XPages for the Domino Developer
Ann Hamm
by Ann Hamm, Senior Lotus Developer
As a seasoned developer since the early days of Lotus, I look around and see an emerging new market for my skill set. I’ve been programming in Lotus Notes for years and I know formula language and LotusScript but have never really coded a web application. If you’re like me, you’ve noticed the buzz around the business implications of smart devices, coined by IBM as Social Business.
So, I went investigating to find the best resources to get involved in this evolving Social Business. For me, Lotus XPages was the way to go. XPages allows you to take your Domino application and present it on mobile devices. Obviously, my first question was: “What resources are available to get me up and running quickly?”
The capabilities of XPages are still growing, so there is information about XPages in classes, online tutorials, books, wikis, and even YouTube videos. There is a plethora of information. Therefore, if you’re looking to start down the road I did consider the following path of resources:
- The Learning Continuum Company, offers a free course called “Introduction to XPages Development.” It’s a great way to get one’s feet wet and to start to get comfortable with the XPages development environment. Exercises are used to reinforce the concepts being learned.
- Print out David Leedy’s Cheat Sheet and keep by your side.
- Purchase Mastering XPages: A Step-by-Step Guide to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language by Martin Donnelly, Mark Wallace, and Tony McGuckin. This book is a must if you want to understand what’s really happening. As a Domino developer I tried lots of different paths to make sense of XPages, and this is the first book that I found that actually explains things. It’s also the first book that I found that helped me totally understand the source code that I was looking at. It is well worth the money. I bought the Kindle version and read it on my IPad as I’m manipulating the downloaded exercise files (there is a link that comes with the purchase).
- Watch the “Notes In Nine” videos. David Leedy has created a series of videos that typically are very short (9 minutes or less) that explain one technique or one control. He’s easy to follow and very informative. You will have links to all the videos and they are divided between the typical short videos and the extended videos. The videos are also available on YouTube.
- Try to create Declan Lynch’s phone book application(final version is on OpenNTF.org). You have to search his blog by going to the bottom of a current post and clicking “older Entries” enough times until you find them, but they are still available. This particular series was written when XPages first came out, so some of the interfaces may be different, but there’s still a lot of good information here.
And FINALLY, when you are ready for more check out the IBM Lotus XPages resource center.
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This article is from our monthly resource e-Newsletter. Did you miss it in your inbox? Visit our eNewsletter archives for past editions or if you want to receive our monthly newsletter automatically, simply write to Ruth Jarvis and request to be added to our E-Newsletter list. Thank you!
Using WEF to Add Mobility to Your Web Applications
Justin McGarvie
by Justin McGarvie, Junior Web Experience Factory Developer
With smart devices emerging as the go-to source for information, mobilizing your web application has become a new obsession. As the need for mobilized web apps grows, so too does the importance of taking advantage of the expanding market. Recognizing this, discussion at conferences such as the Lotusphere and the Exceptional Web Experience has turned to the all-important question—how can IBM based products be used to tap into this growing market?
Being leading experts at Web Experience Factory (WEF), Davalen has already begun work on mobilizing web/portal applications using built-in templates and profiles in WEF. Davalen created a new assignment to publish a portal to a mobile device. No bells and whistles, just a basic portal to show that it could be done quickly with current data. To demonstrate additional business value, Davalen chose me to implement mobility—a newly hired junior developer and recent college graduate. Although I came to Davalen with a good technology background, my only experience with WEF was a week-long self-paced study of portal administration and how to develop web and portal applications using WEF, with Davalen’s WEF course (WPC52) as my study guide. However, combining my knowledge from the course and my own research focused on WEF for mobility, I was able to successfully create an outward facing portal in its basic form.
So, how did I do it?
Luckily, I kept notes on my process in order to share with others. At this point, the solution is not very glamorous but does show how to use WEF to add mobility to a web or portal application. The next stage of the project is to add a mobile-based landing page utilizing style sheets for the organization of data, navigation, and overall look and feel. There are three builders that are essential to creating a mobile portlet using the WEF’s 7.0.1’s mobile themes and templates.
- The View and Form builder (Figure 1) allows data to be organized into tables similar to the Data Page/Page builders, however, it is not as flexible as the Data Page is.
Figure 1: View and Form Builder.
