The Tech Connection

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:

1. 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.
2. Print out David Leedy’s Cheat Sheet and keep by your side.
3. 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).
4. 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.
5. 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!

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.

1. 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!

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.

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!