Per Henrik Lausten

Sherlock Web: a QHSE management system (based on XPages and IBM XWork Server)

2012-05-14T10:04:36Z

I am currently busy working on Sherlock Web: a complete web solution for management of quality, health, safety and environment (QHSE). The solution is based on XPages and the IBM XWork Server and is available as a hosted solution or as an on-premises solution. The licensing cost of the server and application platform is fixed at $2000 per year, since the solution runs on the IBM XWork Server. This makes it an ideal platform for companies with a large number of users.

Sherlock Web is based on the existing Sherlock Lotus Notes solution that runs successfully at more than 500 companies. However, Sherlock Web does not require a Lotus Notes client at all - all you need to use Sherlock Web is a web browser, a tablet (such as the iPad or the Samsung Galaxy Tab) or a smartphone (such as an iPhone or an Android phone).

The document management part of Sherlock Web

You can attend 2 free (physical) seminars at IBM in Denmark on May 24 and May 30 where the Sherlock Web solution will be introduced. For more information and information on how to sign up for the event, please visit the Danish IBM Social Business blog. If you are unable to attend the seminar, you can get more information at the Danish Sherlock site and at the international Sherlock site and by contacting the Sherlock team.

Lotus Notes/Domino 8.5.3 and IBM XWork Server 8.5.3 are here

DanNotes 47th conference: links to presentations

2012-05-07T14:36:28Z

The DanNotes 47th conference takes place today and tomorrow. Here are links to presentations available online:

Presentation: Create an app in 1 hour (almost) with XPages Extension Library

2012-04-22T05:40:05Z

I gave this presentation along with a live coding demo at the monthly NotesNet.dk meeting on April 19, 2012. The presentation covers elements of the XPages Extension Library that you can use to rapidly convert an existing Lotus Notes client application to a web application.

The sample database is available for download and uses a custom forum database as "backend". You can easily modify the code to use another backend database.

XPages Extension Library - Create an app in 1 hour (almost)

View more presentations from Per Henrik Lausten

I am now chairman of the board at NotesNet.dk

2012-04-03T09:27:30Z

I am a member of the NotesNet.dk independent group of IBM/Lotus consultants and also a member of the board. We are 25 independent consultants specializing in services and solutions for Lotus Notes, Lotus Domino, XPages and more.

The members of NotesNet.dk participated in the annual general meeting in March, 2012. Our now former chairman John Dalsgaard wanted to resign as chairman after many years of great service. New members of the board were therefore elected.

At the board meeting held a week later we decided on the responsibilities for the board members. I accepted the position as chairman of the board.

I look forward to continue my work in the board for NotesNet.dk.

XPages: 2 very easy performance optimization tricks

2012-02-23T08:03:50Z

Here are 2 very easy ways to optimize performance for your XPages applications:

Enable "Use runtime optimized JavaScript and CSS resources" to have your JS and CSS files combined into fewer files. This reduces the number of HTTP requests that the browser has to make against your server and application and thereby makes the site load much faster.
Select "GZip" as the compression method to have your Domino server compress files and images. This reduces the amount of data that the browser has to retrieve from your server and application which again makes your application load much faster

Both of these settings are in Application Properties on the XPages tab.

Once you have done those two, you now have more time to go into detailed performance optimization and look at optimizing backend code, server settings, and much more. Tim Tripcony has answered a question in the XPages Development forum about performance optimization that has a lot of details about performance optimization.

Learning XPages: available resources

2012-02-15T18:25:55Z

I often hear people new to XPages ask: what resources are available if you want to learn XPages?

The following lists (some of the) available resources if you want to learn XPages.

IBM provided resources

Direct help in Domino Designer using Help - Help Contents and hitting F1 - also available as an IBM Information Center. It includes a tutorial on creating an XPages application, a section on designing XPages applications, and a XPages reference guide.
Lotus Notes and Domino Application Development wiki (including community articles such as Getting Started with XPages, Tutorial: Introduction to XPages, a whole section with tutorial articles and much more)
The Notes Domino Application Development wiki
Redbooks wiki: Building Domino Web Applications using Domino 8.5.1
Redbooks wiki: Lotus Domino Development Best Practices

Books

IBM Press: Mastering XPages: A Step-by-Step Guide to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language
IBM Press: XPages Portable Command Guide: A Compact Resource to XPages Application Development and the XSP Language
IBM Press: XPages Extension Library: A Step-by-Step Guide to the Next Generation of XPages Components (to be released in May 2012)

Free community provided resources

XPages.info: lots of links to useful resources
XPageswiki.com
XPages.TV: Notes In 9 videos, 2 hours of XPages jumpstart, and a introduction to Java for XPages develovers series
XPagescheatsheet.com: home of the original XPages cheatsheet and the new Social Tools cheatsheet

Free courses

Paid courses

IBM.com Notes/Domino courses
XPages 101 video training and XPages 201 classroom training
TLCC developer courses
Instructor led courses by various instructors such as myself

Community provided support

Blogs

There are lots of blogs that cover XPages. Keep an eye on the XPages.info/news section that is updated daily with links to blog entries, wiki articles, OpenNTF projects and more.

Twitter

I can recommend the following Twitter accounts for XPages related news: XPages.info, All Things XPages, XPages blog, XPages Dev Team at IBM, and OpenNTF.

Happy XPages learning!

Creating your first managed bean for XPages

2012-02-08T11:46:41Z

With Java and managed beans you can make your XPages applications even more powerful. In this blog post I will go through the steps to create and use a managed bean in XPages.

I am using Lotus Notes and Domino Designer 8.5.3 and will therefore use the new Java design element for the Java code located in the Code section.

In short: use "New Java Class" to create a Java class. Give your new class a package name (e.g. com.company) and a class name (e.g. HelloWorld). Add a local variable and let Eclipse generate getter and setter for it by using Source - Generate Getters and Setters. Also, let Eclipse generate a public no-parameter constructor by using Source - Generate Constructor using Fields and deselect your newly created field and omit call to super().

You will then have the following basic skeleton for a Java class:

package com.company;

public class helloworld {

	public helloworld() {
	}

	private String someVariable;

	public String getSomeVariable() {
		return someVariable;
	}

	public void setSomeVariable(String someVariable) {
		someVariable = someVariable;
	}

}

In order to support the XPages server page persistence option "Keep pages on disk", the Java class needs to be serializable. The Java class therefore needs to implement Serializable. Therefore, add "implements Serializable" after your class name (and Eclipse will automatically add the required import). Then use the Eclipse Quick Fix to "Add generated serial version ID". You now have a basic skeleton for a Java class that can be used as a managed bean:

package com.company;

import java.io.Serializable;

public class helloworld implements Serializable {

	private static final long serialVersionUID = 6469339826789980362L;

	public helloworld() {
	}

	private String someVariable;

	public String getSomeVariable() {
		return someVariable;
	}

	public void setSomeVariable(String someVariable) {
		someVariable = someVariable;
	}

}

Now we need to tell XPages that we would like to use this Java class as a managed bean. First, Add the Package Explorer view to your Eclipse perspective using Window - Show Eclipse Views - Other and select Package Explorer. Now go to the Package Explorer and navigate to the WebContent/WEB-INF folder where you will find a faces-config.xml file. Open the faces-config.xml file and add the following managed bean section in the <faces-config> section:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<faces-config>
	<managed-bean>
		<managed-bean-name>helloWorld</managed-bean-name>
		<managed-bean-class>com.company.helloworld</managed-bean-class>
		<managed-bean-scope>session</managed-bean-scope>
	</managed-bean>
</faces-config>

You now have a basic faces-config for your HelloWorld Java class. Scope for a bean can be the usual scopes (application, session, view, request).

With the Java class and the faces-config in place the managed bean can now be used in an XPage. The bean value (both the getter and setter) can be accessed from an XPage using #{helloWorld.someVariable}.

This very basic example of a bean does not do anything. The Java class would of course have to add values to the someVariable property before that value would be useful in an XPage. I will create a 2nd blog post that shows how to use a bean in a repeat control to display values from the managed bean.

For more information on XPages and managed beans have a look at:

The Discussion and Teamroom templates in the Extension Library that both use beans
Mastering XPages page 415 for a Java class example
Mindoo: XPages series #4: Backing Bean Management with XPages by Karsten Lehmann
Mindoo XPages blog series on managed beans (and more) by Karsten Lehmann
xpagesblog.com: Writing a Managed Bean to Automate Server Side Functionality in XPages by Jeremy Hodge
xpagesblog.com: Getting Deeper into the Managed Bean - Creating a Cached Master/Detail Recordset by Jeremy Hodge
What the heck is a bean? by Tim Tripcony (with this great quote by Tim: "Why is it crucial to understand the nature of beans when developing XPages, even if you're not specifically writing Java code? Because darn near everything in an XPage is a bean.")
Tim Tripcony on managed beans and themes (and much more): Taking themes to the next level
Update: Jeremy Hodge has done a 3 part video series on getting started with managed beans for Notesin9. Its called "Intro to Java for XPages developers" and can be found at XPages.TV

Thoughts from Lotusphere 2012: Lotus Notes Social Edition

2012-01-23T12:26:54Z

One of the highlights from Lotusphere 2012 was the accouncement of the next feature release of Lotus Notes called Lotus Notes Social Edition.

Lotus Notes Social Edition features a new homepage with activity streams and embedded apps (embedded experiences) using open standards such as OpenSocial. From the Lotus Notes homepage a user can interact with an external application without leaving the home page (collaboratio in-context). Lotus iNotes (the web mail component for Lotus Notes) will also support activity streams and embedded apps. The new homepage looks similar to the activity streams in the upcoming IBM Connections 4.0 release.

XPages and the Extension Library Social Enabler toolkit can be used to implemenet applications that support activity streams and OpenSocial gadgets in order to create embedded apps. The Social Enabler Toolkit is currently only part of the OpenNTF release and will be part of Upgrade Pack 2.

Social Edition also features a brand-new and more simple UI for mail (for both the Lotus Notes client and for iNotes webmail):

In between now (8.5.3) and Social Edition we will see a 8.5.4 release with features required to be able to deploy the Social Edition upgrade on top of Lotus Notes and Domino 8.5.4. In 2012 we will also see the release of Upgrade Pack 2 (IBM supported Extension Library with new features currently only available in the experimental part of the OpenNTF Extension Library).

Lotus Domino 8.5.4 is planned to support SAML and oAUTH for authentication. With Domino supporting oAUTH it will be possible to bring XPages applications into the context of other applications.

Finally, the Lotus Notes app browser plugin for Firefox/Windows was presented at Lotusphere. This plugin is a lightweight Lotus Notes client in the browser that can run Notes client applications. This enables organizations to focus on implementing new XPages web applications and have their existing/old Notes client applications use the plugin.

Ed Brill from IBM has blogged about Lotus Notes and Domino Social Edition and also posted his "Messaging and Collaboration Strategy" session from Lotusphere on Slideshare.

Chris Reckling from IBM has blogged about the Notes and iNotes announcements from the Lotusphere 2012 OGS.

Thoughts from Lotusphere 2012: IBM Connections 4 (“Next”)

2012-01-23T11:55:56Z

At the Lotusphere 2012 Opening General Session (OGS) and throughout the conference IBM showed the next version of IBM Connections (to be called IBM Connections 4.0?). My first impression of the next release of IBM Connections is that it looks really, really great! Among many things it features exciting new elements such as activity streams, social mail and embedded apps (using open standards such as Activity Streams and OpenSocial gadgets).

Embedded apps for activity streams can be created using e.g. XPages. An embedded app makes it possible for the user to take action directly from the invidual post in the activity stream (without leaving IBM Connections).

The integrated mail and calendar of IBM Connections (social mail) will support Lotus Domino and Microsoft Exchange as backend mail servers. This is an interesting move that makes the underlying mail server in use irrelevant to the IBM Connections deployment.

IBM Connections 4 also includes community metrics (to track e.g. adoption rates), optional realtime group video chat using a plugin from Polycom, ECM library integration and realtime co-editing of documents, presentations and spreadsheets using IBM Docs (IBM Docs is currently in beta on IBM Greenhouse).

My plans for Lotusphere 2012

2012-01-10T05:53:37Z

This is how I look

I am going to Lotusphere 2012 in Orlando - and I look forward to it!

Here are some of the things I plan to do and attend:

B.A.L.D. (Bloggers and friends Annual Lotusphere Dinner) on Saturday
Business Development Day general session on Sunday
Welcome Reception on Sunday evening
Opening General Session on Monday morning
UK Night on Monday (if I can fake a proper English accent - and get the necessary UKLUG sticker on my conference badge)
IBM Nordic dinner on Tuesday evening
OpenNTF booth duty on Tuesday and Wednesday at booth 516
The Lotusphere party at Sea World on Wednesday evening
This Week in Lotus LIVE on Thursday morning
Ask the Developers on Thursday
The (someday famous) Lotusphere basketball game with teams of Lotusphere attendees, speakers and IBMers - arranged by Jon Mell. Time and place to be determined.

Look for me and let's see who says hi first See you there!

XPages Extension Library on OpenNTF updated to match Upgrade Pack 1

2012-01-03T20:43:56Z

The XPages Extension Library project on OpenNTF was updated yesterday to version 853-20111215. This version matches the newly released Domino 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1.

If you want to use the OpenNTF version (and not Upgrade Pack 1) you can update your servers and clients using the update site method.

You can find the installation instructions for the OpenNTF version and for Upgrade Pack 1 on the Lotus Notes and Domino Application Development wiki.

Notes/Domino 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1: Great news for XPages

2012-03-28T19:49:25Z

Great news for XPages today: Notes/Domino 8.5.3 Upgrade Pack 1 has just been released.

In short, Upgrade Pack 1 is an IBM supported version of the XPages Extension Library. This should help remove the fear of the Extension Library being open source that some customers have had, and thereby improve the adoption of XPages out there.

Upgrade Pack 1 is available on Passport Advantage as part number CI5HUEN.

The 46th DanNotes conference is a wrap

2011-12-01T20:43:12Z

Last week we held the 46th DanNotes conference. We had 80 participants and 7 speakers. Some of the presentations are available now as links on the agenda. Others will be added to the agenda later. We will also publish videos from the event once they have been edited.

On the agenda you can find links to the presentations by Chris Connor on XPages, Java, and Mobile - and links to the presentations by Ulrich Krause on compact, compress, DAOS and more. The presentation by Ulrich is also available on Slideshare.

The following presentations held by Stuart McIntyre and Niklas Heidloff have not yet been added to the agenda:

Stuart McIntyre: IBM Connections - Bridging the Gap
Stuart McIntyre: The IBM Mobile Collaboration Portfolio
Niklas Heidloff: OpenNTF Overview
Niklas Heidloff: XPages Mobile Controls

Niklas has blogged about the event - his blog entry contains links to the projects and controls that he showed in his sessions.

Stuart has blogged about his impression of the event. He even calls DanNotes for "the daddy of all user groups".

I look forward to the 47th conference which takes place in May, 2012. Let me know if you are interested in speaking at the event.

IBM Certified Application Developer – Lotus Notes and Domino 8.5

2011-11-30T08:56:04Z

Last week at the DanNotes conference IBM offered certification tests at half the price. I took the LOT-951 test in record time between lunch and the developer BOF and passed with a score of 87.5%.

The test focuses on Domino Designer in Eclipse features, some @Formula and Lotusscript programming enhancements, and a lot of XPages. If you plan on taking the test, then rememember to have a look at the test objectives while preparing for the test.

Next up for me is the LOT-922 test which is required to upgrade my certification to the advanced level.

I’m a guest on This Week in Lotus episode 79

2012-04-03T18:18:11Z

A quick blog post to let you know that last week I was invited to be part of This Week in Lotus episode 79 together with Stuart McIntyre, Darren Duke - and Gab Davis as the 2nd guest. We discussed Sametime, OpenNTF, XPages and very naturally the 46th DanNotes conference which took place the day after the recording.

It was great fun and I look forward to being a guest again sometime in the future. By the way, this was my 2nd appearance on the show as I was a guest on episode 24 too.

XSnippets: code snippets for XPages

2011-11-19T07:27:14Z

The beta version of XSnippets was recently announced by Niklas Heidloff on the OpenNTF blog. XSnippets is a code repository of useful XPages code snippets that OpenNTF contributors can contribute to. If you have useful code snippets then consider adding them to XSnippets.

I have added my first code snippet to XSnippets based on my blog entry on how to control the HTTP response status code in XPages:

I am a member director on the OpenNTF board of directors

2011-10-25T17:52:47Z

As previously blogged my company PHL Consult and I support OpenNTF and open source. To further show my support I nominated myself for one of the 9 member director positions in the OpenNTF board of directors.

The board of directors for the newly incorporated OpenNTF has now been set and I am happy to have been elected to be part of the board (for one year). The new board had its first board meeting last Thursday and I look forward to be able to add value to OpenNTF.

My 1st year as self-employed consultant at PHL Consult

2011-10-20T05:28:16Z

One year ago I started as self-employed consultant at my own company PHL Consult after having worked for IBM for 16 years - and what a great year! Starting on my own has proved to be one my of my best decisions ever.

It has been a year of classic Lotus Notes application development work, XPages development work, teaching courses and much more. I started with one customer and have since then been doing work for 10 other paying customers and been involved in proposals for a handful more. Furthermore, I reviewed David Leedys XPages cheat sheet, and reviewed the IBM course "Modernizing Lotus Domino 8.5.2 Applications".

This year I also became member of the boards at NotesNet, DanNotes and OpenNTF.

The following are public sites that I have implemented for customers during my 1st year:

startdithjerte.dk: a portal (in Danish) on heart failures and defibilator products with a related web shop where you can buy automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and accessories. I implemented the solution using XPages.
mediaplus.dk: a company web site with a backend CMS. I implemented the web site using XPages and brought the proposed web design to life by extending the OneUI CSS.

Lessons learned (and assumptions confirmed):

Networking is important: several of my customers have chosen me for their work because we were connected in some way.
Advertising helps: I advertise my business services on the Google advertising network and know for a fact that some customers came to me via that channel.
Being social: I am a strong believer in blogging and social networks and the impact that it can have on you and others.

I look forward to the next year and what it will bring me of interesting work and projects.

One final advice: pursue your dream!

Going to Lotusphere 2012

2011-10-09T19:36:20Z

Lotusphere 2012 takes place January 15 - January 19, 2012 in Orlando, Florida - and I am very happy to report that I will participate in the conference. This will be my first ever Lotusphere in the US (I participated in the Lotusphere conference in Berlin in 1999).

I arrive Friday evening (January 13) and leave again Thursday evening (January 19). I will be staying at the Disney's Yacht Club Resort, if you need me

I look forward to meet a lot of interesting people from the Lotus community - most of whom I have only been in contact with through blogging, Twitter, Skype, mails etc. and never met before. See you soon!

Update: I have created a Lanyrd event for Lotusphere 2012.

Lotus Notes/Domino 8.5.3 and IBM XWork Server 8.5.3 are here

2011-10-04T09:53:00Z

It's October 4th and Lotus Notes and Domino 8.5.3 are now available for download on Passport Advantage. The brand new IBM XWork Server has also been announced.

I have been looking forward to this release in general, and in particular because of features specifically for XPages developers:

improved JavaScript editor
finally a java design element for XPages
Dojo 1.6.1
OneUI version 2.1 (which looks very similar to the prototype 3.0 version that the Lotus Notes and Domino Application Development wiki uses)
option to combine CSS and JS in a single file to improve site speed
improved HTML5 support such as support for adding HTML5 attributes
source control enablement

I look very much forward to an improved experience when working with XPages development in the Domino Designer client. Happy coding!