This document discusses modernizing Domino and XPages applications. It covers modernizing web and mobile interfaces, using Dynamic Query Language for improved performance, and integrating applications via REST APIs. The document provides examples and considerations for updating applications' user interfaces, database design, and integration to meet modern needs and habits while leveraging new platform capabilities.

1. Modernizing Your Domino and
XPages Applications
Paul Withers, Intec Systems Ltd
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2. Paul Withers
• ICS Developer
• React and Node Developer
• Lifetime IBM Champion
• OpenNTF Board Member
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Notes Developer XPages Developer Java Developer
Microservices
Developer

3. AGENDA
• Defining the Scope
• Positioning “Now”
• Modernising Web
• Modernising Mobile
• Modernising for DQL
• Modernising Integration
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4. Defining the Scope
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5. Modernisation
• Oxford English Dictionary Definition
The process of adapting something
to modern needs or habits.
e.g. ‘the industry is undergoing modernization’
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6. NOT Changing Colours
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7. Themes CAN Modernise
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8. New Methods of Access are Modernisation
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9. Challenge Previous Assumptions / Behaviours
• Refactor functionality as well as code
• Did reality mirror theory?
• Has time changed needs?
• Have user’s habits changed?
• Should user’s habits change?
• Has platform/environment changed expectations?
• What can you learn from other platforms?
• Do technical changes impact needs?
• Are IT landscape changes relevant?
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10. Migration vs Modernisation
• Migration means moving everything
• Migration rarely allows parallel running
• Migration isn’t interested in platform enhancements
• Modernisation can be addition or change
• Modernisation may not include all functionality
• Modernisation can be gradual
• Modernisation should take into account platform
enhancements
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11. Out of Scope Modernisations
• TeamWorkr
• We4IT Aveedo
• Darwino
• Other third-party modernisation tools
• Modernising development skills
• Modernising development tools
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12. Positioning Now
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13. Notes Client Sample
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14. Notes Client – Navigators
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15. Notes Client – Outlines
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16. XPages
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17. 30 Years, Common Theme
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18. Modernising Web
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19. Modern?
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20. Which Would You Use?
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21. OpenNTF Snippets (formerly XSnippets)
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22. Context-Sensitive Options
• Create Snippet
• My Favourites
• Add to Favourite
• Add Comment
All require authentication
Only visible now when authenticated
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23. Navigation Reorganised
• Create Snippet – moved to banner
• Follow OpenNTF and Follow Snippets – moved to footer
• Menu options reduced
Can header and footer areas be better utilized?
Are all menu options required?
Can options be consolidated?
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24. Layout
• Home page combines 30 most recent and most
downloaded
• Layout amended to utilize screen real estate
Tabular layout is typical of Notes Client
Data View offers more flexibility per row
Repeat controls / Forum View breaks out of row paradigm
For multiple columns, Bootstrap is best
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25. Search Improved
• “Full text search” retained
• Combined with “faceted search”
• Facets for Language and Author replace views
What are main search criteria?
Can views be removed by faceted search?
V10 adds DQL and dynamic FT index updates
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26. Behind the Views
• What is throughput?
• Can / should data be archived to optimise the application?
• Reporting may need consideration – combining results, tabbed view
• Which search criteria can use views?
• Which search criteria require full text index / DQL?
• Code for search will be more complex
• Are dominoViews required?
• Will search results be small enough to convert to Java
objects?
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27. Bootstrap Responsive
• Should be preferred out-of-the-box theme
• Unless mobile is explicitly out of scope
• Menus collapse
• Banner and title menus merge!
• Layouts reorganize
• <div styleClass=“col-sm-12 col-md-6”></div>
• sm, xs, md, lg
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28. OpenNTF Snippets (formerly XSnippets)
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29. Layout and Style
• Not all buttons are equal
• Styling can encourage / warn users
• Why are fields ordered the way they are?
• Modernisation allows review
• What new functionality is appropriate?
• Consider social – within / outside the enterprise
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30. Other Approaches
• Dashboard combines information and navigation
• Option to hide
• Links replacing categorised view
• Alphabetical selection to filter further
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31. Forms
• Tabbed tables are problematic on web
• “Wizards” or pseudo tabbed tables
• Set viewScope for tabs visited
• Save as draft (or different form name) until all tabs visited
• Ensure methods for cleanup
• Ensure unique document checking finds these too
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32. Modernising Mobile
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33. All Hail!
• Theo’s Wine app
• https://openntf.org/main.nsf/
project.xsp?r=project/Wine
%20Tasting
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34. Customers, Learn from Jeff Goldblum!
