that you have:

• extensive experience using Notes 7
• thorough knowledge of the Domino Designer 7 development environment, including Form and View design
• mastered the concepts covered in the Domino Designer 7: 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 7 training courses. Follow these paths to master all aspects of developing applications using Domino Designer:



Domino Designer 7: 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 7 Administrators and Developers.
• Specialize in programming Notes applications to respond to built-in user interface features, Domino Designer 7: Special Notes Features.
• Convert an application written for Notes clients to be used in browsers, Domino Designer 7: Basic Browser Applications.
• Provide data to cutting-edge Web applications, Domino Designer 7: 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 7: Formula Language.
• Develop sophisticated applications and Agents with LotusScript in Domino Designer 7: LotusScript.
• Add powerful client-side scripting to browser applications in Domino Designer 7: JavaScript.

This course is sold as a 4-day course, but it is unlikely that you can finish all the topics in four days. To finish in four days, it is recommended that you defer the last few topics for self-study. Many training centers allocate five days to cover this material.

Lotus Training Course outline

Topic 1: The Place of 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 can NOT do
• Limits and performance
• Other resources

• 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

• 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

• Basic language rules
• MessageBox parameters and return values
• InputBox
• Variables
• Declare variables
• Advantages of explicit declaration
• Public variables
• Exercise: Public 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

• Program structure
• Experience control structures
• Branching structures
• Exercise: Branching structures
• Looping structures
• Looping performance
• Code benchmarking
• Exercise: Looping
• How to exit a structure
• Breaking out of an endless loop
• Exercise: Exit a structure

• 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
• Specific error handling
• Reverse engineer Err codes
• Error cases
• Exercise: Error handling
• Multiple error handlers

• 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

• 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 7 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

• Session properties
• NotesName object class
• NOTES.INI access
• Data type assignment from environment
• Exercise: Set environment

• 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
• Hunting 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

• 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

• 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
• 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

• 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

• 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 constant
• Example: Stop a Form from closing
• Stop users from deleting documents in folders
• Stop users from pasting documents

• Array basics
• How to declare an array
• Assign values to an array
• Split
• Join/Implode
• Read single array element value
• Iteratively read array elements
• Find an array element
• Replace values in an array
• Replace
• Determine the number of elements in an array
• Remove blank elements
• ArrayUnique
• Sort array
• 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
• More on "Item" versus "Field"
• Challenge Exercise II: System inventory
• Arrays and performance
• Lists

• How time is stored
• Date and time in LotusScript
• NotesDateTime object
• Date/Time parameter format
• NotesInternational object

• Rich Text programmatic issues
• Instantiate NotesRichTextItem object
• Accessing existing NotesRichTextItem objects
• Objects you can add to Rich Text item
• Append text
• Append spacing
• Append style
• Best practice: Style arrays and subs
• Append doclink
• Exercise: Formatted Rich Text
• Append attachment
• Detach attachment
• Append another NotesRichTextItem
• Abstract text
• Navigate through the elements in a Rich Text item
• Insert object into existing Rich Text
• Example: Append and populate table
• Reload document to show Rich Text
• Validate Rich Text
• Challenge Exercise III: System inventory
• RTF versus MIME

• Work on existing document(s)
• NotesDocumentCollection object
• Security issue
• GetNextDocument requirements
• Exercise: Loop through NotesDocumentCollection
• Solution: Loop through NotesDocumentCollection
• Add or remove documents from a collection
• Two collection tricks
• Bulk changes to document collections
• Security issues with StampAll and RemoveAll
• Other collections of document objects
• Sort a collection
• Collections and performance

• NotesView object
• Exercise: Loop through NotesView
• Solution: Loop through NotesView
• NotesDocument object ColumnValues property
• Primary key and View concerns
• Get a document or document collection by View key
• Example: Build a collection by View key
• Process descendent documents
• Iterate all levels of a document hierarchy
• Sibling documents
• Access a documents parent document
• View.EntryCount property
• NotesViewEntryCollection object
• NotesViewEntry and NotesDocument objects
• Exercise: Status summary
• Solution: Status summary
• NotesViewNavigator object

• Collection from GetModifiedDocuments method
• Collection by Full Text Search
• The query
• Search items using [FIELD]
• Search on special items
• Full Text Search options
• Use the results
• About the accuracy of Full Text Search
• Refine an existing collection
• Exercise: FTSearch Summary
• Solution: FTSearch summary
• Collection by Search
• Change a View Selection Formula
• Search method performance
• Exercise: Search summary
• Solution: Search summary
• Switch search methods on-the-fly
• Domain Search
• Code the FTDomainSearch method

• Unprocessed documents and user interaction
• Efficient processing by Agents
• Unprocessed flag and Agents
• Unprocessed search accuracy
• Exercise: Unprocessed documents

