- Designing with XPages
XPages are new for this release of Domino® Designer. An XPage is a new Domino® Designer design element that lets you create Web 2.0 enabled pages based on the JSF technology. Specific features of XPages include:
- Form elements
You can use the following elements in a form or subform. Many of these elements can also be used in pages.
- Forms and documents
When a user creates and fills out the information in a form and saves it, the information is saved as a document. When a user opens the document, the document uses the form as a template to provide the structure for displaying the data. When designing forms, you should consider where and how the resulting documents will be displayed.
- Creating and deleting forms
- Tips for designing forms
- Naming forms
Each form in a database must have a unique name. If you make a copy of a form and paste it into the same database it came from, Domino® Designer will automatically prepend "Copy Of" to the form name to keep the names unique. If you create multiple databases that contain the same information, use the same names for the forms. Standard names enable users to recognize commonly used forms; they also make it easier for users with similar databases to communicate. For example, suppose you have four customer-tracking databases, one in each regional sales office. If the Southern regional manager wants to discuss a shared account with the Western regional manager, both managers should know what a "Company Profile" document is.
- Making a form available to Web browsers
- Selected form properties
You can use the Form Properties box to set form attributes.
- Controlling the HTML generated for a form
- Creating a response hierarchy
- Version tracking
Version tracking allows you to maintain a history of changes to a document. In order to activate version tracking, you must designate the form used to create documents as a version-tracking form.
- Customizing a form's window title
The window title is the text that appears in the title bar when you compose, read, or edit a document. By default, the word "Untitled" appears in the title bar. To help users understand the context of the document they're reading, create a descriptive window title.
- Using subforms
A subform is a collection of form elements that are stored as a single object. Subforms can contain the same elements as regular forms. Subforms save redesign time. When you change a field on a subform, every form that uses the subform updates. Common uses of subforms include adding a company logo to business documents or adding mailing label information to mail and memo forms. A subform can be a permanent part of a form or can appear conditionally, depending on the result of a formula. For example, you might offer users a choice of custom mail forms with different graphics and styles for various types of mail messages, such as memos, alerts, or letters. Note that field names used in the subform can't be used elsewhere on the form. Changes you make to a subform affect all forms and documents that use the subform.
- Layout regions
A layout region is a fixed-length design area on a form or subform. The advantage of using layout regions is that related elements can be dragged and moved easily and can be displayed in ways not possible on regular forms and subforms. A layout region can contain static text, graphics, buttons, and all fields except rich text fields. You can hide or collapse a layout region and all its components under certain conditions.
- Embedded controls
There are three types of embedded controls that can only be used on a form:
- Profile forms
- Forms that prompt users for input
You can create forms that prompt users for input. For example, you can create a form that mimics the behavior of a dialog box. Use this kind of form to collect user input to populate fields in a host form.
- Designing a form that presents a dialog box
- Designing a form that prompts users for information
- Designing a form that lets users make selections from a view
- Designing a form for a Domino billing application
- Designing a form for contact printing
- Customizing the "Form processed" confirmation for Web users
When Web users submit a document, Domino® sends them the default confirmation message "Form processed." To change the default message, add a computed text field to the form, name it $$Return, and use HTML as the computed value.
- Displaying a customized error message on the Web
To customize the appearance of error messages that display to Web users, add custom error message forms to the database. If an error condition occurs and a custom form exists for it, Domino® uses the custom form to display the error message. Otherwise, Domino® uses the default error message form. Message forms that you add to a database override any server-wide messages set up by an administrator.
- Customizing search forms
The Search utility lets users find information within a single application or an entire domain. You can customize search forms to suit organization-specific needs. An application developer can, for example, add a corporate logo to either form, or rearrange the fields.
- Tips for improving document display time
To help users create and read documents quickly, follow these guidelines when designing forms:
- Testing a form before deploying it
There are two ways to test a form before using it in the actual application. You can preview the form from the Notes® client or through a Web browser to see how it will look to a user and to make sure form elements are working. In addition, you should test the form in the application by creating documents, examining the documents through different views, and testing all actions.