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HCL Domino Designer Basic User Guide and Reference
This guide provides information on using HCL Domino Designer and programming language reference information.
Application Design
Welcome to the Application Design section of Domino® Designer Help.
Designing views
Creating columns in a view
Columns display one type of information about the documents listed -- such as the document subject, author, or creation date. One column in a view is usually the organizing element -- for example, in a chronological view, the organizing column displays document creation dates.
Table of simple functions for columns
The following simple functions (that is, functions that let you add programming without knowing a programming language) can be used with columns.

HCL Domino Designer Basic User Guide and Reference
This guide provides information on using HCL Domino Designer and programming language reference information.
- What's new in HCL Domino Designer 12?
  The following features are new for developers in HCL Domino® Designer 12.
- Accessibility and keyboard shortcuts
  Accessibility features assist users who have a disability, such as restricted mobility or limited vision, to use information technology content successfully.
- Application Design
  Welcome to the Application Design section of Domino® Designer Help.
  - Introduction to Domino® Designer
    Welcome to Domino® Designer. Domino Designer is an integrated application development environment that lets developers and Web site designers create, manage, and deploy secure, interactive applications.
  - Planning an application
    Before you begin any design work, create a plan for how users will access and use your application. At the minimum, your application plan should address these questions:
  - Creating an application
    All Domino® applications begin with a Domino database. Domino databases are the containers for your application. Databases hold the data, logic, and design elements for your application. Your Domino application can be made up of one or more Domino databases.
  - Designing pages
    Pages and forms are similar in certain ways. A page is a database design element that displays information. Pages can be used anywhere in your application that you have text, graphics, or an embedded control, such as an outline, to present to the user. A page or form can contain the following:
  - Designing forms
    Forms, like pages, display information. Everything that can be done with a page can be done with a form. What sets forms apart from pages is that forms can be used to collect information. A form provides the structure for creating and displaying documents, and documents are the design elements that store data in the database. When a user 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.
  - Designing fields
    A field is the part of an application that collects data. You create fields on forms, subforms, or in layout regions. Each field stores a single type of information. A field's field type defines the kind of information a field accepts, such as text, numbers, dates, or names. When a user, either in a Notes® client or a Web browser, creates a form, fills out the information in the fields, and saves the form, the data in the fields is stored in an individual document. The contents of the fields can then be displayed in documents and views or can be retrieved for use in formulas. A field can be used on a single form, or you can create shared fields for use in multiple forms in a database.
  - Designing framesets
    A frameset is a collection of frames and can add structure to your Web site or Notes® database. A frame is one section, or pane, of the larger frameset window and is independently scrollable.
  - Designing views
    - Standard outline views
      A standard outline view is a table of contents for a database and is the most common type of view. It organizes documents by rows and columns. Each column displays a type of information about the document, such as author or date of creation. Each row displays selected pieces of information from one document. One column in the view is usually the organizing element -- for example, a column entitled Date might organize the documents in chronological order. In a discussion database, you might use a column entitled Topic to display the contents of the Subject field for each document in the view. In a tracking database, a column might show the customer or product name.
    - Calendar views
      A calendar view groups and displays documents in a calendar format. Such views are useful for organizing documents that keep track of schedules, meetings, and appointments.
    - Shared and private views
      There are two types of views: shared (available to many users) and private (available to one person). You designate the view type when you create the view and cannot change it later. A shared view can become a private view on first use, but a private view cannot become a shared view without recreating it as such.
    - Creating a standard outline view
    - Copying and deleting views
    - Creating a default design for new views
    - Designing folders
    - Naming a view or folder
      The name you choose for a view or folder is visible to Notes® users in the View menu (unless the view is hidden) and in the folders pane. The view name is visible to Web users in the Views list.
    - Customizing the style of the inbox folder
    - Selecting which documents display in a view
      When you design a view, you can program it to show all documents or only certain documents in the database. Most databases have one view that shows all documents and other views that show a subset of documents.
    - Creating columns in a view
      Columns display one type of information about the documents listed -- such as the document subject, author, or creation date. One column in a view is usually the organizing element -- for example, in a chronological view, the organizing column displays document creation dates.
      - Creating a shared column
        Shared columns allow the creation of a common column for insertion in multiple views in the same database, eliminating the need to create the same column multiple times and creating a single point for propagating changes to all views using the same column. A shared column has its own design element but once inserted into a view is part of the view. A view containing a shared column is backwards compatible for access from Notes® and the Web.
      - Adding titles to columns
        A title is optional text at the beginning of a column that helps users identify the type of information in the column. Assign a title using the Column Properties box. The title can be a static text label, such as "Subject" or "Date," or a message such as "Open a document below to see or change the schedule." To avoid cluttering the view, don't include titles for every column.
      - Setting styles for columns
        When you create a column, you can set a variety of display options. These options are available from the Basics tab of the Column properties box.
      - Formatting date and time columns
        To format values that result in a time or date displaying in a column , select the Advanced Format tab of the Column Properties box and choose Date/Time as the Style.
