lekkimworld.com - LotusScript.doc category

6.5.6 fixes panic when doing DXL export

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:18:00 GMT

The following is a technote was sent to me from a LotusScript.doc user: LotusScript and Java code hangs Notes when exporting certain documents to .dxl/.xml. Only difference was that his client redboxed.

Anyways - upgrading to Notes 6.5.6 solved the issue.

It's been quiet in LotusScript.doc land but...

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 18:18:00 GMT

...I have been hard at work and I'm getting close to a pre-release of LotusScript.doc v.2.

LotusScript.doc v. 2 is being completely rewritten from scratch (in Java), supports multi-threading and handles a wide array of new design elements compared to the 1.0.x code stream. The code and comment parsing is done and I'm currently working some of the more esoteric parsing bugs out.

One of the design goals for version 2 is also adding support for other output formats than the "traditional" framed HTML view. Writing custom output formats will also be possible using a template engine. I'm planning to ship the following documentation formats:

XML
Traditional framed HTML
A more comprehensive HTML report
PDF
DocBook

The main XML format is almost done and it's what I wanted to show of today and is what I'm showing above. Click the image (or here) for a larger version. The larger XML snippet shows:

Ability to see which subforms are used from which forms
Ability to see which embedded views are used from which forms/pages and what their singlecategory formula is (if any)
Support for buttons (anonymous and named)
Support for actions (in action bar and as shared actions)
Ability to see which shared actions are used from which action bars
Support for subforms

The list of new features is quite a lot longer including vast performance improvements but lets not get carried away. Of cause the XML format will also carry the code comments.

Preferred LotusScript comment style

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 14:54:24 GMT

As previously mentioned I'm looking into starting development of LotusScript.doc version 2 and for that I'm also rethinking how comments are written when writing LotusScript. In version 1 of LotusScript.doc I have only supported a LotusScript'ified version of the Javadoc syntax which meant that only the following comment syntax is considered valid:

'/**
' * This is my comment for the DoStuff sub-routine.
' */
Public Sub DoStuff()
   ...
End Sub

Comments of this kind can be placed inside or outside of code constructs (class, sub, function etc.) and will be picked up by LotusScript.doc accordingly. Apart from this you can write a description for a design element by using the lsdoc_description() sub-routine. This is the equivalent of the package.html from javadoc. Normally it would be used like this:

Private Sub lsdoc_description
%REM

%END REM
End Sub

For LotusScript.doc v. 2 I would like to make this more flexible and support multiple commenting schemes so I'm thinking:

"How do you comment your LotusScript?"

Do you comment using %REM sections?
Do you comment inside or outside the sub/function/class etc.?
How do you document the design element it self?

Also - one thing is how you do it now - another is how would like to document your code in the future.

I would really appreciate any input...

Version 2

Mon, 16 Apr 2007 12:44:27 GMT

I'm starting to think of features and improvements for LotusScript.doc version 2 and was thinking what you had to say... What issues/problems do you have? What kind of features are you lacking? Please let me know so I might include them.

Please send comments and suggestions by e-mail to lekkim [at] lsdoc.org or as comments to this post.

Thanks.

Properties as top level members of script libraries

Fri, 06 Apr 2007 14:59:29 GMT

Is anyone actually using the possibility of defining a Property as a top level member in a LotusScript script library? Apparent you are able to define a property as a top level member of a script library just as it is possible with a Sub or Function. The below code will actually compile and run ("SomeProperty" is not a variable but actually a Property defined in the Declarations section).

Sub Initialize
   SomeProperty = "HelloWorld"
   Msgbox SomeProperty
End Sub

Below is how the code actually looks in Domino Designer with "value" being a String variable defined in the Declarations section. Although possible I wonder if anyone actually uses it as I think it makes the code a little difficult to read.

Lotusphere 2007: The power of DXL (AD503)

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 17:02:04 GMT

Apart from being told that the DXL implementation in Notes/Domino 8 will be able to surface the source code and WSDL from web services the session was below my expectations.

The fact that the source code of web services will be surfaced will make LotusScript.doc able to pick it up which is nice since I've had problems with this in the past (Domino 7 web services woes). I talked to the developers about this last year and it appears I've been heard. Thank you for that!

The VIEW article published

Mon, 19 Jun 2006 19:27:14 GMT

Just had to post a plug for my new article in THE VIEW called "Extend the power of LotusScript with DXL and OOP"... :-) If you have an electronic subscription the article is available now.

This article is much more technical than the first and explains in detail how to leverage DXL from LotusScript using XSLT and the built in XML classes as well as how to use pipelining to avoid writing intermediary results to the harddrive. Apart from the DXL stuff there's also something on how to use design patterns in LotusScript to build dynamic decision making trees using the Chain of Command design pattern.

I hope you enjoy reading it and take something away from it. If you have questions or comments please let me know.

THE VIEW article: Extend the power of LotusScript with DXL and OOP

Fri, 16 Jun 2006 06:20:09 GMT

The second part of my articles on LotusScript.doc titled "Extend the power of LotusScript with DXL and OOP" will be out in the May/June issue of THE VIEW. The article is a great deal more technical and explains in-depth how the application is built using object-oriented LotusScript, design patterns, DXL and XSLT.

The article will supposedly be posted online today (Friday) and should be available at a newsstand near you soon!! :-)