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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.
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:
Getting and setting environment variables
You can set and retrieve the values of the environment variables in the notes.ini file (Windows™, OS/2, and UNIX™).

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.
- 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:
      - 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™, OS/2, and UNIX™).
        Examples: Getting and setting environment variables
    - 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.

Getting and setting environment variables

You can set and retrieve the values of the environment variables in the notes.ini file (Windows™, OS/2, and UNIX™).

@SetEnvironment(variable; value) sets a named variable to the specified value. You can also use the ENVIRONMENT keyword and the two-parameter form of @Environment.
@Environment(variable) retrieves the value of a named variable.

Environment values are text. Non-text values must be converted before being set and after being retrieved.

User environment variables are prepended with the $ character. If you add an environment variable with an editor or LotusScript®, for example, and want to retrieve it with @Environment, the first character must be $.

Be sure you know which notes.ini file is affected by your formula. If the formula is in a database on a server, the formula runs on the server in the following cases: replication formula, agent for which the trigger is "After new mail has arrived" or "On schedule," selection formula, or column formula. Otherwise, the formula runs on the user's workstation. Replica copies access different NOTES.INI files, depending on which server or workstation contains the replica copy. Server access is subject to administrative restrictions.

Some uses for environment variables include the following:

Pass temporary data among different formulas and databases
Generate sequential numbers for one user