Domino Programming
Domino 6 is a powerful application development environment that enables you to rapidly build applications by using a variety of application development tools and programming languages. Domino 6 supports the following programming languages: Notes Formulas (Formula Language), LotusScript, Java, and JavaScript. The Notes Formula language is the oldest of the four and has been around since the inception of Notes. It is a fairly easy-to-learn and easy-to-use programming language, and you can accomplish some coding tasks in Notes only by using the Formula language!
Formula Basics
Lotus defines a formula as “an expression that has program-like attributes” (Lotus Designer Help database). Some of the many things you can do with formulas are
Create selection criteria for a view.
Validate a field.
Return a value to a field.
Manipulate the value of a field.
Transform the value of a field.
Create new fields in a document.
Perform actions when documents are opened, refreshed, or closed.
Program agents.
Return a value in a view column.
Automate buttons or hotspots.
Program replication formulas.
Domino Integrated Development Environment (IDE) Basics
All code, including the Formula language, is written in the Domino's user-friendly Integrated Development Environment (IDE), known as the Domino Designer. An Integrated Development Environment is an application development tool that provides a robust, complete toolset that includes debugging and online help capabilities. The Domino Designer IDE (Designer for short) is shown in Figure 12.1.