      - Displaying numbers in columns
        To format values that result in a number displaying in the column, select number as the style in the Advanced Format tab of the Column Properties box.
      - Enabling a column for instant messaging
      - Advanced options for columns
      - Adding programming to columns
        The values each column shows are determined by a program attached to the column. The Programmer's pane helps you add programming to a column. Click the column you want to program, click the Simple Function, Field, or Formula button in the Programmer's pane, then build the program in the Script area. Column formulas can consist of a combination of @functions, @commands, field values, and text enclosed in quotation marks.
      - Table of simple functions for columns
        The following simple functions (that is, functions that let you add programming without knowing a programming language) can be used with columns.
      - Displaying an icon in a column
        To make certain types of documents stand out in the view, display icons instead of text in a column. The Combined Mail template uses icon columns in the All Documents view to flag different types of documents:
      - Sorting documents in views
        Most views can benefit from a sorting method that organizes documents in a way that makes sense to users. For example, a By Date view sorts documents by their creation dates, and a By Author view sorts documents by author names. To achieve this effect, designate at least one column as a sorting column. Then define it as a user-sorted column, an auto-sorted column, or both.
      - Overriding alphabetical sorting with a hidden column
        The sorting column does not need to be visible. Sometimes you may want to use a hidden column as your sorting column. To hide a column, check the Hide box on the Advanced tab of the Column Properties box.
      - Using a column to switch to another view
        To give users an easy way to see additional, related information that doesn't fit in the initial view, use a column as an entry point to another view. Users click such a column to open another view. To set this option, choose "Click on column header to sort" on the Sorting tab of the Column Properties box and choose "Change to view" as the sorting option. Use the column title to alert users to this special kind of column. For example, you can title the column "Click here to switch to the By Author view."
      - Generating column totals, averages, and percents
        To display totals, averages, or percents for a column's numeric values, click the Sorting tab of the Column Properties box and select a Totals type other than None. Totals display in blue, unless you change the Column Totals color on the Style tab of the View Properties box.
    - Setting styles for a standard view or folder
    - Display options for views
      The Options tab of the View Properties box determines the initial display of a view and specifies how users can access and interact with the view.
    - Adding categories to views
    - Identifying unread documents
      To help users find new or modified documents, display the unread mark (an asterisk) next to unread documents in the view. A set of unread marks are maintained for each user, so even if one person has read a particular document, the asterisk still appears for other users who haven't read it yet.
    - Default views
      A default view is the view users see when they open the database for the first time. Each database has a default view, which appears with an * (asterisk) in the Views list.
    - Allowing users to edit or create documents from a view
    - Allowing users to set colors in a view
    - Formulas that look for values in columns and views
      Lookup formulas are useful in choice list field formulas to search for values in another database or in the same database.
    - Creating a calendar view
    - Displaying views in Web applications
      Views and folders created in Notes® may not have the same features on the Web. For example, a view or folder will display as a full screen with default navigation buttons on the Web.
    - Hiding a view
    - Refreshing view indexes
      A view index is an internal filing system that builds a list of documents that belong in a view. When users add or change documents, the view index must be refreshed to show them which documents are new or changed. Refreshing a view index can occur manually when users press F9, as part of a condition built into the view design, or as part of the Updall (Update ALL) server process set up by the server administrator.
    - Adding a trash folder to an application
    - Adding a view for soft deletions
    - DB2® query views
      Like other types of Notes® views, query views are design elements that are part of Notes applications. However, a query view uses an SQL query to populate its data, instead of using a view formula that selects notes from a Notes database.
  - Designing navigation for an application
    You can use the following navigational tools in your application:
  - Adding automation to applications
    Automation in an application speeds up repetitive tasks, handles workflow, updates information, performs calculations, runs programs, and checks for errors.
  - Developing applications using third-party tools and WebDAV
    As you are developing an application, you may want to supplement the tools provided with Domino® Designer with tools of your own choosing. For example, you may have a favorite graphics editor you use to design images for your application, or you may have a favorite HTML editor that you want to use to design pages. You launch and use third-party tools from within Designer.
  - Connecting to enterprise data
    Incorporating back-end data into everyday business processes maximizes the value of a Domino® Designer application. Designer includes a range of technologies for the security and control of business processes, forms routing, and approvals management. With enterprise integration technologies, you can incorporate traditionally difficult-to-reach data into your business applications.
  - Including Java™ applets in applications
    Applets are self-contained Java™ programs that can run in your Domino® application. Java applets are often used to add animation to Web applications. Although Java applets are mostly used for Web applications, you can also include them in the following elements of a Domino application:
  - Including Java™ servlets in Web applications
    A servlet is a Java™ program that is run by the Domino® Web server in response to a browser request. Servlets provide a convenient way to add powerful functionality to your Web application. In some ways, servlets act like CGI programs, but they are more tightly integrated with the server and can take advantage of special Java classes. For example, a servlet may connect to a relational database or enterprise system and get data in response to a Web browser request.
