04
Mon, Nov
6 New Articles

Lotus Domino Designer Now Supports Mobile Apps

Development Tools
Typography
  • Smaller Small Medium Big Bigger
  • Default Helvetica Segoe Georgia Times

IBM is now offering support for a number of popular open-source components to its Eclipse-based rapid application development (RAD) tool.

 

With the emphasis on mobile applications and social networking, many shops today are trying to figure out the best way to address these user requirements, the vast majority of them intended for department, branch, or partner access. For most of these needs, a solution running on Lotus Domino can work quite well, and recent enhancements to IBM Lotus Domino Designer mean a developer can create a sophisticated cross-platform Web or mobile application in a matter of days that will impress both users and management.

 

Forget Microsoft SharePoint, which, by the way, can be quite expensive, and create your own document storage and collaboration solution with Lotus Domino Designer. While you're at it, go ahead and build a team discussion forum, a customer relationship management solution, a human resources management application, an inventory management database, or a help-desk program. You can do it all with Domino Designer. If you are running Domino anyway, say for your Lotus Notes email, you won't have to put in a requisition to buy Designer—it's free.

 

Many developers in the IBM market, and even business users, have tried Domino Designer in the past to build departmental databases. However, with recent upgrades to Designer, you might want to take another look at the tool in the context of today's Web 2.0 applications.

 

Domino Designer today is an extension of the popular Eclipse IDE and allows a developer to build reusable components that can connect to multiple data sources, including DB2, Microsoft SQL Server, and virtually any database that has a Java API—which is virtually every common db. The use of industry-standard technologies means you no longer have to jump through hoops creating hacks either to connect to your data or make something basic actually work.

 

Security is of increasing concern today, and Lotus Domino's approach to security gives the system administrator a lot of control over his application, which can be secured through an access control list (ACL) or at the document or XPage level.

 

What is particularly exciting in Domino Designer this year is its ability to create mobile applications for Apple and Android devices. While BlackBerry is not yet supported, iOS 4 and 5 (iPhone, iPad, and iPos Touch) and Android 2.3 and 3.x for tablets are supported. There is a longstanding relationship between Lotus and BlackBerry maker Research in Motion (RIM), with a number of Lotus applications already running on the BlackBerry, so it would follow that support for BlackBerry is on the development team's list of to-dos. 

 

Working with today's Domino Designer can be an enabling learning experience, allowing the developer to become familiar with some of today's hot new technologies. If you have looked in the help-wanted ads recently, you probably have noticed that employers nowadays tend to want developers with knowledge of several languages in addition to RPG. They typically want some exposure to, if not competency in, Java, HTML, and JavaScript. Designer employs an IBM technology called XPages, which relies on HTML, JavaScript, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), Java, XML, AJAX, and Dojo. Even if you only want to gain proficiency sufficient to sprinkle a few of those languages and frameworks throughout your resume, it would be worth experimenting with Lotus Domino Designer.

 

Granted, no one wants to be drenched by a fire hose spewing different technologies they would never use in a hundred years. While it is true that Designer relies on a veritable cocktail of newer technologies, the developer can create new applications without writing a single line of code. Its drag-and-drop interface and reliance on pre-built components and frameworks hide the complexities of programming in languages such as Java—or even PHP. Designer includes templates and themes so you can quickly get a uniform look to one or several applications even when using multiple Cascading Style Sheets. Deploying your application on Domino, or even in the Lotus Notes client, is straightforward, and Designer includes a local HTTP server and XPages runtime out of the box.

 

Developers are under pressure today to develop visually appealing and robust solutions quickly, and Domino Designer V8.5.3 does that in spades. You might not wish to use it for an e-commerce site that gets 50,000 hits a day, but how many of those requirements do you really need to address every month? Nevertheless, V8.5.3 has been enhanced over previous versions to improve an application's performance and scalability.

 

In a past IBM Lotus video presentation hosted by Angus McIntyre, group product manager for IBM Software Group, McIntyre quotes a member of the Lotus development team as saying: "I'm the guy that sits bored in the meeting while people discuss a $100,000-plus project. I then ask the business line seven questions. And then I say, what if I could show you something that meets your requirements in two days?" Does it make sense to try a free tool capable of building Web and mobile applications that can generate that kind of confidence?