If desktop feels 10 years old, mobile will feel 20 years old
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35. Tablets are Different
• Different size
• Different font size
• Different method of clicking
• Different application integration
• Different add-ons available (e.g. camera)
• Different typing interfaces
• Different text / image ratios
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36. Navigation as Home Page
• Page sizes / layouts have an impact
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37. Image Maps for Categorisation
• Assumes fixed categories
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38. Embedded Views
• Filters via dialog lists / buttons instead of categorization
• Forms with “show single category”
• @Environment for “session scoping”
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39. Multiple in a Single Form
• Embedded view means no out-of-the-box search bar
• Backend search, store in folder (Private Desktop First Use
issues)
• Categorised views
with filters
• Store view name etc
in notes.ini
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40. Images or Bar Text for “Charting”
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41. Recommendations
• Increase font sizes
• Selected / deselected images for “tabs”
• Tabbed tables with switch rows programmatically
• Think about alignment of buttons
• Show only icon
• Avoid icons that are platform-specific if targeting iOS and
Android
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42. @Environment
• Can use in Forms
• Can use in Pages
• Can’t use in View selection formulas
• Can’t use in View column formulas
• Can use in View column hide-when formulas
• Use to filter wide views
• Can cause error messages in Notes Client after changing in DDE
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43. Product Integration
• Why not integrate client with browser?
• Consider future directions of products
• For desktop, show only if online
• If SSO not enabled:
• Pass parameters to a public chart
• Run as server agent, validated with secret key passed from Notes
• Put in folder and process from DQL
• Generate exports on server and post centrally
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44. Modernising for DQL
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45. Why DQL?
• Better performance for some aggregations
• ViewNavigator on a simple query against a simple view
will be quicker
• Very powerful for user-driven flexible queries
• NOT just for Node.js, usable from LS and Java
• Relevant for existing applications as well as new
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46. DQL Requires…
• SELECT @All except for in viewname syntax
• Needs only field name
• Needs sorted ascending
• Needs non-categorized and show multiple values as
separate entries
Modernising for DQL means revisiting
your database design and adding / removing. Do it!
For database size etc,
carefully consider externalizing view indexes
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47. Modernising Integration
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48. REST Service Provider Options
• LotusScript web agent
• Access via ?OpenAgent, “print” JSON response
• No ability to set headers though
• SmartNSF
• CustomRESTHandler or other REST service “route”
• XAgent
• Set viewState=“nostate”
• Can use XOTS for asynchronous processing / chaining
• REST Service Plugin
• Better standardisation, e.g. Gson / Jackson for autoconversion
• HTTP restart to deploy
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49. REST Service Provider Options
• Node.js API Gateway
• DQL to read / write from Domino
• JavaScript to manage validation
• Express recommended for routes
• Node-RED
• HTTP Request Node
• DominoV10 nodes to read / write from Domino
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50. REST Service Considerations
• Assume bad data
• All developers are lazy by nature! Validate and error
• Security?
• Authenticate as Domino user? (Build your own OAuth?)
• Run as signer (or server)?
• Require additional verification?
• Endpoints?
• Use specific endpoints for e.g. approve functions
• Logging
• Do you want to log transactions?
• How will you clean up the logs?
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51. Making REST Service Calls
• LotusScript classes available
• JSON parsing is easier in Java
• Assuming you’re embracing Gson / Jackson
• Apache Wink plugin has bug
• Dependency on Apache Commons Logging not exposed
• Impacts consuming REST services
• Fine for providing REST services
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52. Refactoring
• Re-use XPages workflow code
• Centralise passing document ID / dominoDocument
• Add extra validation in REST service first
• Pass a return value
• Handle errors accordingly – no UI for REST!
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53. Request Types
• GET – No body allowed
• POST – Submit data, read / write
• PUT – Replace entire object
• PATCH – Minor update to existing object
• PATCH is not enabled by default on Domino
• Update the Internet Site Document
• DELETE – No body allowed
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54. Error Codes
• 1xx – Received and understood, stand by
• 2xx – Received, understood and accepted for processing
• 3xx – Redirecting
• 4xx – You did something wrong
• 5xx – We did something wrong!
See Wikipedia
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55. HTTP Status Codes
• 200 – OK
• 202 – Accepted for processing
• 302 – URL found but server is redirecting
• 400 – Bad request
• 401 – Unauthorised
• 403 – Forbidden
• 404 – Not found
• 405 – Method not allowed
• 500 – Internal server error
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56. REST Service Development Tools
• OpenAPI 3.0 (Swagger) specification
• Swagger Editor (online, Node.js app, Docker)
• Postman REST Client
• Firefox RESTClient plugin
• Node-RED
• IBM Cloud, Node.js app, Docker
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57. Summary
• Modernisation means re-evaluation
• Modernisation doesn’t define scope
• Modernisation doesn’t define amount of effort
• Modernisation isn’t a “one size fits all”
• Demos on
https://github.com/paulswithers/EngageModernisation
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58. Thank You
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Paul Withers
Intec Systems Ltd & OpenNTF
pwithers@intec.co.uk
@paulswithers
https://www.intec.co.uk/blog
https://paulswithers.github.io
https://www.dominonextstep.com/
https://www.dominonextstep.com/
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