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Given by Yuping Zhu, Geoffrey C. Fox at ITEA HPCC Conference Aberdeem Md. on July 13 98. Foils prepared July 9 1998
Outside Index
Summary of Material
| Lotus Notes is a Powerful Asynchronous Collaboration System |
| with a nice web interface |
| We Summarize its capabilities from the point of view of both user and developer |
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Lotus Notes And Domino Server: a Summary
Abstract
A groupware Model
Domino Web Server
Notes Workspace
PPT Slide
Creating a Database
Forms
Views
Calendar and Schedule
Navigators
PPT Slide
Migrating Notes Databases to The Web
Notes Applications Overview
Outside Index
Summary of Material
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| June 1998 |
| Geoffrey C. Fox |
| Yuping Zhu |
| Northeast Parallel Architecture Center |
| Syracuse University |
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared July 9 1998
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| What is Lotus Notes |
| Lotus Notes combines many technologies, it's not a single product. It integrates several capabilities to form a multi_function software. For example, Lotus Notes is a database, word processor, e-mail, news group and web server. It's one of the best solutions as a groupware infrastructure. |
| Model |
| Lotus Notes uses the Client/Server model of computing and it can be split into two pieces: The client, which is called Notes, and the server, which is called Domino. |
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| As a groupware infrastructure, Lotus Notes model defines three areas of technology: |
| Communication |
| It encompasses electronic mail (or e-mail) |
| Collaboration |
| It enables groups to share information in a public forum or workspace |
| Coordination |
| It involves the automation of business processes. (or workflow automation) |
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| The Domino Web Server merges Web Server technology with Lotus Notes technology to let third-party Web browsers access data and applications stored in a database. With Domino, a user can: |
| Access the Domino server securely. |
| Access dynamic data and applications based on time, database queries, and user identity. |
| Create, edit, and delete document in a database. |
| Search a database. |
| View content in a database using navigation capabilities, such as the ability to expand and collapse views. |
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| Components |
| Menu: Lets you choose Notes commands. (The commands on the menu sometimes change, depending on what you are doing.) |
| SmartIcons®: Let you choose Notes commands by just clicking an icon. |
| Workspace tabs: Let you change to different workspace pages to see the database icons on those database. |
| Database icons: Let you open Notes Database. |
| Workspace page: Lets you store database icons. |
| Status bar: Lets you change some setting, open your mail database, and see some current information about Notes. |
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| Notes Workstation |
| Overview |
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| Every Lotus Notes application uses at least one database to organize and store data and design elements. Database file names end with .NSF and reside in the Notes data directory or a subdirectory of a Lotus Domino server -- a network machine to which Notes or Internet users have access. |
| The Domino/Notes software includes pre-designed database called template (distinguished by file names that end with .NTF) that help you create new database quickly. |
| A database structure is composed of forms, fields, views and other presentation features, such as navigator and a database icon. |
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| Forms are similar to their paper counterparts. It can contain static information which is the same on each instance of the form or fields which are allowed to vary from one instance of the form to another. Fields can include extended textual information. |
| You can have several forms in a database, each with a separate purpose and representing a kind of template. The template is similar in purpose to the definition of the structure of a relational table. In notes, different forms can have completely different formats, fields and purpose. That is to say, you can have different kinds of records in the same Notes database. |
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| A view is a way to look at the data in the database. Each database may have several views. Views are created by the designer of a database. A user with Reader access to the database dose not have the ability to change the views in the database. |
| A view is really a predefined query that performs two tasks: |
| Selecting documents that meet specified criteria |
| Sorting documents for presentation to the user |
| The data is not duplicated in each of these views; the views only provide different ways of viewing or organizing your data. |
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| The calendar and schedule features of Notes are integrated into the personal mail database. The features in the mail database include: |
| Calendar view lets you view appointment and events using Two Days, One week, Two Weeks, and One Month formats |
| Calendar Profile form lets you set scheduling options, such as default length of appointment and access for other people to view your free time |
| Calendar Entry form is used to create personal appointment, meeting invitations, events, reminders, and anniversaries |
| Invitation form is used to accept or decline meeting invitations and to request to reschedule a meeting |
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| A database navigator is like a roadmap that directs users to particular parts of an application. The basic Notes navigator presents a graphical display of folders, views and design elements, but you can create a custom navigator that users graphics, formulas or scripts to best present your application. Most navigators include "hotspots" -- that is, programmed areas that a user clicks to execute an action. A hotspot can be text, graphics or a combination. |
| You create a navigator by combing objects. These might include a background graphic for display only and some combination of graphic buttons and text objects. To create navigator objects, import or paste objects from another application or use the drawing tools Notes supplies |
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| HTTP |
| Server |
| Notes |
| Server |
| Domino Server |
| HTML,GIF, |
| CGI,Java,... |
| Files |
| Notes |
| Databases |
| Web |
| Client |
| Notes |
| Client |
| Servers and Clients |
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| 1. Set up the Domino HTTP Server |
| 2. Make sure the database is in the Notes Data directory or a subdirectory of the Data directory |
| 3. Modify the database ACL to designate access levels for Web users |
| 4. Add form actions to simulate menu commands, such as Create, Edit and Save. Display the form actions in the action bar |
| 5. Remove or hide features that aren't supported on the Web |
| 6. Select the database property "Web access: Use JavaScript when generating pages." |
| 7. Set up text searching |
HTML version of Basic Foils prepared July 9 1998
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| Lotus Notes is an extremely useful tool. Some things are best accomplished with Notes, but others may be best left to other system. |
| Applications best for Notes |
| Tracking, Broadcast, Discussion, Approval, Workflow, Prototype/Proof-of-Concept, World Wide Web-Related, Object Libraries, Imaging-small-scale, Information Warehouses, Executive Summaries |
| Things to avoid using Notes |
| Real-Time Needs, Heavy reporting Needs, Relational Data, Large Numbers of Users Accessing the same Document |