2. The next builder that is essential is the Data Layout Builder (Figure 2) which allows the choice between several different layout templates. This allows you to map the data from the View and Form page that was created to the certain layout that is chosen. You can also choose different styles from the Styles column.
Figure 2: Data Layout Builder.
3. The third builder would be the Theme builder to implement one of the Mobile Themes that are included in the WEF or to use a theme that was created.
It is possible to create a Layout Template for the Data Layout Builder by placing it in the data_layout_templates folder. It is possible to view and copy and modify the provided templates (Figure 3).
Figure 3: The Multi-Line List template.
It is possible to use other builders with these to modify look and feel of the portlets such as using the Text Builder to place a Header text for each page. The final Look and feel of the Customer List and Detail portlets with the use of a modified Multi-Line List layout to add the column headers to the table is shown in Figure 4.
Figure 4: Completed Customer List and Details Portlets.
As the need for mobilized web apps grows, so too does the importance of taking advantage of the expanding market.Combining my knowledge from the Davalen course and my own research focused on WEF for mobility, I was able to successfully create an outward facing portal. At the conclusion of this stage of the project, I have proof that an IBM based product, IBM Web Experience Factory, can easily be utilized to tap into the growing mobile market, even by those who are new to the toolset.
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This article is from our monthly resource e-Newsletter. Did you miss it in your inbox? Visit our eNewsletter archives for past editions or if you want to receive our monthly newsletter automatically, simply write to Ruth Jarvis and request to be added to our E-Newsletter list. Thank you!
Old Spice blows your mind
Dave Jacob at Lotusphere 2012
by Dave Jacob
After most of a week of listening to the push for how social media and mobile applications will affect your life, I started looking for examples that mean something to me. It didn’t take long.
The first instance occurred at the conference. One of the sessions on security was cancelled by IBM legal 30 minutes before the session. Of course, those interested started tweeting and a small cancellation turned into a cause – #occupypelican - the room for the session. Social in action. I was in already in another session so I couldn’t go see what happened first hand but I bet the session was held and the room was probably full of those interested in the topic but also those who wanted to see how IBM handled the push back. If you were one of the tweeters or attended, post your impressions on the blog. I’m curious as to what really happened.
The next instance is an observation as the Super Bowl approaches and the ad campaigns gear up in earnest. Ads are now being pre-posted on YouTube and other media sites and are being spread by interested parties (like me) and are changing the way ads are sold. There is the initial development of the ad and eventual playing of the ad at the Super Bowl, but the real value comes later in the after market. Couple this with comments, blogs and other electronic distribution and you begin to see the potential power of social.Of course, these ads are also meant to be seen on your smart phone, iPhone and lots of other devices. Google “Old Spice super bowl ads” and look for the athlete who loses his mind (or wait for the super bowl ads).
This viral marketing approach is changing how we all do business and presents incredible opportunities for those of us who try and figure out how to bring these systems to market.
Have you heard? Lotusphere 2012 is all about Social Business
by Ruth Jarvis
In case you’re buried beneath a rock, ignoring all forms of social media including twitter hashtags, Facebook profiles, LinkedIn updates, and technology based new outlets, Lotusphere this year is pushing Social Business. It’s on signs, badges, videos, and napkins, allowing very few to ignore the statement at the annual Lotus event much to the chagrin of technical based developers and admins hoping to see the latest in the Lotus brand but great for LOB decision makers.
Day one started with Business Development Day (BDD) a full day of sessions, jumpstarts, and discussions for the IBM Business Partner community. Of course, we wanted to jump in and see what the brand has in store for various product bases but most important for us, IBM Web Experience Factory (formerly Portlet Factory). While it didn’t make much discussion during the BDD it did come up as part of the Web Experience Suite and the Intranet Suite discussion at the Opening General Session (OGS).
Speaking of the OGS, what were the big suprises? It started with the viral rock band OK Go, playing live with their fun and low-budget music videos, followed by a special and inspirational special guest, Michael J. Fox discussing how social networking effected how he was able to learn, update, and build a community around Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The last surprises were based on content, in fact for most of the conference, this long standing technical based event has slowly morphed into a joint technical and business conference. This year you could feel it more then ever, as the first hour of the OGS didn’t contain any mention of “Lotus”, “Notes”, or “Domino,” replaced instead by terminology like “social”, “mobile”, and “marketing.”