 

What separates Domino Designer from other RAD tools is its use of IBM's XPages technology. The component-oriented rapid Web application development model dates back more than 10 years to the early 2000s when IBM Business Partner Trilog Group developed what it then called XSP, or XML Server Pages. Based on J2EE, XML, and open standards, XSP caught the attention of IBM, which was looking for a rapid application development tool for IBM Workplace, a collection of messaging and collaboration tools later folded into Lotus Notes. IBM bought the XSP technology in 2004. A few years of refinements by IBM programmers, and XSP became XFaces, emerging as part of the former Lotus Workplace Designer and later Lotus Component Designer. With another iteration, and being assigned a catchy code name that eventually stuck, XPages emerged as part of Domino V8.5 in December 2008. In V8.5.1, XPages could run not only on the Domino Server but also in the Notes client.

 

Today, XPages is IBM's implementation of the JavaServer Faces (JSF) runtime. JSF is a component-based framework for building Java-based Web applications in which everything is a component. XPages has a Model-View-Controller (MVC) architecture that supports event-driven development as does classic development in Domino. One of the benefits of the MVC architecture is its ability to separate the user interface from the data from the business logic, keeping each independent from the other. This separation allows developers to reuse code across multiple applications and can save them a lot of time.

 

With that in mind, the Lotus Domino Designer community has been building libraries of application components and offering them free to developers at OpenNTF.org, a gathering place for the IBM XPages developer community. Hundreds of developers have been using this library of extensions for the past year, but a number of them asked IBM to consider including them as part of the core product and provide support. Always willing to listen to its users, IBM decided to do just that and offer support for the components with the recent release of the Lotus Notes and Domino 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1.

 

The upgrade pack, or UP1, as it is being called, is loaded with prebuilt controls and templates and, most significantly, provides controls for mobile applications allowing for navigation and data operations, including search and other functions. UP1 also includes controls for in-context editing, calendar, REST services, and an application layout using IBM's OneUI. The popular TeamRoom and Discussion social networking templates have been updated to provide mobile access. UP1 also includes features to provide HTTP access to Domino data and supports JSON-based REST services for Domino data access.

 

If one or more of these terms seem unfamiliar and cutting edge, join the club. But know too that developers around the world are using these technologies in a broad spectrum of Web-based and mobile applications. If you want to get exposed to them while remaining productive, download Lotus Domino Designer and take it for a test drive. The fact that there is no charge to use it may not be its paramount feature—but it certainly helps.

Chris Smith

Chris Smith was the Senior News Editor at MC Press Online from 2007 to 2012 and was responsible for the news content on the company's Web site. Chris has been writing about the IBM midrange industry since 1992 when he signed on with Duke Communications as West Coast Editor of News 3X/400. With a bachelor's from the University of California at Berkeley, where he majored in English and minored in Journalism, and a master's in Journalism from the University of Colorado, Boulder, Chris later studied computer programming and AS/400 operations at Long Beach City College. An award-winning writer with two Maggie Awards, four business books, and a collection of poetry to his credit, Chris began his newspaper career as a reporter in northern California, later worked as night city editor for the Rocky Mountain News in Denver, and went on to edit a national cable television trade magazine. He was Communications Manager for McDonnell Douglas Corp. in Long Beach, Calif., before it merged with Boeing, and oversaw implementation of the company's first IBM desktop publishing system there. An editor for MC Press Online since 2007, Chris has authored some 300 articles on a broad range of topics surrounding the IBM midrange platform that have appeared in the company's eight industry-leading newsletters. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

BLOG COMMENTS POWERED BY DISQUS

LATEST COMMENTS

Support MC Press Online

$

Book Reviews

Resource Center

  • SB Profound WC 5536 Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application. You can find Part 1 here. In Part 2 of our free Node.js Webinar Series, Brian May teaches you the different tooling options available for writing code, debugging, and using Git for version control. Brian will briefly discuss the different tools available, and demonstrate his preferred setup for Node development on IBM i or any platform. Attend this webinar to learn:

  • SB Profound WP 5539More than ever, there is a demand for IT to deliver innovation. Your IBM i has been an essential part of your business operations for years. However, your organization may struggle to maintain the current system and implement new projects. The thousands of customers we've worked with and surveyed state that expectations regarding the digital footprint and vision of the company are not aligned with the current IT environment.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT Generic IBM announced the E1080 servers using the latest Power10 processor in September 2021. The most powerful processor from IBM to date, Power10 is designed to handle the demands of doing business in today’s high-tech atmosphere, including running cloud applications, supporting big data, and managing AI workloads. But what does Power10 mean for your data center? In this recorded webinar, IBMers Dan Sundt and Dylan Boday join IBM Power Champion Tom Huntington for a discussion on why Power10 technology is the right strategic investment if you run IBM i, AIX, or Linux. In this action-packed hour, Tom will share trends from the IBM i and AIX user communities while Dan and Dylan dive into the tech specs for key hardware, including:

