Lotus Notes

To continue from my first and second article, As we know designer 8.5.1 entirely built on Eclipse framework so most of the domino experts definitely believe on the fact that there is a new era started where we need to get used to with Eclipse framework for Lotus Notes development. However , It's not going to be as easy as it was before when fresh graduate can develop Lotus Notes applications.
The best thing about domino designer 8.5.1 is to guide developer to use best practices in coding like, Add comments automatically whenever you add new functions or subs , Compel not to use undeclared variables etc.however , To increase developers productivity in Domino designer 8.5.1, They have to learn Eclipse framework to some extent. Let's check how can you make most in Designer 8.5.1,

1-Customize annotations: Customize the display of annotations in editors settings to interact better with Lotus Script/Java editors. Here is the effect,

2- Quick Diff : You can keep track of what has changed as you edit.


Here is the effect,

Note: Unfortunately this feature only works for Java but not for Lotus Script . However,I believe designer team will fix this when actual release will come.

3- Spelling : Enable spell checker to remove incorrect spellings in your comments.

here how it looks in Java,

Lotus script doesn't detect correctly ,


Note:Unfortunately this feature doesn't work correctly in Lotus Script code but works well in Java code. I believe this could be fixed in actual release.

4- View keyword shortcuts : It's a great way to increase your productivity in Eclipse framework. To get the all keyword list instantly press Ctrl+Shift+L
5- Detached view : It's possible to detach a view so that it can be placed wherever desired, including over another Eclipse window.Right-click on the view to be moved and select "Detached" from the menu. (Alternatively, drag the view by its tab to detach the view from its position in the perspective.)

6- Modify code template : Most of the developers don't include error handler while writing the code , once they encounter the error then remember to add error handler. In designer 8.5.1 even you can standardize error handler code for your new function and subroutine. Definitely this feature will guide developers to follow coding guidelines.

7- Colorful editor : There are lot of developers who got bored in writing Lotus Script/Java code in white text editor. Designer 8.5.1 has given you an option to design your editor as the way you want .

Here is my script editor,

To continue with my first article on Domino designer 8.5.1 new features and my findings, Let's check some more cool features in Designer 8.5.1.

1- In prior versions of Domino designer what happens if existing script library has been missing or removed and agents which were using that library throws an error "Unable to load xxx library".To find such problem in complex applications was quite tedious and time consuming. In 8.5.1 designer, It can be easily detected. You can see red cross beside agent name which is having unresolved issues.Even database icon shows the same.That's elegant !



2- As I've mentioned the possible bug about outline view (Outline view in Designer 8.5 - BUG or only for XPages) in Designer 8.5 is fixed in 8.5.1.
It's nice feature to review and optimize your Domino Java agents in Domino designer itself. Now , Who needs Eclipse to develop Domino Java agents , I don't use anymore :)



3- In Designer 8.5.1 , You don't need to open Agent/Script library property window to modify their property.It can be done inline while writing code.



4- Review your global variables declarations instantly without going to declaration section.I'm going to love this feature because I often use Global declarations in my code.



5- Add line number in your code to enhance readability and ease in debugging.



Note: To attain this feature Show line number option must be enabled from Text Editor

6- Coding Help on your fingertip. You don't need to open help file anymore and wait to get indexed ( if it's not ) and perform search for your desire functions or methods. Just move your mouse on function and get the instant help. Most of the domino developers going to love this..


7- In earlier versions of Domino it was impossible to detect function and sub-routine type in Agent/Script library without opening them individually. Domino designer 8.5.1 came with outstanding feature where you don't need to manually check their types. Even you can detect class with green icon below.

Along with that Constants can be detected ,