OK GO at ls12 OGS
MIchael J Fox at ls12 OGS
Notes/Domino Next
I will leave it to my technical Davalen peers to update you on what is happening in the tech-world of the brand as they are much better suited to do such, but I will provide some of my favorite shots from the event thus far, including new shots of my wonderful team: Len Barker, Managing Partner, Dave Jacob, Managing Partner, and my fellow female co-worker, Deborah Corcoran, Resource Deployment Manager.
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The winds of change – there’s a new sheriff in the town
Len Barker
by Len Barker
Once upon a time thousands of people from around the world descended upon Disney World to learn about the latest Domino release and the cool features that they could brag about to their user base when they got back home. The winds are blowing in a different direction now and Domino has been relegated to a supporting role. Notes and Domino wasn’t even mentioned in the opening session until an hour and a half into it. And if you were looking to spend your Lotusphere attending technical tracks on Domino, you would have been disappointed. This year’s event was all about making business social and Lotus Connections plays the starring role.
IBM is doing everything it can to help organizations take the first step to becoming a social business. With Domino 8.5.3, Lotus Connections profiles and files are included as a free entitlement. Once organizations get hooked on Lotus Connections, they will want to spend most of their business life on those social pages. To help make that a reality, IBM demonstrated a completely redesigned interface for Domino email that is completely integrated with Connections. This should be available in the next release of Domino. Oh, and the Notes client won’t be necessary any more, even for Notes client only applications. Notes client functionality will be available via a browser plugin in future releases of Domino. As usual, IBM has seen the future before the rest of us and I think it makes a lot of sense. In case I haven’t made it clear, the future is Facebook for business, aka Lotus Connection. You will live in it and love it.
The warm Florida winds have blown a new sheriff into town and forever change our beloved Lotusphere. Expect an even bigger social message next year and maybe some big changes to Domino.
Installing WebSphere Portal 8 Beta 2 on Windows – How2
David Wilkerson
Davalen, CTO, David Wilkerson took some time out to put together a very informative and amazing article about how to install WebSphere Portal 8 Beta 2 on a Windows machine.
I had a few minutes the other day and decided to check out using the IBM Installation Manager to install the beta for IBM WebSphere Portal 8. Here is my own flavor of the install guide:
To install WebSphere Portal Express and IBM Content Manager Beta on a Windows 32 bit operating system you will need the following files: WAS8-1.zip, WAS8-2.zip, WP8-1.zip, and WP8-2.zip. For other platforms consider the following table:
File size File name Description 1.1 Gb W AS8-1.zip IBM WebSphere Application Sever Network Deployment Trial v8.0.0.1 Part 1 1.7 Gb W AS8-2.zip IBM WebSphere Application Sever Network Deployment Trial v8.0.0.1 Part 2 1.4 Gb WP8-1.zip IBM WebSphere Portal Beta v8 Core Repository files + IBM Installation Manager 500 Mb WP8-2.zip IBM DB2 v9.7 on Windows 32bit 868 Mb WP8-3.zip IBM DB2 v9.7 on Linux x86 32bit 597 Mb WP8-4.zip IBM DB2 v9.7 on Windows 64bit 927 Mb WP8-5.zip IBM DB2 v9.7 on Linux x86 64bit At the time this document was composed the files could be obtained from a download link at:https://www14.software.ibm.com/iwm/web/cc/earlyprograms/lotus/portalopenbeta/download.shtml Note that the download site also includes files for a VMWare instance.
To read the article in its entirety you can view the article directly on Davids blog, Taking Notez.
This year at Lotusphere 2012 – Career Opportunities – What???
Yes, this year at Lotusphere I am actively recruiting independent consultants who want to jump start their career in 2012 by working on cutting edge IBM projects! I will be looking for WEF Developers, WebSphere Portal Administrators, Architects and Developers, plus DB2 folks, and Domino gurus!
As Dave Jacob blogged previously…“what a difference a year makes….The growth of contracting opportunities in the WEF space and other IBM software technoligies, has enabled us to become a Tier 1 provider directly to IBM/ISSL”…
So, be sure to stop by the Davalen booth # 312, I look forward to discussing the opportunities with you, hearing about your skills sets, and your availability to make a great career move in 2012.
