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Elements of Notes®
The IBM® Notes® user interface is comprised of views menus, toolbars, navigation panes, and a sidebar that you can use for easy access to some frequently used applications.
Preferences
You can customize IBM® Notes® so that it runs and displays just the way you want it to using Notes® preferences.
Further customizing your Notes client
The topics in this section are intended for a more advanced Notes user.
How can I create and configure a port?
The ports IBM® Notes® displays in the Communication Ports dialog box depend on the operating system you're using. Notes displays network ports such as LAN0 (NetBIOS support) or TCP/IP. Modem ports (COM ports) that use the X.PC protocol (driver) are no longer supported.

Elements of Notes®
The IBM® Notes® user interface is comprised of views menus, toolbars, navigation panes, and a sidebar that you can use for easy access to some frequently used applications.
- Using the Open list
  Use the Open list to open IBM® Notes® applications, documents, bookmarks and bookmark folders. The Open list displays icons and a brief description for each item.
- Toolbars
  Toolbars work with all the applications in your workspace. Some toolbars are context sensitive, which means that they change depending on the task you are performing.
- Using the sidebar
  The sidebar provides constant access to your IBM® Sametime® Contacts, Calendar, Feed Reader, and Activities. You can change which of these applications displays in your sidebar. However, depending on your organization, you may not have all of these applications in your sidebar.
- Status bar: current state information
  The status bar appears at the end of the IBM® Notes® main window. As you work in Notes, system messages and features appear in the status bar.
- Working with window tabs
  Window tabs make it convenient for you to switch from one open document or application to another in IBM® Notes®.
- Preferences
  You can customize IBM® Notes® so that it runs and displays just the way you want it to using Notes® preferences.
  - How do I customize my Notes Client?
    You can customize IBM® Notes® so that it runs and displays just the way you want it to using Notes preferences.
  - How do I customize the Notes color theme?
    Choose an overall color theme for the Notes interface. Customize colors for specific parts of the interface.
  - How can I set up my Notes client for other languages or regions?
    You can use regional settings to change your content language, sorting language, interface language, and units of measurement.
  - Preferences - Quick reference
    This quick reference card is a list of instructions for common tasks and shortcuts for Notes preferences, which you can print and keep at your desk for easy reference.
  - Further customizing your Notes client
    The topics in this section are intended for a more advanced Notes user.
    - How can I enable Java debugging?
      You can enable Java™ debugging to check for problems in Java applications.
    - How can I set Java applet and Javascript preferences?
      IBM® Notes® provides support for running Java™ applets and JavaScript™ through the Web Navigator on Microsoft® Windows®. On the Macintosh, Notes supports only JavaScript. You can set preferences to enable running Java applets or to change your security.
    - How can I set Notes ports preferences?
      The IBM® Notes® client works best when it is connected to a server from which it can receive mail and to which it can send outgoing mail. When you first install Notes, during configuration, you specify a connection that is appropriate for your mail. This connection is most commonly over a local area network (such as broadband). If you want to specify an additional connection later, you may need to add a port. A port is an external socket on a computer into which you can plug a cable or a peripheral device.
    - How can I compress network data for a faster connection?
      If you have a slow connection to an IBM Domino server, you may be able to improve IBM Notes performance by compressing the data that passes between Notes® and the server, if the server administrator also turns data compression on for the server.
    - How can I create and configure a port?
      The ports IBM® Notes® displays in the Communication Ports dialog box depend on the operating system you're using. Notes displays network ports such as LAN0 (NetBIOS support) or TCP/IP. Modem ports (COM ports) that use the X.PC protocol (driver) are no longer supported.
    - How can I rename a port?
      The ports IBM® Notes® displays in the Communication Ports dialog box depend on the operating system you're using. Notes displays network ports such as LAN0 (NetBIOS support) or TCP/IP. Modem ports (COM ports) that use the X.PC protocol (driver) are no longer supported.
    - How can I delete a port?
      The ports IBM® Notes® displays in the Communication Ports dialog box depend on the operating system you're using. Notes displays network ports such as LAN0 (NetBIOS support) or TCP/IP. Modem ports (COM ports) that use the X.PC protocol (driver) are no longer supported.
    - How can I enable or disable a port?
      You can enable or disable a port for your computer. IBM® Notes® displays a check mark next to enabled ports. Before you enable a network port, make sure the appropriate network software is installed. Before you enable a modem port, make sure a modem is installed and you know the physical port it is connected to.
    - How can I encrypt data sent through a port?
      You can encrypt data sent through a particular port, to make data transmissions more secure. However, this may also cause transmission speed to slow down.
    - How can I change the order of ports that IBM® Notes® tries first when connecting to a server?
      You can change the order of ports that IBM® Notes® tries first when connecting to a server. Notes tries enabled ports in the order in which they appear in the Communication Ports dialog box. However, Notes skips enabled ports that are not in use at the current location
    - How can I display status information for an enabled port?
      This screen displays status information about an enabled port.
    - How can I trace a connection?
      When you trace a server connection, you can control the level of information displayed in the Trace Information box. You can choose to include the full trace information, including searches through connections documents, and all information from network drives.
    - How can I stop or start logging of Notes client messages?
      If logging is enabled and your Notes® client crashes, an automatic diagnostic collection tool collects data that includes this logging file and sends it to a mail-in application when the client restarts. You can turn this on or off.
    - How can I set replication preferences?
- Accessibility features for Notes®
  Accessibility features help users who have a physical disability, such as restricted mobility or limited vision, to use information technology products.
- Using the Discover page
  IBM® Notes® opens to the Discover page by default, unless you set up Notes to open to an application, such as Mail or Calendar, or to a customized home page. The default Discover page is a central location from which you can find targeted Notes client information more quickly and easily, including new features in the release, introductory material for new users, and helpful hints and tips. There is also a Quick Links tab that allows you to launch your workspace, Mail, Calendar, and other Notes applications you have recently used, in addition to providing links to other resources, such as the Notes and Domino wiki.
- Using the Notes workspace
  The IBM® Notes® workspace, the legacy user interface for Notes, displays pages containing Notes application icons.
- Using bookmarks - linking to documents and applications
  Bookmarks are links that point to IBM® Notes® applications, views, documents, or Internet elements, such as Web pages and news groups. Bookmark folders organize your bookmarks. They can contain bookmarks or more folders.
- Notes views and folders
  Views display specific documents with similar criteria. For example, your Mail has an All Documents view that displays every document contained in the mail application, and a Sent view that displays only documents that you sent.
- Printing
  You print a single document or multiple documents at the same time. You can also print views (lists of documents in an IBM® Notes® application) and the framesets found in both Notes and the Web.

How can I create and configure a port?

The ports IBM® Notes® displays in the Communication Ports dialog box depend on the operating system you're using. Notes® displays network ports such as LAN0 (NetBIOS support) or TCP/IP. Modem ports (COM ports) that use the X.PC protocol (driver) are no longer supported.

To create and configure a port

Procedure

Click File > Preferences.

Notes Basic client users: Click File > Preferences > User Preferences.

Macintosh OS X users: Click Notes > Preferences.
Click the plus sign, then click Communication Ports (Notes Basic client users: click Ports).
Click New.
Enter a name for the port.
Select a driver for the port.
Select the locations at which you want to use the port.
Select the applicable port options.

Results

Note: Before you add a network port, make sure the appropriate network software is installed. For information on the port options you can specify for your network driver, see your network administrator.