AD111 - The X Path: Practical guide to taking your IBM Lotus Notes applications to Domino XPages

AD111: The X Path: Practical
Guide to taking your IBM
Lotus® Notes® Applications to
XPages
Hunter R. Medney | X-Man | IBM
Stephan H. Wissel | X-Man | IBM

© 2012 IBM Corporation

Agenda
■ Introduction
■ Conversion Guide (“The X Path”)
■ Best Practices
■ Tools
■ Large #s of Databases

2 | © 2012 IBM Corporation

Typical reasons for doing this
■ Web-enable Notes client applications?
■ Remove the Notes client?
■ Facelift applications?
■ Decouple data model from presentation?
■ Mobile enable applications?
■ Pay technical debt*?

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_debt

Why take your Notes client apps to XPages?
■ No data migration
─ Data migration is common point of failure
─ Preserve reader/author field security
■ Incremental migration
─ Keep old app while rolling-out new app in phases
■ Reuse
─ Code
─ Authentication and authorization
■ Skills
─ Notes skills carry-over
■ Enterprise-class platform
─ Domino just works!
─ You wouldn't have so many
Notes apps if it didn't!


Conversion Guide


Conversion Guide – An Agile Approach

Releases

Minimum
Planning Preparation Working Version 1.0 Version 2.0+
App

Key Get your Notes Lay the Functional app Optimize and
decisions app ready foundation make it beautiful

Higher Lower
Quality Risk


Planning

Releases

Minimum
App

■ Key questions that will drive
approach and effort


Key Decisions
■ Should the app be converted? ■ Reuse or rewrite LotusScript?
─ Ensure XPages is really needed, then ─ Decide whether app logic will be reused
target high visibility, low complexity apps
first
■ User interface approach?
■ Behave like the Notes client? ─ Look & feel, branding, navigation

─ Notes-like or web-like user experience?
■ Enhancements?
■ External dependencies? ─ Opportunity to implement new
requirements?
─ Microsoft Office / IBM Lotus Symphony™
integration, COM, DLL calls?
■ Testing?
■ Coexistence with Notes interface? ─ Decide how much testing the converted
app requires. Coexistence.
─ Increase development and testing time,
especially if maintaining field-level
■ Code analysis
compatibility ─ Uncover code in forms, subforms and
■ Notes features not supported yet in views that may not be obvious and
understand the magnitude of effort
XPages?
─ Does your app have signatures,
encryption, embedded objects? Deep rich
text usage?


Should the app be converted?

Avoid conversion if:
■ Standard template or variant thereof
■ Can be migrated to a standard application platform
─ IBM Connections or IBM Quickr®
■ Used only by administrators and developers
■ Already has a functional web UI? (ensure ROI)
■ Is it better suited for archival?


Conversion Sweet Spot

Sweet spot


Behave like the Notes client?

?
Behave like a Notes app? Behave like a modern web app?


Your user experience can be more than outlines, views, documents and action bars

“Notes-like” vs “web-like” Exciting
possibilities!

Task-oriented vs
document-oriented

Notes model is not
natural for the web

Notes-like can complicate
user expectations

OneUI is very intuitive
(low training)

Users resistant to
new way of working


Group Business Software
(GBS) Transformer

GBS Transformer 2.0

1-click*

* Most apps will require manual effort on top of Transformer

Coexistence with Notes interface
■ Coexistence with Notes client is likely
─ Phased conversions preferred over “big bang” conversions

■ Will Notes and XPages need to update the same document?
─ If yes, you need field-level compatibility in both interfaces
─ Requires additional testing
─ Reuse Notes code where possible
– Wrap LotusScript write operations

– Compute with form

■ Hybrid approaches
─ Some users stay in Notes, others use XPages
─ Some XPages views open a document in Notes (notes:// links)
─ Other XPages views open a document in browser (http:// links)


Reuse or rewrite LotusScript®?
■ Reuse LotusScript (via agent):
─ Maintain 1 code base between Notes client and XPages for extended coexistence period
─ Large chunks of backend code
─ Field-level compatibility
─ New to XPages
─ Only for write operations

■ Do not reuse LotusScript:
─ Frontend code – rewrite as CSJS or SSJS
─ Code that only performs read operations

■ Always consider performance:
─ App will now be running on a shared environment vs standalone on desktop
─ Minimize calls to agents


