Transcript Getting Started with XPages Presented by Jeff Byrd Agenda Who am

Getting Started with XPages
Presented by Jeff Byrd
Agenda
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Who am I
XPages Resources
What are XPages
Why Use XPages
XPages Design Elements
XPages CRUD
XPages Template
Jeff Byrd
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Senior Developer at MAXIMUS Inc.
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Lotus Notes developer since ver. 3.
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Blogger at www.DominoTricks.com
◦ Current series is “Roll Your Own Rest Service”.
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Developing xPages for 2 Years.
Twitter @byrd1089
XPages Resources
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www.notesin9.com
◦ Created by David Leedy
◦ 27 + hours of FREE videos on XPages
◦ Check out “Introduction to XPages”
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Xpages.info
◦ Daily aggregate of XPages blogs
◦ XPages Snippets
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OpenNTF.org – Free Source Code
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PlanetLotus.org
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StackOverflow.com – Filter for XPages
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The Rabbit Hole – (nathantfreeman.wordpress.com)
◦ Taming IBM Domino Designer
What are XPages?
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New Design Elements and tools for creating web applications
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Embraces standard languages
◦ HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Java
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Built on top of Java Server Faces (JSF)
◦ XPages is a JSF wrapper for Domino Developers
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Everything you code gets placed inside of Java Objects
◦ You never need to deal with those Java Objects though!
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You do not NEED to know Java to build XPages apps
◦ But it will help and should be something to strive for
◦ Java in XPages is somewhat similar to LotusScript Custom Classes
Why Use XPages?
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Separates UI from Data
◦ Allows multiple Data sources per Page
◦ Easy access to data from other databases
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Improves Data capabilities
◦ Allows @DbLookup from inside a view
 Similar to a JOIN in relational DB’s.
◦ Use Java Objects (Beans) as data source
◦ Iterate your data anyway you want via “Repeat Control”
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Runs inside Notes Client (XPiNC - XPages in Notes Client)
◦ Replicate your web applications.
New Design Elements
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XPage
◦ Similar to Notes Form
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But not really as you can have none or multiple datasources
Data source can be:
NotesDocuments, NotesViews,Java Beans, and more...
◦ It’s often used more as a container to hold custom controls
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Custom Control
◦ Similar to Subform
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But not really as you can have none or multiple datasources
 Just like XPages
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Can be used more then once on a page
Can accept Parameters that you define later
 Allows high reusability
◦ Can not be viewed in the browser. They only work on an XPage
◦ Often Custom Controls are used to contain the graphical layout of your app
More New Design Elements
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Sever Side JavaScript
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Can be on the page or in a library.
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Library allows you to create reusable SSJS functions using
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It’s not really “JavaScript” but it has the same syntax
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This allows additional capability
@Formulas
Domino Object Model
Java Objects
Themes
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You can assign a CCS file and it’ll be available on every page of your app
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Like a Global “Use” statement in LotusScript
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Allow consistent look and feel across apps
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oneUI and WebStandard are built in
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You can create your own
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But always extend a server theme as they contain needed Dojo files
Themes can override controls as well
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More advanced but very powerful
Scoped Variables
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Scoped Variables
◦ In memory objects to store data
◦ No need to rely on cookies / URL parsing
 but you still can if you want
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applicationScope
◦ Like a database profile document
◦ Available to all users
 Store Application settings and common lookups that all users need
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sessionScope
◦ Life of the user session
 Store things specific to the user.
 Preferences, shopping cart, etc...
Scoped Variables
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viewScope
◦ Life of the current Page
 Store value of a current search, or items from a particular
document
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requestScope
◦ Life of a single request
◦ Very short - just for data you’re currently processing
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Do NOT try and put Domino Objects (document,
view, etc...) in Scope
◦ They will likely get recycled when you least expect it.
◦ For a document, just store a UNID as a string and grab the
document again
Building an Application
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I’m using Domino and Designer 8.5.3
◦ Latest version is 9.0
◦ Do not try Xpages development with any version below version 8.5.1
and you should be using the Update Pack or OpenNTF Extension Library
 Update Pack is available from IBM for 8.5.
 Ext. Library is at http://extlib.openntf.org/
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What is the Update Pack / Extension Library?
◦ They are add-ons to the Domino Server / Designer
◦ Adds over 50 new tools and controls designed to speed up your
application
 Tools for layout, Dojo integration, etc.
 Application layout control.
◦ Extends the core product without having to wait for next version
Sample Application
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Let’s build a quick Contacts Application
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One Form – Contact
One View – Contacts
Custom Control – frmContact
Custom Control – vwContacts
xPage – Contact.xsp
xPage – Contacts.xsp
Theme – Blueprint CSS
But there’s more!
Things we haven’t talked about
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Server Side Java Script (SSJS)
Client Side Java Script (CSJS)
Repeat Controls
Managed Beans
Java!