Props goes out to the Java UI Team (Ryan Baxter, Adam Geheb, Stanton Sievers) for publishing the Java UI API Exerciser plugin showing how to use the Java UI API for the Notes client. If you're doing Java plugins for the Notes client you definitely want to check it out. Installation is also very easy because it's signed and as such also serves as a showcase on how plugin deployment works when it's fully transparent.

More info can be found on the catalog entry.

From time to time I come across some functionality I think should be part of the Notes client but isn't. If it's really a big pain point for me and I can implement it myself I do so as a Notes plugin. I've implemented a number of such plugins over time but few have ever been published. Since I get requests for similar functionality from time to time I decided to create a page and publish the functionality there as I find the time and dig out the code and polish it of. I envision the list growing over time so do come back! :-)

If you got suggestions let me know.

Further reading: Notes 8 Utilities

I'll be speaking at Lotusphere Comes To You (LCTY) 2010 in Denmark - both at the event in Lyngby (2 March) and the one in Århus (4 March). IBM Denmark already blogged about the event where Chris Crummey will be presenting the keynote.

If you're developing console applications in Java that access Notes resources and you're testing them in Eclipse you have experienced the following. You run your application to test it from Eclipse. It accesses a Notes resource and you haven't granted 3rd party applications access in the Security settings so it causes Notes to ask you for the password - only the Console view doesn't accept input... Bummer! :-(

Fortunately there's a solution to this which I'll show below.

Disclaimer: I can in no way take credit for this tip as I didn't discover it. The credit goes to Karsten Lehmann who posted it in the Design Partner forum.

The solution is not to make the password prompt go to the Console view but pop up a password entry dialog instead. The way to do this is to initialize the Swing UI framework before running your application as I do below (see code in bold).

import javax.swing.SwingUtilities;
import lotus.domino.Session;
import lotus.domino.Database;
import lotus.domino.DocumentCollection;
import lotus.domino.NotesFactory;
import lotus.domino.NotesThread;

public class Main {

  public static void main(String[] args) {
    try {
      SwingUtilities.invokeLater(new Runnable() {
        public void run() {}
      });
      
      NotesThread.sinitThread();
      s s = NotesFactory.creates();
      System.out.println("Name: " + s.getUserName());
      Database db = s.getDatabase("server1/Example", "names.nsf");
      DocumentCollection dc = db.getAllDocuments();
      System.out.println("Docs: " + dc.getCount());
      
    } catch (Throwable t) {
      t.printStackTrace();
    } finally {
      NotesThread.stermThread();
    }
  }
}

I just upgraded my Thinkpad from Windows Vista 32 bit to Windows 7 64 bit and besides being amazed at the speed improvements (thanks to moving of Windows Vista) I needed to think about how I develop Java for Notes in general. When moving to 64 bits there are some things you need to consider if, and only if, you install the 64 bit version of the Java Development Kit (JDK) as I did. You need to consider stuff for two reasons which I'll address in turn.

Please note: This blog post will focus on 64 bits Windows 7 as that's what I'm running now but I suspect it will apply to other Notes platforms such as Windows Vista, Linux and Mac as well. I'm not using Lotus Expeditor Toolkit so I can't confirm the following is but a wise man told me that XPD Toolkit doesn't support 64 bit JDK's so in that case you need this as well as my "Configure Eclipse 3.4 for Notes 8.5.1"-guide as well.

Notes is a 32 bit application

Say you install a 64 bit JDK and try to run an application that access Notes using local address (NRPC; a client or server installed on the same machine) such as the following:

import lotus.domino.Session;
import lotus.domino.Database;
import lotus.domino.DocumentCollection;
import lotus.domino.NotesFactory;
import lotus.domino.NotesThread;

public class Main {
  public static void main(String[] args) {
      NotesThread.sinitThread();
      Session s = NotesFactory.createSession();
      System.out.println("Name: " + s.getUserName());
      Database db = s.getDatabase("server1/Example", "names.nsf");
      DocumentCollection dc = db.getAllDocuments();
      System.out.println("Docs: " + dc.getCount());
      
    } catch (Throwable t) {
      t.printStackTrace();
    } finally {
      NotesThread.stermThread();
    }
  }
}

The code will compile fine but when you run it you'll see a message like the following (plus a stacktrace):

java.lang.UnsatisfiedLinkError: C:\Notes8\nlsxbe.dll: 
   Can't load IA 32-bit .dll on a AMD 64-bit platform

The problem is, as the message explains, that you cannot load a 32 bit DLL (remember Notes is a 32 bit application) into a 64 bit Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The solution is to install a 32 bit JDK instead and run the application using this JDK. Remember that it is perfectly valid and possible to install multiple JDK's on a single machine and it fact that's what I'm doing.