  - Including XML in Designer applications
    Extensible Markup Language (XML) is a standard for creating markup languages that describe the structure and meaning of data in a document. XML separates the content of a document from its presentation and provides a common format for transferring data across the World Wide Web (WWW) or company intranet. The result is a technology that makes data available regardless of the proprietary systems involved.
  - Including OLE objects in applications
    Using Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) and OLE tools lets you extend the capability of Domino® Designer. OLE technology lets you integrate data from other applications, such as spreadsheets, graphics tools, and other data sources, into your application.
  - Creating a workflow application
    Workflow applications let you automate tasks. These tasks most often involve automatically sending mail messages or automatically routing documents, such as tracking orders and project plans to be reviewed. All projects need one or more people to complete a series of tasks and can benefit from workflow applications because they guide the project through these tasks automatically. Workflow applications reduce overhead and errors, speed processes, and track the status of a project. For example, a workflow application might automatically send a document in a publishing company from writer to editor to proofreader to production. At each stage, an individual is responsible for specific tasks related to that document. Once the task is complete, the workflow application ensures that the individuals responsible for the next task are notified and receive the data they need to execute their part of the project.
  - Domino® Designer templates
    The templates described in the following table are available with Domino® Designer and are specifically intended for use by application developers.
  - Importing to and exporting from views
  - Developing applications using MAPI
    Domino® Designer Release 6 and later supports the messaging application program interface (MAPI), which allows mail integration between Domino and a MAPI-compliant messaging application, such as Microsoft™ Outlook, Microsoft Office applications, or user-written C++ programs.
  - Features to avoid using in Web applications
    Developers creating applications specifically for the Web, or for the dual purpose of serving Notes® and Web clients, should review the following tables for features that are not supported on the Web.
  - URL commands for Web applications
    You have a variety of options for programming a Web site. You can directly manipulate objects such as documents or views in an application using Domino® URL commands. Adding Domino URL commands as HTML in forms gives users shortcuts for navigating databases and performing other tasks quickly.
- Application Management
  Welcome to the Application Management section of Domino® Designer Help.
- Domino® Query Language
  Domino® Query Language (DQL) is a facility running on a Domino server that provides a terse, shorthand syntax for finding documents. It supports a wide variety and complexity of search terms. It leverages existing design elements, avoiding the need to write detailed code to access them. DQL consolidates all methods in Domino for searching document contents.
- Composite Applications - Design and Management
  Composite applications are a key element in a service-oriented architecture (SOA) and contextual collaboration strategy. The ability to create and edit composite applications lets you easily integrate different types of components and technologies.
- DB2® Access views
  Domino® Designer includes two types of design elements to assist you in managing data contained in DB2® enabled Notes® databases:
- Programming Overview and User Interface
  This section contains general guidelines and examples that show where to use Java, LotusScript, and the formula language.
- Formula Language
  This section documents the formula language.
- LotusScript® Language
  Welcome to the LotusScript® Language section of Domino® Designer Help.
- LotusScript/COM/OLE Classes
- Java/CORBA Classes
  This section documents the Java/CORBA classes.
- Connectors
  Connectors provide native access to a wide variety of DBMS products, ODBC, the platform File system, Enterprise Resource Planning systems, and Transaction Processing systems.
- Javadoc™ for Domino® Designer related APIs
  As part of providing additional Java™ reference documentation, Domino® Designer ships with a help plugin that contains Javadoc™ for additional Domino Designer related APIs.

Table of simple functions for columns

The following simple functions (that is, functions that let you add programming without knowing a programming language) can be used with columns.


Function name	Description	Example
Attachment Lengths	Displays the file size of document attachments. The data type is a number list.
Attachment Names	Displays the file names of document attachments. The data type is a text list.
Attachments	Displays the number of files attached to each document. The data type is a number.
Author(s) (Distinguished Name)	Displays document author name in hierarchical format, as in Denise Lee/Research/Acme.
Author(s) (Simple Name)	Displays the document author name without its fully distinguished format, as in Denise Lee.
Collapse/Expand (+/-)	Use in a column styled as a Sorted/Categorized column or one displaying documents which have responses. Returns a plus symbol (+) if the view entry has descendants that are not visible because the main document is collapsed. Returns a - minus symbol (-) if there are no subordinate documents or if subordinate documents are currently visible. Useful when a view contains a large number of response documents.
Creation Date	Displays the time and date a document was created.
Last Modified	Displays the date when a document was last saved.
Last Read or Edited	Displays the last time and date a document was read or edited.
Size (bytes)	Displays the file size of documents.
# in View	Displays a number for each document indicating its order in the view. Responses are numbered in outline style under Main documents -- for example, the first response to the first main document is 1.1.
# of Responses (1 Level)	Displays the number of direct descendant (response) documents for a document or next-level subcategories for a category.
# of Responses (All Levels)	Displays the total number of descendant (response and response-to-response) documents for a document or subcategories for a category.