Lotus Notes and Domino 6 Programming Bible (Paperback)

by Brian Benz (Author), Rocky Oliver (Author) "Eighteen years after Ray Ozzie struck a deal with Mitch Kapor, the founder of Lotus Development corporation, and formed Iris Associates to start developing a..." (more)
Key Phrases: End Sub, Domino Web, Exit Sub (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
* Covers all the programming techniques, concepts, and languages used with Notes and Domino, as well as the many new features of Domino 6
* Thoroughly examines the Notes and Domino role with Java, XML, Web services, and other IBM products and technologies
* Provides extensive code and examples, many geared to the needs of administrators
* High-profile authors, known to their audience through conferences and articles
* Companion Web site shows example applications from the book running on a live Domino server and provides code download

From the Back Cover
"This unmatched book is a must-have reference for Notes and Domino developers."
– John Hawkins, Editorial Director,
Lotus Advisor Magazine & Conference

If Lotus Notes and Domino 6 can do it, you can do it too...

Whether you’re an architect, developer, or administrator, this guidebook covers everything you’ll need to know to harness the power and flexibility of Lotus Notes and Domino 6. Written by a team of award-winning authors, it explores the latest programming techniques, concepts, and languages you can use with this messaging and collaboration platform. And it’s packed with numerous examples and sample code, providing you with the tools to create your own customized applications.

Inside, you’ll find complete coverage of Lotus Notes and Domino 6

• Utilize the Domino Designer 6 user interface features to share and lock design elements, perform remote debugging, and create and manipulate XML and DXL from Domino 6 design objects
• Centralize the distribution and maintenance of Java code in a Domino application
• Access and display Domino 6 views, documents, and forms via servlets with Domino’s custom JSP tags
• Learn about new features in JavaScript, LotusScript, and Formula language that allow you to build applications in record time
• Create a Domino Web application that uses the new Data Connection Resource
• Build J2EE applications that can access Domino objects and generate DXL and custom XML formats
• Uncover the most practical solutions for building and running Web Services in industrial-strength server environments

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 1032 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1st edition (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764526111
• ISBN-13: 978-0764526114
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.5 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #411,006 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Notes/Domino Book Ever!, May 20, 2003

By	"bperry666" (Chestnut Hill, MA United States) - See all my reviews

Executive Summary: Needs a special hardcover edition with a gem-encrusted leather cover so that I can stroke it with one hand while typing with the other and cackle, "My Precious, My Precious". It *is* that good.

Let me hasten to provide detailed reasons for this highly enthusiastic summation.

This is the best single book compilation of Notes development information that I've ever seen. It's slanted toward detailing the new features of Notes/Domino 6 (new features are flagged in the text), but is hardly limited to ND 6 features. Even experienced developers are likely to pick up useful information from the ND6 Bible. While this might not be the only book you'd need as a beginning Notes/Domino developer, it will serve as much more than a starting point. It's got lots of wise advice on Notes database design. You could learn all this though bitter experience instead, but why do that when you can just skip over many pitfalls with the aid of this book? The early chapters give all the detail a beginner or novice will need to get going. More advanced chapters skip the basic details, but whatever the level, this book is very good at giving you the why along with the how.

Many of the code examples not only demonstrate the topic under discussion, but show how to do useful things besides. If you're tired of books with "toy" code examples, the ND6 Bible is for you. In particular, Advanced Formula Techniques and Advanced LotusScript Techniques are two chapters that will be of interest to all but the most experienced of Notes developers.

Particularly providential for me were Chapters 43-45 on relational database integration. I'm working on a project that will need to do something along these lines. Various data integration options are described. Capsule histories are given when relevant. Most important are the tips on when to use and when not to use each of these technologies. These chapters saved me hours of research.

Often, we techies are too busy to read a huge book from cover to cover, so a good index is a key feature. The book has a good index. One feature I hadn't encountered before is that the LotusScript classes are listed in the index in a separate font and each class's methods are listed with it, indented slightly. If you haven't been exposed to OO programming, that won't make much sense so just trust me that this style of indexing is a big plus. You'll find what you want faster. There are good cross-references in the text too, a detail that is far too often neglected in other technical books. I'll have to pay more attention to the publisher's (Wiley) technical books in the future. These details matter a lot.

Technical books need code, but not too much. I've seen all too many books shoveled full of code that does nothing but increase the page count. The ND6 Bible has a good mix of code to text. It's there when it needs to be; it hasn't been dumped in indiscriminantly. The book does not come with a CD, but you can download the files from the publisher's web site. This can be done all at once or chapter by chapter if your download speed is limited.

Good as this book is, it's not perfect. I would have liked to see a bibliography and an appendix of web resources. There are links in the text though. Maybe they'll make these things available in the second edition or on their web site. The section on web applications is only an introduction to the topic (though quite a good one). I'd guess that the authors preferred to devote the space to more advanced topics. As there are whole books on the subject of Domino Web Apps, I can see why they'd make that choice. And finally, I have to throw in a technical nitpick. I couldn't find a caution against using the @now or @today functions in view selection formulas. Notes allows this, but it can bog down a server amazingly. Given all the other sage advice, I'm surprised this wasn't included.

In conclusion; if you're doing Notes and Domino development, buy this book! You won't regret it.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for both beginners and experts., June 12, 2003

By	Devin S. Olson "spanky762" (Grand Rapids, MI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is an excellent book. I have been developing in Notes/Domino since R3, and still managed to find quite a bit of information in here that was new. Brian, Rocky, and Richard present their information in a clear and easy-to-understand conversational style. Instead of the "I am the master; bow down in my presence" feeling that comes across in other programming guides, reading this book is like having a conversation with a more experienced mentor / co-worker. I highly recommend this book to both novice and experienced developers.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not for Beginners, August 12, 2004

By	Computer Wrangler (Woodbury, MN USA) - See all my reviews

As with any book, it's only useful if it has what you want. Like many of the Bible series, it is rated for "Beginning", but it is really for experienced techs to add Lotus Notes to their skill set. The book assumes that you are familiar with scripting languages. If you aren't, don't expect this book to help you much. There are no reference materials for any of the functions or commands, no syntax helps, and no tutorials for the programming at all. Yet most of the chapters rely on programming extensively.