 | Level: Introductory Chris Toohey (ctoohey@dominoguru.com), Chief Solutions Architect, Clearframe
16 Dec 2008 XPages and Themes are two new technologies available to Lotus Domino Web application developers with the release of IBM Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino 8.5. They provide more flexibility and greater control over what is delivered to the Web browser client screen than any previous release. XPages leverages a new JavaServer Face rendering engine while Themes allows even further control to manipulate the content -- from CSS declarations to XML markup rendering -- that is displayed. In this tutorial, you will use both XPages and Themes to create an enterprise-class salesforce tracking and task assignment Lotus Domino Web application. To further showcase the advanced capabilities of the technologies available to Lotus Domino Web application developers, the example for this tutorial is a mashup application featuring functional OpenStreetMap and GeoCoder integration.
Prerequisites
There are several prerequisite technologies, development environment considerations, and a few things you should be aware of before beginning the tutorial.
- Lotus Domino Application Server Release 8.5 (Public BETA 2). XPages require both the Lotus Domino HTTP Server and the new Lotus Domino JSF in release 8.5 which, as of Public BETA 2, has been included in the Lotus Domino Designer in Eclipse Release 8.5 Client. To properly develop and test your XPages and Themes, though, I suggest the setup of a Lotus Domino application server.
- Lotus Domino Designer in Eclipse Release 8.5 (Public BETA 2). Creating, Editing, and all-around maintaining XPages and Themes, as well as the other various design elements discussed in this tutorial, are a component of the Lotus Domino Designer in Eclipse with Release 8.5.
- Internet Connectivity. As you will be using public Web services for two major components in the build project for this tutorial, Internet connectivity for both the build and usage phases of this Lotus Domino Web application mashup is required.
System requirements
You can download the Lotus Domino Release 8.5 Public BETA Server and Lotus Domino Designer in Eclipse Client with an IBM ID and password. If you do not have an IBM ID and password, simply follow the registration options on the Public BETA page. Additionally, you can use the the personal address book template (pernames.ntf) packaged in the Lotus Notes 8.5 Public BETA or, as mentioned, any Lotus Notes Client Release 6.5 or later.
To view the demos included in this tutorial, JavaScript must be enabled in your browser and Macromedia Flash Player 6 or higher must be installed. You can download the latest Flash Player at http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer/.
Formats html, pdf
Summary
This tutorial will guide you through the update of an existing Lotus Domino Web application named Big Brother, which is designed to allow the creation of people NotesDocuments and child/response location NotesDocuments specifying the individual's current location. With XPages and Themes, you will create a functional dashboard for Big Brother complete with an OpenStreetMap-based Points of Interest map. This public Web service mashup with the Big Brother Lotus Domino Web application will show the capabilities of XPages and Themes while showcasing how your pre-existing user interface components and functionality can be added to these new Lotus Domino design elements.
The techniques and technologies used in this tutorial are positioned for use the day you upgrade your Lotus Domino server environment, allowing you to meet user experience expectations while providing extended functionality combined with the latest capabilities of the Lotus Domino product.
Upon completing this tutorial, you not only will have a solid understanding of XPages and Themes in Lotus Domino Web application development, but you also will have a functional Lotus Domino Web application that will allow you to visually track users across the globe.
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