• Make a copy of the current document
• Delete a document
• Security issues
• Exercise: Archive selected documents
• Delete open document
• Test for locked document
• Lock document
• Does the document really need to be saved?
• IsDeleted and soft deletes
• IsValid document? IsDeleted document?
• Is document open in the UI?
• Open user-selected document
• Put document in Folder
• Put document in Folder (the easy way)
• Exercise: Put documents in Folder
• Remove document(s) from Folder
• Remove Folders
• Make Response document

• NotesNewsletter object
• Create newsletter object
• Exercise: Newsletter report
• Case study: Custom search Form
• Optional exercise: Order report
• FormatDocument method

• Send document
• Example Agent
• Send method parameters
• Source database
• Change the apparent sender name from Notes
• Change the apparent sender name from an Agent
• Prevent Agent mail "ping-pong"
• Exercise: Send message
• Optional properties and Fields
• Exercise: Status Checker Agent
• Solution: Status Checker Agent
• Challenge Exercise IV: System inventory
• Programmatically send Sametime instant messages

• Which @Functions cannot be used?
• Why evaluate @Functions in LotusScript?
• Evaluate syntax
• Sum two Fields
• String functions
• Uppercase Field
• @Functions outside of object context
• Sum an array
• Lookups
• Exercise: Using @Functions
• Performance implications

• OpenFileDialog
• SaveFileDialog
• Prompt
• Choose Database dialog box
• PickListCollection
• PickListStrings
• Exercise: PickListStrings
• Free Time dialogs
• Folder dialog
• DialogBox
• From where you can call the DialogBox method
• Status information
• Case study: Bring the data here

• Minimum access requirements
• Best practices
• Find a known ACL entry level
• Name storage in the ACL
• ACL level constants
• Iterate ACL entries
• Other ACL permissions
• Resolve group or Organization wildcard name
• Why control the ACL with LotusScript?
• Add an ACL entry
• When to save ACL changes
• -Default- special handling
• Exercise: Set ACL
• Change the level of an entry
• Rename an entry
• Delete an entry
• Exercise: ACL control
• Set permissions
• Set entry type
• Add a Role
• Associate an entry with a Role
• Role resolution
• Disassociate entry from Role
• Rename Role
• Remove a Role
• ACL and replication

• What Profile documents are used for
• The nature of Profile documents
• Create Profile document
• Back-end method to access Profile document
• Read profile Fields
• List Profile documents
• Delete Profile document

• Advantages of using procedures
• How/where to define procedures
• Function procedures
• Call a function
• Single function argument
• Pass an array as an argument
• Multiple function arguments
• Example: ConvertTemp function
• Example: ReplaceSubstring function
• Exercise: Value translation
• Exit a procedure
• Sub procedures
• Example: Sub procedure
• Pass argument by reference
• Pass argument by value
• Script Libraries
• Use "LibraryName" statement in Options
• Exercise: Use a Script Library
• Resource strings
• Script Library tips
• Recursion example: Process all child documents
• Recursion example: Find root parent document
• Recompile all LotusScript
• %Include LSS file

• Custom classes
• Derived classes (inheritance)
• Memory management
• Example: Custom helper class
• Advantages of object-oriented programming
• Learn more about custom classes
• .LSO files
• .LSX files

• Create new Agent
• Trigger
• Target
• Document selection "event"
• Unprocessed documents
• Before New Mail Arrives trigger
• Agent security
• Handling UI method errors in Agents
• DelayUpdates property for Agents
• Pass arguments at run time
• Work queues
• Usage guidelines

• Remote LotusScript Debugger
• Domino Server Log
• Private Agent log
• Custom Agent Log
• Agent performance and Agent Profiling
• DDM Application Probes

• Write to a text file (Output)
• Read lines from a text file (Input)
• Read performance
• Delete a file
• Example: List Databases to File
• Exercise: Append to text file
• Export records to text file
• Easy comma delimited export
• Import records from text file
• NotesStream class
• Open, write to, and close NotesStream object
• List databases example
• MIME in email messages
• Agents and MIME/HTML

• What wont be covered
• NotesDOMParser and NotesDOMDocumentNode classes
• Example XML file
• Walk DOM Tree
• Exercise: Correlate XML file to walkTree report
• Create Notes documents from XML
• Open a NotesStream to a URL

• Declare DLL procedure
• Call the DLL Procedure
• Caveats and tips
• Win API: GetFolderName
• Win API: Read/Write INI file
• Win API: Get registry value
• Notes API: Close any Notes window
• Notes API: Run file from Notes
• Other DLL examples
• Resources

• Component Object Model (COM)
• Instantiate product object
• Start and stop an application
• Object hierarchy
• Access the object methods and properties
• Where to find object data files
• Example 1: Create Excel object from file
• Example 2: Create new Excel object and set formula
• Example 3: Create new Excel chart object
• Example 4: Export View to Excel
• Example 5: Create new Word object
• Example 6: Create new Word object (labels)
• Compound Document Container
• Example 7: Work with embedded object
• Example 8: Create object in PostOpen event
• Troubleshoot OLE problems
• Example 9: Operate on attachment
• Windows Script Host (WSH)
• Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI)
• COM access to Notes objects