Unless you have
5 good reasons
you will use the
IBM OneUI

Use it as starting point,
allow your designer to
change anything inside IBM OneUI
the curly brackets
■ Fully documented
■ Debugged
■ Included with Domino
■ Evolving
■ Consistent
■ Colorful
■ Intuitive
■ Extendible

csszengarden.com


Not Using OneUI?
■ Alternative themes
─ Corporate standard
─ Free ones (frameworks)
─ Not-free ones (search for “css admin themes”)
─ Use a web designer
■ Things to look for in a theme:
─ Cross-browser support
─ Documentation and working sample pages
─ Comprehensive
– tables, forms, buttons, sections, messages, layout, navigation, menus, help text, error text

Unless you are good at web design,
best to leverage existing assets so
you can focus on function and not
fonts / layouts / colors / etc
A wise man once said... 20 | © 2012 IBM Corporation

Code Analysis
■ Generate report of all @formula and LS code in each form and view
■ DXLMagic
■ CoCoMo


CoCoMo Analysis
■ Know your magnitude
■ Identify large code bases
■ Lines of code can be translated to $$$


Preparation

Releases

Minimum
App

■ Prepare your Notes app for conversion
─ Minimize server impact
─ Simplify porting application logic
─ Reduce maintenance


Prepare LotusScript for reuse
■ Refactor backend LotusScript into script libraries
─ Functions in backend libraries can be called from XPages via an Agent
─ When referencing user name, use NotesSession.EffectiveUserName

■ Use “Option Declare” in all LotusScript
─ Reduces variable overhead (undeclared variables are expensive Variants)
─ Usually results in code improvements

■ Recompile all LotusScript
─ Expose any hidden compile errors


■ Separating-out backend code
into script library

■ XPages can now call this
function via an agent


Remove Duplicate Design Elements
■ Mainly form/view/agent copies
■ Use search in IBM Lotus® Domino® Designer to see where an element is
referenced

The “employeeMyClosedTickets” view is referenced
by a page and outline


Build

Releases

Minimum
App

■ Structure development around 3+ releases
■ Key concerns are addressed in each release
■ Solicit feedback and adjust


Build in 3 releases

Minimum
Working Version 1.0 Version 2.0+
App

■ One completely ■ Complete application, ■ Optimize frontend and
functional “form” and backend focus backend
“view” ■ More: application logic, ■ Performance
■ Validation working UI ■ Reduce interaction time
■ Coexistence ■ Less: optimization, ■ Look for code reuse
■ Theme, layout, performance, elegance,
ideal user experience ■ Mobile
navigation, look & feel
■ Coexistence ■ Trend toward MVC
■ Prototyping
■ Easiest approaches ■ Services
■ Common functions
■ Incremental / hybrid ■ Sharing
■ Extension Library?
Feedback Feedback Feedback

Declining effort per application


Best Practices


SSJS vs LotusScript vs Java™
■ SSJS best for:
─ Default choice; use unless LotusScript or Java work better
─ Controlling application flow; orchestration
─ Interacting with the user
■ LotusScript best for:
─ Reusing significant chunks of existing backend code
─ Never frontend
─ Never read operations
─ Only if wrapping is less effort than rewriting
■ Java best for:
─ Intense processing blocks
─ Complex business logic
─ Wrapping Java libraries for use by SSJS


Leverage Community
■ Internal
─ Internal repositories / wikis for:
– Code

– Standards
─ Discussion forum
─ Blogs
─ ahem, IBM Connections, ahem

■ External
─ xpages.info
─ OpenNTF.org
─ XSnippets
─ XPages forum
─ #xpages


Styling Content 1

Avoid setting display attributes for Instead, apply display attributes
each individual element through a style sheet to all elements


Styling Content 2
■ 1. Find the visual
element in your theme

http://infolib.lotus.com/resources/oneui/2.1/docPublic/index.htm

Styling Content 3

2. Copy the HTML

3. Apply to XPage and tweak as needed

Styling Content 4

Result


Dialogs and Actions
■ Problem
─ Reproducing Notes actions with user input is
problematic on the web
■ Solution
─ Use xe:dialog!

■ xe:dialog
─ Launch and handle dialog without leaving SSJS
─ Dialog is not part of the JSF tree until invoked SSJS to handle submit
─ Dialog content evaluates only when invoked
─ Close via SSJS and continue processing

SSJS to open dialog


Document Discovery
■ View traversal and search work well in the Notes client
─ Quick-find, full-text search, browse by category, keyboard shortcuts
─ Consistent across applications
─ Understand how your users navigate
─ Heavy reliance on keyboard shortcuts?
■ XPages faithfully renders Notes views, but...
─ Not the same experience as the Notes client
■ Web may work better with a different approach
─ Search/filter, tag clouds, bread crumbs, dynamic sorting
─ Think about how you find content in other large systems like discussion forums, bug tracking
systems, online stores
─ How do other web apps in your enterprise work?


Search always
available
Document Discovery

Filters also help

Navigate categories
using tag cloud


Document Interaction
Read ■ Read and edit
mode do not
need to be the
same XPage

Edit

■ Team Room follows the
OneUI style for forms via
Extension Library form
controls


Source Control and Team Development
■ Horizontal development
■ Split along skills
─ UI
─ Interaction
─ Logic / Flow
─ Back-end
■ Start 2day
■ Allow for ramp up


Tools


Code Analysis
■ DXLMagic
■ CoCoMo
■ TeamStudio
■ XSLT
■ Visustin
■ DB/2 Pure XML
(when you look at thousands)


PMXC - Poor Mans XPages Conversion
■ Views
■ Forms
■ Roll your own
■ Tools
─ XSLT
─ Apache ANTTM
─ Designer Version Control


Large Numbers of Databases


What if you have large #s of databases?
■ GBS Transformer 2.0
■ Development factory


GBS Transformer 2.0

INVESTIGATE ANALYZE CONVERT BUILD

UI and Compiles
Gather key Detailed
business final
info to create Assessment
logic XPages
a prioritized of
converted to
list of target application
XPages
applications


Use a factory approach

XPages upgrade factory

■ Use the extension library ■ Move to higher level components
■ Build your own extension library ─ Workflow
─ Social enablement
■ Standardize UI artifacts
─ Search
■ Single Copy Design ─ Embedded experiences
■ Switch to horizontal development ─ Internal systems
─ By layer / module ■ Look for professional help
─ Functionality across applications

Standardization

!=

Factory impact


Questions


Other Sessions
■ AD103: Embracing the Eclipse Within
■ AD104: IBM Lotus Domino XPages Made Social
■ AD106: IBM Lotus Domino XPages anywhere - Write them once, See them
Everywhere
■ BP103: IBM Lotus Domino XPages Blast!

Contact
■ Hunter Medney ■ Stephan H Wissel
a.k.a NotesSensei
■ IBM Software Services for Lotus
■ Presales engineer in Singapore
■ Twitter: @hmedney
■ Twitter: @notessensei
■ Blog: developWorks (hmedney)
■ Blog: http://www.wissel.net/
■ Email: hunter_medney@us.ibm.com
■ Email: notessensei@sg.ibm.com
■ Staffing Meet The Developers lab

Thank you & fill in your session evaluations!


Legal disclaimer
© IBM Corporation 2012. All Rights Reserved.

The information contained in this publication is provided for informational purposes only. While efforts were made to verify the completeness and accuracy of the information contained in this publication,
it is provided AS IS without warranty of any kind, express or implied. In addition, this information is based on IBM’s current product plans and strategy, which are subject to change by IBM without notice.
IBM shall not be responsible for any damages arising out of the use of, or otherwise related to, this publication or any other materials. Nothing contained in this publication is intended to, nor shall have
the effect of, creating any warranties or representations from IBM or its suppliers or licensors, or altering the terms and conditions of the applicable license agreement governing the use of IBM software.

References in this presentation to IBM products, programs, or services do not imply that they will be available in all countries in which IBM operates. Product release dates and/or capabilities referenced
in this presentation may change at any time at IBM’s sole discretion based on market opportunities or other factors, and are not intended to be a commitment to future product or feature availability in any
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results.

Performance is based on measurements and projections using standard IBM benchmarks in a controlled environment. The actual throughput or performance that any user will experience will vary
depending upon many factors, including considerations such as the amount of multiprogramming in the user's job stream, the I/O configuration, the storage configuration, and the workload processed.
Therefore, no assurance can be given that an individual user will achieve results similar to those stated here.

All customer examples described are presented as illustrations of how those customers have used IBM products and the results they may have achieved. Actual environmental costs and performance
characteristics may vary by customer.

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AD111 - The X Path: Practical guide to taking your IBM Lotus Notes applications to Domino XPages

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