Developing plugins for Notes 8+

Developing plugins for Notes 8+ on 64 bit Windows is also somewhat different from doing it on a 32 bit Windows system. Of course you need Eclipse but here's the first difference - you need to use a 64 bit version of Eclipse if you're using a 64 bit JDK. The reason is that Eclipse uses SWT (Standard Widget Toolkit) for the user interface widgets. The reason SWT looks so nice on any supported platform is because it wraps the native, C-code, platform widgets. So remember that and grab a 64 bit Eclipse. Once that's installed and working with your 64 bit JDK configure Eclipse as you normally would but with a small difference that will cause your code not to compile (my Eclipse complained about not be able to resolve org.eclipse.swt.widgets.Shell).

As you may know, you specify the bundles you depend on when developing your plugin and in turn you also specify which environment you run in. This is how Eclipse knows which versions to the bundles to put on the class path but since you're running 64 bit Windows and Notes is 32 bits it will be a problem. The fix is however very easy to implement and only means tweaking the target platform setup to explicitly set the architecture you're running on to "x86" and not "x86_64" which is the default if you're on a 64 bit JVM. Where to set this differs a little between Eclipse 3.4 and Eclipse 3.5 but the concept is the same.

1. Open the target platform setup
2. Edit the "Environment" settings
3. Set the architecture to "x86"

Once this is done the workspace will be rebuilt and everything should work just fine. Mine did anyway... :-)

Back to our standalone Java application

If you need to run a Java application that accesses Notes locally from within an Eclipse instance (lets face it - who writes Java code without an IDE these days?) you also need to use a 32 bit JVM although you very well may be running 64 bit Eclipse in a 64 bit JVM. The JVM used to execute an application from within Eclipse is the JVM you setup in the build path. To set it simply right-click the project, choose Build Path -< Configure Build Path... and replace/edit the JVM library used.

Conclusion

I hope the above is clear - if not let me know using the comment system. I'll soon be blogging about using Eclipse 3.5 for your Eclipse development instead of the current version 3.4. Stay tuned.

While installing Windows 7 on my main laptop today I cleaned out my office a little. Part of the stuff I found was these three mugs from times past. From left to right: yellow Lotus Notes mug, OS/2 mug from the OS/2 Warp days and of course my IBM e-business mug. Makes the mind wander... :-)

It's probably no surprise that Lotusphere 2010 is all about what Lotus knows whether that be on badges, at sessions, on Twitter or on my room mirror. The Lotus knows message is really all over the conference and is becoming the meme that binds it all together. Lotus knows a lot. Maybe too much sometimes. The fact that Alistair Rennie is good with a chainsaw is probably one of those things...

(for the uninitiated there was a video at the OGS where people had to mention what they were good at and Alistair Rennie said he was good with a chainsaw)

I really like the message and was happy to hear that the campaign is coming to Europe. It will start in Germany in connection with Cebit (March) and will move on from there. Whether it reaches Denmark or even Scandinavia is too soon to tell.

So Lotusphere is finally underways - well sort of anyway. Officially it wont start until tomorrow morning but Business Development Day, JumpStarts and Bootcamp still feels like we're of. And we're of to a good start. The energy feels right and it feels like it's going to be a good Lotusphere. As Alistair Rennie said this morning in the BDD OGS: "Lotus knows sleep is for February!" That has to be the quote of the day of not for the week. Oh and knowing that Alistair thinks himself handy with a chainsaw!! :-)

Besides that I was happy to hear that Lotus Notes and Lotus Domino will also go into controlled distribution in 2010 meaning that you have to be certified to sell it. I find that a very good, although bold move by IBM. This is a decision that will help us tremendously in our business. Having to be certified (both technically and sales wise) means that you cannot simply sell licenses without delivering value. That's great and wise move that will benefit both the partner community and the customers.