Home
HCL Domino Designer User Guide and Reference
This guide provides information on using HCL Domino Designer and programming language reference information.
Formula Language
This section documents the formula language.
Formula Language Coding Guidelines
Writing messages and getting user input
You can communicate with the user through these techniques:
Writing messages to the user
You can write messages to the user with either of the following functions:

HCL Domino Designer User Guide and Reference
This guide provides information on using HCL Domino Designer and programming language reference information.
- What's new in Domino Designer 14.5?
  The following features are new for developers in HCL Domino® Designer 14.5.
- What's new in Nomad Designer?
  HCL Nomad for web browsers v1.0.10 introduces the capability to design Notes databases. For more information, see HCL Nomad for web browsers User Documentation, Nomad web Designer.
- 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.
- 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.
  - Formula Language Rules
    Formula language provides syntax and @functions for evaluating constants and variables, and for performing simple logic. Variables can be fields in Notes® documents or temporary variables (also called temporary fields) used only for the immediate formula.
  - Formula Language Coding Guidelines
    - Formulas
      A formula consists of one or more statements that are executed in order. Depending on the object associated with the formula and other criteria, the formula may execute once or it may execute multiple times on selected documents (one execution per document).
    - Writing messages and getting user input
      You can communicate with the user through these techniques:
      - Writing messages to the user
        You can write messages to the user with either of the following functions:
        Examples: Writing messages to the user
      - Getting user input with @Prompt and @PickList
      - Filling out a form with @DialogBox
      - Getting and setting environment variables
        You can set and retrieve the values of the environment variables in the notes.ini file (Windows™ and UNIX™).
    - Handling errors
      Errors are of two types:
    - Working with @functions
      All @functions evaluate to a value and can be placed in a formula anywhere a value of that type can be placed. When the formula executes, the value of the formula takes the place of the formula. Some formulas also have side-effects, that is, they cause actions to occur. For example, @Prompt causes a message box to appear.
    - Working with @commands
      @Commands are special @functions that perform immediate actions in the user interface. Most @commands mimic menu commands. For example, the following formula, if executed from a button, puts the current document in Edit mode and moves the insertion point down twice:
    - Performing string operations
      Formula language @functions enable you to:
    - Performing arithmetic operations
      The * / + - operators multiply, divide, add, and subtract. Multiplication and division have precedence over addition and subtraction; otherwise, evaluation is left to right. Parentheses can be used to change the order of evaluation. The following are the arithmetic @functions.
    - Performing time-date operations
    - Accessing the user environment
      The user environment is the server or workstation containing the database for: replication formulas, agents with the triggers "After new mail has arrived" or "On schedule," selection formulas, or column formulas. Otherwise, the user environment is the Notes® workstation of the user running the formula.
    - Accessing the current database and view
      You have immediate access to the database in which the formula is running, except for toolbar button formulas, which have no database context. You have immediate access to the view in which the formula is running if you are in the context of a view. In the context of a document, you have immediate access to the view from which the document was opened.
    - Accessing the current document in the formula language
    - Accessing data outside the current document and database
      The following @functions get data values from a specified database. You cannot set values with these @functions.
    - Accessing external databases through LS:DO using @functions
      The following @functions access an external database through ODBC and return a value or list of values:
  - Formula Language @Functions A-Z
    Formula Language @Functions A-Z
  - Formula Language @Commands A-Z
- 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.

Writing messages to the user

You can write messages to the user with either of the following functions:

@Prompt
Use the following forms of @Prompt to write messages that will display in a dialog box to the interactive user:
- @Prompt([Ok]; title; prompt) displays an informational dialog box with the title text at the beginning of the box and the prompt text in the body of the box.
- @Prompt([OkCancelList] : [NoSort]; title; prompt; default; choices) displays a box with the title text at the beginning of the box, the prompt text in the body of the box, and the choices text list follows the prompt text. This form of @Prompt is primarily for getting input but can also be used for display. The last parameter must be a text list. The prompt and default parameters can be empty. However, if this statement is not the last statement in the formula and the user clicks Cancel, the rest of the formula is not executed. Do not specify [NoSort] if you want the list sorted.
Non-text values must be converted with @Text to be used as @Prompt parameters. The text values can be constants, temporary variables, fields, or expressions.
@StatusBar
Use @StatusBar to write messages that will display in the status bar to the user. By writing messages to the status bar you can keep users informed of the internal processing being performed by an application.