  • Magic MarkTRY the one package that solves all your document design and printing challenges on all your platforms. Produce bar code labels, electronic forms, ad hoc reports, and RFID tags – without programming! MarkMagic is the only document design and print solution that combines report writing, WYSIWYG label and forms design, and conditional printing in one integrated product. Make sure your data survives when catastrophe hits. Request your trial now!  Request Now.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericForms of ransomware has been around for over 30 years, and with more and more organizations suffering attacks each year, it continues to endure. What has made ransomware such a durable threat and what is the best way to combat it? In order to prevent ransomware, organizations must first understand how it works.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericIT security is a top priority for businesses around the world, but most IBM i pros don’t know where to begin—and most cybersecurity experts don’t know IBM i. In this session, Robin Tatam explores the business impact of lax IBM i security, the top vulnerabilities putting IBM i at risk, and the steps you can take to protect your organization. If you’re looking to avoid unexpected downtime or corrupted data, you don’t want to miss this session.

  • SB HelpSystems ROBOT GenericCan you trust all of your users all of the time? A typical end user receives 16 malicious emails each month, but only 17 percent of these phishing campaigns are reported to IT. Once an attack is underway, most organizations won’t discover the breach until six months later. A staggering amount of damage can occur in that time. Despite these risks, 93 percent of organizations are leaving their IBM i systems vulnerable to cybercrime. In this on-demand webinar, IBM i security experts Robin Tatam and Sandi Moore will reveal:

  • FORTRA Disaster protection is vital to every business. Yet, it often consists of patched together procedures that are prone to error. From automatic backups to data encryption to media management, Robot automates the routine (yet often complex) tasks of iSeries backup and recovery, saving you time and money and making the process safer and more reliable. Automate your backups with the Robot Backup and Recovery Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAManaging messages on your IBM i can be more than a full-time job if you have to do it manually. Messages need a response and resources must be monitored—often over multiple systems and across platforms. How can you be sure you won’t miss important system events? Automate your message center with the Robot Message Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAThe thought of printing, distributing, and storing iSeries reports manually may reduce you to tears. Paper and labor costs associated with report generation can spiral out of control. Mountains of paper threaten to swamp your files. Robot automates report bursting, distribution, bundling, and archiving, and offers secure, selective online report viewing. Manage your reports with the Robot Report Management Solution. Key features include:

  • FORTRAFor over 30 years, Robot has been a leader in systems management for IBM i. With batch job creation and scheduling at its core, the Robot Job Scheduling Solution reduces the opportunity for human error and helps you maintain service levels, automating even the biggest, most complex runbooks. Manage your job schedule with the Robot Job Scheduling Solution. Key features include:

  • LANSA Business users want new applications now. Market and regulatory pressures require faster application updates and delivery into production. Your IBM i developers may be approaching retirement, and you see no sure way to fill their positions with experienced developers. In addition, you may be caught between maintaining your existing applications and the uncertainty of moving to something new.

  • LANSAWhen it comes to creating your business applications, there are hundreds of coding platforms and programming languages to choose from. These options range from very complex traditional programming languages to Low-Code platforms where sometimes no traditional coding experience is needed. Download our whitepaper, The Power of Writing Code in a Low-Code Solution, and:

  • LANSASupply Chain is becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable. From raw materials for manufacturing to food supply chains, the journey from source to production to delivery to consumers is marred with inefficiencies, manual processes, shortages, recalls, counterfeits, and scandals. In this webinar, we discuss how:

  • The MC Resource Centers bring you the widest selection of white papers, trial software, and on-demand webcasts for you to choose from. >> Review the list of White Papers, Trial Software or On-Demand Webcast at the MC Press Resource Center. >> Add the items to yru Cart and complet he checkout process and submit

  • Profound Logic Have you been wondering about Node.js? Our free Node.js Webinar Series takes you from total beginner to creating a fully-functional IBM i Node.js business application.

  • SB Profound WC 5536Join us for this hour-long webcast that will explore:

  • Fortra IT managers hoping to find new IBM i talent are discovering that the pool of experienced RPG programmers and operators or administrators with intimate knowledge of the operating system and the applications that run on it is small. This begs the question: How will you manage the platform that supports such a big part of your business? This guide offers strategies and software suggestions to help you plan IT staffing and resources and smooth the transition after your AS/400 talent retires. Read on to learn: