In order to allow your Notes or Domino application to participate within a composite application, you must first decide which design elements need to be accessible to other components. To make these components available to other components within your composite application, they are specified within a Web Services Description Language (WSDL) file. The composite application property broker then uses this WSDL file as a map into your application and its published properties and actions.

To allow this mapping to occur, the Composite Application Editor is used. Without making changes to legacy Notes/Domino application functionality, the Composite Application Editor can be used to surface the elements of the application such as forms, views, documents, and other Notes elements to the composite application.

Another element of composite application design is deciding where the application components will reside. Composite applications can be hosted within a local NSF file on a Notes client, on a Domino 8 application server, in WebSphere Portal, or in Lotus Expeditor. The Notes/Domino application components are created with the Composite Application Editor while WebSphere Portal composite applications can be created with the Composite Application Editor or the Portal Application Template Editor.

As mentioned previously, the addition of composite applications to the development strategy for Notes/Domino 8 required some changes and additions to the existing programming model.

Within a composite application, the components must be able to interact even if they were defined with different tools and technologies. Some components may even be stored within different database technologies. One component may be NSF based while another may be stored within a relational database store. The components need a standardized way to define the properties and actions that they support, so that an application developer can wire them together into a composite application. The standard way to define these properties and actions is via a WSDL file.

Let's take a quick look at properties, actions and wires.

Actions

Actions are the logic that is used to consume a property. For example, a component may implement an action that sends an email when it receives a mailTo type property from another component. The code within the component that sends the email based on the information consumed from the property is the action for the component. Components can obviously contain multiple actions depending on the business logic required for the component.

It is easy to confuse a web services action with a Notes action. The web services action is a name in a WSDL file that represents functionality that will consume a property. Notes actions can be coupled with a web services action so that the Notes action gets called to consume a property. The LotusScript in the Notes action can then implement code to act on the property.

The illustration below shows a Notes action in the Notes 8 mail template that is coupled with a web services action NewMemoUsingMailtoURL. You can see that in the code, the LotusScript is using a property broker to gain access to the property.

Wires

Wires are the construct by which components interact within a composite application. A wire is simply a programmatic definition of which components talk to each other. The components must share common properties and then produce and consume them via actions. More simply put, wires connect properties to actions.

For example, an application developer could wire together a contact list component with an email component. When the user selects a contact from the contact list, the contact list component would produce and publish a mailTo type property, which could then be consumed by the email component. The email component would consume the published mailTo property and compose an email using the data contained within the property.

The following shows the components available within the Notes 8 mail template that are available for use in other component applications as well, shown from the component palette within the new Composite Application Editor.

New Domino Designer 8 features that support composite applications include the Property Broker Editor and the Composite Application Editor.

Property Broker Editor

One of the first things you will notice in Domino Designer 8 is the new support for composite application design elements. These design elements store the WSDL and XML files for wiring properties and applications. You can see these new design elements by selecting the Composite Applications item in the view.

The Wiring Properties view is where Domino Designer stores the WSDL that defines the properties, types and actions for the application. These design elements are edited with the Property Broker Editor, which is new in Domino Designer 8. To edit wiring properties, select the wiring property from the new Notes 8 mail template and click the Open File button. This will bring up the Property Broker Editor. The Property Broker Editor allows you to create or edit the properties, types or actions for your applications. Once the Property Broker Editor has saved the WSDL as a design element, you will be able to associate the defined properties and actions with other design elements.

Composite Application Editor

Also within the Composite Applications view within Domino Designer 8, is the Applications listing. These design elements store the XML that define the makeup of the composite applications and their associated wiring.

Launching the Composite Application Editor is not done via the Domino Designer interface however, and may confuse new composite application developers. To launch the Composite Application Editor, open Notes and then select Action | Edit Application.

Once the Composite Application Editor is open, you can select a component and then edit the wires for this component.

The illustration above shows the wiring properties for the Notes Calendar Navigator component.

Web services were supported starting with Notes/Domino 7. However, the web services supported with Domino 7 could only be web service providers. They could be called as a normal web service from a remote computer and return information from Domino databases, or perform other Domino-related functions. It was also possible in release 7 to write web service consumers and have them hosted by Domino, but there was no specific support for web service consumers within Domino and creating them was a matter of Java development.

With the release of Notes and Domino 8, Domino-based web service consumers are supported. Notes/Domino applications can now call web services hosted on remote computers. Notes/Domino 8 makes it simple to call web services. Domino Designer will even import the WSDL and create the code required to use the web service for you.

Unlike web service providers in Domino, which are stored in special design elements, web service consumers in Domino 8 are stored in a special type of script library. This script library can be written in either Java or LotusScript. Just as with other script libraries, code that wants to use the web service consumer must use the script library that contains it.

Consuming a web service in Notes/Domino 8 is very simple. The high level steps are:

For this example, we have selected a free stock quote web service that retrieves 20 minute delayed quotes from Yahoo. The web service description and its WSDL file are located here:

http://www.webservicelist.com/webservices/f.asp?fid=37722

We will create a script library to contain the web service, create a form with a simple button to prompt the user for a company symbol, and then call or consume the web service and display the resultant stock quote.

Once you have selected a web service to consume and have its WSDL file, you need to create a new script library to contain the web service code. Create a new application, and select Create | Design | Script Library. Select either LotusScript Library or Java Library depending on your language of choice. For this example, we will create a LotusScript library. Save the script library and provide a name for it when prompted. For this example, we called the script library stockquote. Keep this script library open.

You now have a new, empty script library. At the bottom of the code window in Domino Designer, you will see a button labeled WSDL. This button will allow you to import the WSDL file that describes the web service that you are going to consume and also generate the code for consuming this web service. This will save you a lot of time going through the WSDL file and crafting your classes!

Import the WSDL file that you downloaded for your selected service. Notice that Domino Designer generates the class required to consume the web service.

For the free stock quote service selected, the generated LotusScript code look like this:

Option Declare
%INCLUDE "lsxsd.lss"
Const n0 = "http://www.themindelectric.com/wsdl/net.xmethods.services.stockquote.StockQuote/"
Class NetxmethodsservicesstockquoteStockQu_n0 As PortTypeBase
Sub NEW
Call Service.Initialize
("HttpWwwThemindelectricComWsdlNetXmethodsServicesStockquoteStockQuo teNetXmethodsServicesStockquoteStockQuoteService",_
"net.xmethods.services.stockquote.StockQuoteService.net.xmethods.services.stockquote.StockQuotePort", 
"http://services.xmethods.net/soap", _ "NetxmethodsservicesstockquoteStockQu_n0"
End Sub
Function getQuote(symbol As String) As Single
Let getQuote = Service.Invoke("getQuote", symbol)
End Function
End Class

Notice that Domino Designer did the hard work of decoding the WSDL file to create a class with functions to consume the web service. If you like, you may even decide to modify the generated code so as to make it a bit more readable by changing the class name, for example.

It is a good idea at this time to inspect the code that was generated and become familiar with it. In this example, we can see the generated LotusScript created a class called etxmethodsservicesstockquoteStockQu_n0 and a function called getQuote. Domino Designer got these values from the WSDL file that was imported. We will use the class name and the function name later within our button that will call the script library that consumes the web service.

Now, all we need is some code to consume the web service via the special web services enabled script library that we just created. To keep things simple, let's create a button on a form that will prompt the user for a stock symbol and then display the results.

Create a blank form. Within the Globals section of the form, place the following code, which disallows implicit variable declarations (a good practice) and identifies the script library stockquote as used within the form:

Option Public
Use "stockquote"

On the same form, create a new button. Give the button a clever label like Get a stock quote, and then insert the following code into the button:

Dim symbolname As String
Dim symbolvalue As Single
Dim quote As New NetxmethodsservicesstockquoteStockQu_n0
' ask the user for a stock quote symbol
symbolname = Inputbox("Enter stock symbol for quote:")
' call getQuote to consume the web service and return the value
symbolvalue = quote.getQuote( symbolname )
' Let the user know the current value
Messagebox "Value of " & symbolname & " is = " & Cstr( symbolvalue )

Save the form, and then open the application. Create a new instance of the form that contains the button.

