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Introduction

There are a number of ways you can include HTML on a page, form, or subform when you are designing. If you have existing HTML or you prefer to use HTML instead of the formatting tools IBM Lotus Domino Designer offers, you have the following options:

• Convert a page, form, or subform (or sections of the page, form, or subform) to HTML and use the HTML editor to change the HTML.
• Import HTML, thus using the source of an existing Web page or form as the base of a new page or form. Designer adds the imported HTML on the page, form, or subform already translated from HTML.
• Paste HTML directly on a page, form, or subform. The HTML stays in HTML format.
• Enter HTML directly on a page, form, or subform. The HTML stays in HTML format.

Converting pages, forms, or subforms into HTML

You can convert some or all of the contents of a page, form, or subform into HTML source code and then use the HTML editor to make changes to the HTML source code.

1. Open a page, form, or subform in Designer.
2. Select the contents of the page, form, or subform that you want to convert to HTML.
3. Choose Edit -> Convert to HTML. The selected contents are converted into HTML source code.
   Because not everything in Notes has an exact equivalent in HTML, the conversion to HTML is an approximation. You should always check your conversion results.
   If you mistakenly convert something to HTML, choose Edit -> Undo Delete to recover. Do not choose Edit - Convert to Notes because the conversion is not exact.
   Note Buttons in Web applications that have JavaScript associated with the Click event are converted to HTML as expected. However, buttons that do not have JavaScript associated with the Click event are not converted to HTML. For the buttons that are not converted to HTML, choose Edit -> Undo Delete so that the deleted button reappears on the page, form, or subform.
4. To use the HTML editor, place the cursor anywhere in the newly created HTML source code and choose View -> HTML pane.
   The screen splits. The page, form, or subform appears in the top pane (in an embedded Internet Explorer browser control) and its HTML source code appears in the bottom pane.
5. You can edit the HTML source code in the bottom pane. Click Refresh to see the results in the top pane of your HTML changes.
6. Press ESC to exit from the HTML editor.
7. (Optional) To convert the HTML to Lotus Notes format, place the cursor anywhere in the HTML source code in the top pane and choose Edit -> Convert to Notes Format.
   Note that the conversion to Notes format is an approximation. You should check your conversion results. If you convert to HTML and then back to Notes, you may get unexpected results.

Importing HTML

To import HTML you must first save it as a file that you can access.

1. Open a page, form, or subform.
2. Choose File -> Import.
3. Select the file containing the HTML you want to import and click OK. Designer translates the HTML and then adds it to the page, form, or subform.

Pasting HTML

1. Select the content you want to paste from the source of an existing Web page, form, or subform.
2. Copy the content to the clipboard.
3. Open a page, form, or subform.
4. Choose Edit -> Paste.
5. Open the Properties box for the page, form, or subform (Design -> <design element> Properties).
6. On the Info tab, select Render pass through HTML in Notes.

Entering HTML directly on a page, form, or subform

1. Open a page, form, or subform.
2. Enter the HTML directly on the page, form, or subform.
3. Open the Properties box for the page, form, or subform (Design -> <design element> Properties).
4. On the Info tab, select Render pass through HTML in Notes.
   When you select this option, Lotus Domino passes all data on the page, form, or subform directly to the browser. Domino ignores embedded navigators and folders and any embedded views that don't have this option selected.

Including HTML on a page, form, or subform

If you do not want the entire page, form, or subform treated as HTML, you can include HTML on the page, form, or subform and mark this text as HTML. Domino Designer serves it correctly to the browser.

1. Enter or paste HTML on the page, form, or subform.
2. Select the text and choose Text -> Pass-Thru HTML.
   

   Note Pages, forms, or subforms that contain pass-thru HTML may display differently in the Notes client than on a browser. For example, if you create nested tables by using pass-thru HTML, the table may contain more white space when displayed in the Notes client than when displayed in a browser.

   
   

Notes on the form tag

Domino generates its own form tag for editable forms. If you have a unique situation where your application masthead or code has a form tag included, thereby creating a form tag within a form tag, it might not work. For example, some company mastheads have search functionality that is implemented in the HTML source by a form tag that submits to a search engine. Let us assume this case and say the embedded masthead form tag has a title of "Search". Assume also that the domino form name in question is called "Example", and therefore the Domino form tag has a name attribute of "Example". The solution is to use the following steps:

1. Close the default domino form tag for the Domino "Example" form immediately after the self generated <form> tag.
2. Create a new Domino form tag for the "Example" form after the <form> tag for "Search" has been closed with </form>.

This solution prevents embedded form tags that may produce unpredictable behavior.