Hiding Database Designs

You can hide the design of a database to prevent other users from viewing the database design or making changes to the database design. Hiding the database design disables all design operations and hides all formulas and scripts contained within the database. Typically, a designer would hide the design of a database that is set to inherit its design from a another database template (whose design is not hidden). Then the designer can make any required design changes on the design template and push those changes to the database whose design is hidden. When a database design is hidden, users are restricted from performing the following actions:

  • Viewing settings for design elements (the View, Design option is no longer available from the drop-down view menu).

  • Modifying, adding, or deleting design elements (forms, fields, pages, subforms, navigators, views, agents, simple actions, and so on).

  • Modifying Database Open properties.

  • Displaying the synopsis of a database.

  • Unlocking the design of a database by making a copy or replica copy of the database. The design remains hidden even if the database is copied.

To hide the design of a database, follow these steps:

1.
Create a new database based on a database template.

2.
Select the new database. Then select File, Database, Replace Design from the drop-down menu. This displays the Replace Database Design dialog box (refer to Figure 7.2).

3.
Select the template server on which the template database resides.

4.
Select the template database from the list of available template databases. Only databases with an .ntf extension and that are located in the root directory of the server are displayed.

5.
Select Hide Formulas and LotusScript, located at the bottom of the dialog box, to hide the database design from all users.

6.
You should select the Inherit Future Design Changes check box. You cannot select or deselect this option after the design has been hidden, so this is the only way you can update the database's design after the design has been hidden.

7.
Click the Replace button and click Yes to confirm.

After you hide a database design, you cannot reverse your decision. To make the database design accessible once more, you have to delete the database and create a new copy of it.


Limiting Design Element Access to Specified Users

When designing applications, it is common that certain design elements should be accessible to only certain users (based upon the username, group, or role) or certain user types. Because Domino enables developers to build applications for multiple user types (Notes clients, Web clients, and mobile clients), you will want to hide design elements from clients (or users) that do not require access to them.

You can use outline controls to hide your application's design from users based upon their client types or user roles. For example, each outline control can be hidden based on the client type or a formula. Therefore, controls can be hidden based on the following factors:

  • Web browsers

  • Notes R4.6 or later clients

  • Mobile client

  • The evaluation of a formula

Other design elements, such as views and forms, can also be hidden from users based upon their client types. When viewing the list of design elements from the Designer client, open the Design Documents properties box and choose the Design tab to set the Hide Design Elements From settings (see Figure 7.3).

Figure 7.3. The Design tab of the Design Documents dialog box.


With Notes R6, you can now restrict forms, views, folders, agents, and navigators from being displayed in the menu by selecting the Do Not Show This Design Element in Menus of Notes R4 or Later Clients option on the Design tab of the Design Documents properties box.


You can restrict access to Notes views by utilizing the View Read Access List. The list can contain user names, groups, servers, or roles contained within the current database (see Figure 7.4). To access the View Access List, follow these steps:

1.
Open the view from the Domino Designer client.

2.
Click on the Security tab of the Infobox (automatically opened when the view is opened in design mode).

3.
Deselect the All Readers and Above option to select individual usernames, groups, servers, or roles. The All Readers and Above option is automatically selected by default, allowing all users to access the view.

4.
Select the users, groups, servers, or roles to grant access to the current view. Any users, groups, or servers not selected do not have access to the view. You can also click the Directory Lookup button (indicated by a blue person profile) to select names using a server directory or local name and address book. The users, groups, servers, and roles displayed in the list box are entries currently available in the database Access Control List.

Figure 7.4. The Security tab of the View properties Infobox.


Denying access to views or folders does not restrict access to the documents contained within the views. Users can still access the data by using an alternate view, creating a personal view, or using the proper URL syntax to open a view.


For the exam, remember that it is typically considered a best practice to utilize roles when restricting user access to views because they are easily modified and updated.


Access to Notes forms can also be restricted by utilizing the Form Read Access list or Create Document list. The list can contain usernames, groups, servers, or roles contained within the current database (see Figure 7.5).

Figure 7.5. The Security tab of the Form properties Infobox.


To access the Read Access list or Create Document list, follow these steps:

1.
Open the form from the Domino Designer client.

2.
Click on the Security tab of the Infobox.

3.
To modify the default read access for documents created with this form, deselect the All Readers and Above option to select individual usernames, groups, servers, or roles. The All Readers and Above option is automatically selected by default, allowing all users to access the form.

4.
Select the users, groups, servers, or roles to grant read access to documents created with this form. Any users, groups, or servers not selected will not have access to read documents with this form. You can also click the Directory lookup button (indicated by a blue person profile) to select names using a server directory or local name and address book. The users, groups, servers, and roles displayed in the list box are entries currently available in the database Access Control List.

5.
To modify the default Create access for documents with this form, deselect the All Authors and Above option to select individual usernames, groups, servers, or roles. The All Authors and Above option is automatically selected by default, allowing all users to access the view.

6.
Select the users, groups, servers, or roles to grant access to create documents with this form. Any users, groups, servers not selected do not have access to create documents with this form. You can also click the Directory Lookup button (indicated by a blue person profile) to select names by using a server directory or local name and address book. The users, groups, servers, and roles displayed in the list box are entries currently available in the database Access Control List.

7.
Close the Infobox. Because Okay or Cancel options are available in Infoboxes, keep in mind that any changes you make take effect after the form is saved.

For the exam, remember that setting form Read or Create access does not exclude a user from creating documents or viewing documents previously created with this form. For example, existing documents can still be copied and pasted into the database, agents can be executed to create documents, or other scripts can be executed to created documents.


In addition to restricting the Form Read Access list or Create Document list, you can also control access to forms by

  • Excluding a form from being displayed in the Create menu and/or Create Other dialog box. This option is available on the Basics tab of the Form properties box.

  • Creating an action button, button on a form, or link that opens a form but is hidden to users based on username, group, role, or formula.

To enable users to access forms and view documents even if the user has No Access or Depositor access to the database, create a form and make it available to Public Access users. This enables you to grant access to specific documents (or design elements) without giving the user Reader access to the entire database. To set up a form that allows public access users to use the form:

1.
Open the Form Design element from the Designer client.

2.
Click on the Security tab.

3.
Select the Available to Public Access Users option.

For users (who have No Access or Depositor access to the database) to view public access documents, create an item in the document named $PublicAccess and assign the item a value of 1. You also need to give users access to Read Public Documents and Write Public Documents in the database Access Control List.

For No Access and Depositor access users to view documents in the database, you need to create a view and enable the Available to Public Users check box. This option is available on the Security tab of the View Infobox.


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