Now click on the button to invoke the code within it. You will be prompted to enter the stock symbol whose quote you would like to retrieve via the web service. For this example, we selected my favorite hamburger chain.

When you click on OK, Notes will execute the code so as to invoke and consume the web service. Once that has been done, Notes will then process the Messagebox call so as to present the results.

This is obviously a very simple example of consuming a web service, but it should open your mind to the possibilities. There are web services available for almost anything you can imagine. Some are free and others are for a fee. You can use web services to retrieve grocery items by UPC number, perform credit card transaction processing, and even track packages shipped with FedEx or UPS.

Now that Notes/Domino 8 can consume web services, you have another data integration tool at your disposal.

The ability to use DB/2 as an alternate back-end storage system for Domino was available in Domino 7 as a Feature Trial and also via a Limited Availability program. With the release of Notes/Domino 8, the integration with DB 2 will be generally available on certain Windows, IBM AIX, and Linux operating systems.

Using this integration, you can make data within your Domino databases available for use by relational database tools and show external relational data within Notes/Domino views and embedded views.

Domino Designer 8 view enhancements include new column number formats, extended to use available window width, defer index creation until first use, and show default items in right-mouse menu.

New Column Number Format

There is a new number format for number columns that will display the column contents in kilobytes, megabytes, or gigabytes, which makes it much easier to determine the relative size of the number represented in the column. In this example, the size of file attachments is used.

When displayed in Notes 7, the column shows just the attachments lengths for each document.

However, when the same column is displayed in Notes 8 with the Bytes (K/M/G) number format, the column displays a much friendlier format.

Extend to Use Available Window Width

In Notes 8, you can select which column within a view will expand to utilize the available width of the window. In previous releases, this option was only available for the last column in a view.

Note

For this option to work, the view level option Extend last column to window width takes precedence and must be deselected. In addition, the column to be extended must be marked as Resizable. Multiple columns can be designated to extend to use the available window width. However, only the first column, which has this attribute set, will expand.

Defer Index Creation until First Use

Index creation can now be deferred for Click on column header to sort view columns. Using this option, the view index won't be created until a user first clicks on the column to sort it. Only views that users click to sort will have their indexes built. This can help reduce the load on servers, as not all column indexes will be created automatically. They will only be created when they are used.

Note that the deferred index creation feature requires the database to be using the new ODS (On-Disk Structure) for Notes/Domino 8. By default, Notes/Domino 8 still creates databases with ODS 43, which was introduced in release 6 and used through releases 7 and 8. To enable the creation of databases in ODS 48 format, use the Create_R8_Databases=1 Notes.ini parameter on the Domino 8 server or the Notes 8 client.

Show Default Items in Right-Mouse Menu

Developers have been able to add custom actions to the right-mouse menu with previous versions of Notes/Domino. With release 8, you can choose not to have the default right-mouse menu items shown in the menu, allowing just the menu items you select to be displayed.

The default is to show just default items. The picture above shows that we have deselected the option allowing only the actions that we select to be shown in the menu. This will make it easier for the end user of the application to find the actions we have defined for the view or folder.

There is a new rich text lite field option that allows you to add a thumbnail picture to a form. This new feature is used in the Notes/Domino 8 address book templates.

For example, in the personal address book template, you can add pictures of your contacts to their contact records. This is handy to help remember the face that goes with the name.

To add the thumbnail picture to a contact note in Notes 8, edit the contact record, click on the import icon, and select the picture.

Once the picture has been selected, it will be displayed in place of the import button.

To delete the picture, you should edit the document, select the thumbnail, and press the delete key.