Don’t forget, Davalen authored the WEF Top Gun training materials for IBM, so we will also train you in the technology and keep your career moving forward.
Making Social Business Happen
Len Barker
by Len Barker
This year’s Lotusphere will focus on Business made Social and I know that it will be impossible to walk away from the event without the burning desire to inject more social into your business once you get home.
Turning this desire into reality will require both social engineering and software engineering. The whole purpose of a making your business social is to involve everyone so your effort to make this happen will be very visible. Involving Davalen from the start will help ensure success.
I am looking forward to sharing Davalen’s RapidValue approach for creating a social business built on IBM software:
- Create excitement
- Plan on a series of social victories
- Lay down reliable and capable software components
- Execute
Each of these simple steps are made successful by a team that understands the many small details behind them.
Stop by and visit with Davalen at Lotusphere 2012 and speak with the experts in making social business happen.
WEF wags the dog at Lotusphere 2012…
Dave Jacob
by Dave Jacob
What a difference a year makes. Last year at Lotusphere 2011, Davalen was touting the career path move for Domino developers to Web Experience Factory (WEF) and now that move has taken over our business!
We doubled our development staff in this space and continue to train and contract with former Domino developers. We have seen major adoption of WEF by major corporations in the US and abroad and continue to win new engagements and add staff. With IBM’s move to adopt WEF as one of the preferred portal and web application development tools, we see continued major growth this year. This growth has enabled us to become a Tier 1 provider directly to IBM /ISSL and insure additional penetration in this market.
Stop by our booth #312 in the Showcase to discuss how this may be a good career move for you to become a Davalen employee or contractor. Yes, we are hiring and we authored the WEF Top Gun training materials for IBM, so we will also train you in the technology and keep your career moving forward.
Information on where to find us can be find on our Lotusphere 2012 event page.
I read the sign at your Lotusphere 2012 booth. What’s this about Social, Mobile and Staffing Support?
So, you’re walking around the Solution Showcase at Lotusphere 2012 next week, trying to take in all the people, signs, and overall scale of the room when you walk past Exhibitor booth #312. “Davalen”, you might read, “hmmm… let’s see, RapidValue… a huh, social development… mobile…staffing support… interesting… I wonder what that all means?”
Well, of course, you’re more then welcome to ask one of the lovely Davalen staff members but maybe you’re in a rush to get to the next session and are dreading the walk between the Dolphin and Swan again because you forgot your comfy shoes. Have no fear… my Lotusphere Marketing Mashup is here!
Infrastructure for Social Development
Social business software and services help you become a social business and Davalen provides support infrastructure for social development with market leading technology, extensive expertise, and a lengthy track record for solving challenging problems. Davalen provides the latest solutions that offer an integrated, extensible set of capabilities utilizing IBM Connections, IBM Sametime®, and IBM Lotus Quickr®.
Connections is a social software designed for business, while Sametime® provides an integrated, real-time communications services. To round it out, Quickr® provides team collaboration and content management software.
Extend User Access to Mobile
Davalen understands everyone is on the go and therefore can extend user access to mobile devices for IBM Lotus Notes®, IBM Sametime®, and IBM Connections so your employees can access their information wherever they might end up.
Mobile access to existing web applications is accomplished using IBM Web Experience Factory. Davalen mobile design patterns allow a single code base to be used to serve up an application to web browsers or mobile devices.
IBM/ISS Tier I Staffing Support
Davalen provides subject matter expert (SME) resources nationally across all of the IBM Software Services (ISS) portfolios. And, our clients utilize and rely on those very same Davalen technologists for help with their projects. Our IBM certified technologists specialize in the latest IBM software products and solutions, from cradle to grave; including environment assessments and recommendations for a higher return on your IBM software investment (ROI). We provide our clients with experienced technologists who truly understand IBM software, from architecture, design, administration and implementation, to custom development.
So, those are my three bullet points explained and while, of course, we still have our large focus on collaborative software solutions for the enterprise in other ways (Lotus Domino, WebSphere Portal, Retail & Enterprise Search and Web Content Management) we’d love to chat with you about all of these services, software, trends, and more!
Come visit us at Booth #312 at Lotusphere 2012 this year. We’ll have recent projects showcased at our booth so you can see what we’ve been working on this past year and we invite you to share what you have been working on with us. See you there!