To enable thumbnails in your rich text lite field, select the second tab of the properties box, and then select Thumbnail in the Only allow selection field. When Thumbnail is selected, all of the other options will automatically be deselected for you. Also, you may only select Thumbnail in the First Display property.

You can also have Notes resize the thumbnail image by selecting the width and height in pixels.

Agents can now be tagged so as to determine when the server starts. These agents will start the server a few minutes after the Domino server boots up. They should not be relied upon to start immediately.

Agents triggered to start when the server starts will not run when just the agent manager itself is restarted. They will only run when the entire Domino server is started. This allows agents to perform actions that should only occur after a server has started and not be repeated each time agent manager starts up.

To trigger an agent this way, select When Server Starts for the On event trigger type.

Agents that are triggered when the server starts can also be given dates to start and stop running. This could be helpful if the agent is implementing a date driven business process.

To edit these agents' schedule properties, click the Edit Settings button on the Agent properties box.

Domino Designer 8 includes several enhancements to formula language and LotusScript.

As you know, Domino Designer is used to create Notes/Domino applications. You have seen how it can be used to take a Notes application and build components from the various Notes/Domino design elements using the Property Broker Editor and the Composite Application Editor, and new integration points with actions and view columns.

Future plans for Domino Designer may include merging it with Lotus Component Designer within an Eclipse framework, bringing the two designer tools together into an integrated development framework for Lotus applications. All development will be performed within the Eclipse environment with new script editors and shared design element bookmark navigation.

Bringing these multiple development tools under a single designer framework will make the developer's job easier by offering them a consolidated view of the development process.

Lotus Component Designer allows you to migrate components created with previous releases into release 8. The migration tool is a part of the component import process and can detect older versions of components. When an older version is detected, its pages are converted to the new XSP format.

The new Lotus Component Designer welcome page offers a rich set of options including an overview, tutorials, samples, Web resources, and context-sensitive help.

Lotus Component Designer is an accessible software development tool with which you can create accessible components. It is compliant with IBM Corporate Instruction 162 (CI 162) which meets the U.S. government federal accessibility guidelines for information technology. It requires that hardware, software, services, web pages, and internal applications are accessible to persons with disabilities.

With Lotus Component Designer, you can now create applications that can work within the IBM WebSphere Portal composite application model. These components can interact with components created with Notes/Domino 8 as well.

There are many new features and additions to controls and pages. Here are a few favorites:

Some of the new features and enhancements for data connectivity are the following:

Some of the new features and enhancements for deployment are the following:

Some of the new features and enhancements for deployment are:

RSS and ATOM are feed formats used to publish web content that is updated on a regular basis. News organizations, governments, private companies, and even individuals via their daily blogs publish RSS and ATOM feeds. All you need to read these feeds is an RSS or ATOM reader such as Notes 8 and access to the Internet.

Feeds within Lotus Notes 8 are included as a side bar plug-in along with the Sametime Contacts, Activities, and Day at a Glance, on the right side of the screen.

With Notes/Domino 8, you can also generate RSS feeds from Domino databases including the new blog template and Domino Web Access. The Domino RSS Syndication template is used to create the feeds from any Domino view. The agents and script libraries from this template can also be used within other applications.

The first step is to create a database to manage your feeds. Create the new application and base it on the RSS Feed Generator template.

Once the database has been created, you will want to set up the global options that apply to all the RSS feeds that are generated. To do this, click Set Global Options in the action bar of the application.

Using the Global options dialog, you can control the following:

Once the defaults are set, you can define a feed and direct it to a specific mail file, based on a user or on a specific database.

With a feed defined, you are able to get a listing of all available feeds from the Domino server by directing your browser to the feed database that you created earlier. From this web page, you will be able to add the feed into your favorite RSS feed reader.

With Notes 8 you can create your own web log, or blog, using the new Domino Web Log template (dominoblog.ntf). Once created, you can use either Notes:

…or a web browser:

…to add content and manage your blog. The resultant web page shows the first entry of the author's blog. The template allows creation of blog entries from the Notes client or from the web site itself.

Domino 8 adds support for JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) as an output format.