XPages Application Development for
Mobile and Web Browser Applications
using Java
Chris Connor
BSS IT Solutions
Agenda for today – Developer Track
• Introduction
• Background
• Structure for the day
• What is Xpages / Where does Java fit?
• Why use it “above” SSJS
• Demonstration of Applications
• Review of Underlying Code / Technologies
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Managed Beans
Excel Export
Workflow
Validation
Deployment as OSGI Plugins as a library
• Resources and Next Steps
Agenda for today – Developer Track
• Mobile Applications – Approach
• Demonstration of a sample web application
• Built with Extension Library
• Resources and Next Steps
Introduction – Structure / format
• First Session is presentation based (2 Sections)
• Look at Xpages and Java as a subject
• Look at Mobile as a subject
• Slides / Demos
• Second Part – BOF
• Loosely based around session 1
• Questions from you about whatever YOU choose!
• Pull apart code / discuss
Introduction - Background
• BSS IT Solutions
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XPages
Eclipse RCP
Mobile
Classic Domino Development
Web / Dojo / JQuery / Java Development
Sold own systems for office automation
• Time Recording, Expenses, PO Requisitions
Plans to “upgrade”
• Blog - XSPTalk.com
• OpenNTF contributor
• XDesk
• Developer since 1995 days
Background - My Recent Engagements
• Working with Customers in the UK
• Mentoring
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Setting up an Xpages “Framework”
Skills transfer / Training
Defining Development approaches for mobilisation
Advising where Xpages works / does not work
• Development of Solutions
• Knowledge Management System for Consulting
Engineers Firm
• Travel authorisations system for subsidiary of British
Airways
• Requisition application for Public Sector organisation
• Through all of this
• How do we make this easy to maintain
• How do we build TEMPLATES for the future
Why “invest” in Java for XPages
• Makes Developers Life Easier
• Store code in Java Classes / Libraries
• Better Re-use
• Better Design / Extending
• Better Eclipse Editor for Development
• SSJS Editor is not the best…
Can “inspect classes” easier – F3 / F4
• Encourages a clean design in terms of XML / Xpages
design
• Less inline code
• Access to vast of code APIs / libraries / classes
• Documented!
• Access to vast network of support
Why “invest” in Java for XPages
• Skill set that is in demand
• Skill set that is re-usable / transferable
• If you are a Java house then it makes sense
• If you are a consultant – more opportunities
• Access to other Java Developments
• Subversion / OSGI / Junit / Eclipse Platform
• RCP Plugins / Mobile Development similarities (one
language)
• Help borrow approaches from other JSF platforms
• Xpages is JSF (relatively new)
• Can learn from other environments
• Many reasons – hopefully we can explore just a
few today
Tools and Skills you need
• Tools
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Domino Designer / Server
XPages / Extension Library
“Decompiler” for Java
Firebug for Firefox
• Chrome / Safari Debugger
• Emulator (such as ripple)
• Chrome / Safari
• Skills
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HTML / JavaScript / CSS (Web Developer)
XSP (XML Language based on JSF)
Notes Object Knowledge (Basic Notes Developer)
Java
Back to Basics – What is XPages?
• JSF based Development Framework
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JavaScript (Client and Server side)
AJAX
Dojo Tookit
Java
• Scripting can be applied with SSJS
• JavaScript (extended to work with Notes Objects and
the Xpages Java Framework)
• Xpages / Custom Controls are compiled to Java
• 99% of all my code is Java
• Called from SSJS as managed beans
• Called from EL
Demo
• Demo of example Workflow Application
• Simple Workflow Application
• Uses Extension Library One UI
• Workflow configured with “Config Documents”
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Managed Beans
Export to Excel
Validation
Classes as OSGI Plugins
XPages – What happens when we write them?
• How do we start writing them?
• Designer
• Drag and drop components onto palette
• Configure
• Tie business logic scripting / java to events
• Write / Edit XML natively
• Note* They are complied to JAVA and executed by
the XSP runtime environment
Design Representation
Source (XML) Representation
Complied to Java to be executed
Code Walkthrough
• Look at “Request” XPage
• General Modular Construction – Custom Controls
• Data Bindings for document1
• Framework Layout using One UI from Extension
Library
Code Walkthrough – General Layout
Managed Beans
• What are “Managed Beans”
• POJO – configured with getters / setters
• Implements “Serializable” (so XSP can read / write
from disk
• Can be scoped (in Xpages)
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Request
View
Session
Application
• Very useful for
• Providing universal access to common lookups
• Providing “states” in an application
• e.g shopping cart / “one to many” tables
Managed Beans
• Very Useful for
• Calling your Java Libaries easily
• BeanName.doMethod() or BeanName.someproperty
uk.bssuk.net.domino.data.ObjectName.doMethod()
• Do Not!
• Try to scope Domino Objects
• They are C++ Objects and are subject to unpredictable
garbage collection (eg NotesDocument, NotesDatabase)
• Instead work with primitive types and objects such as
String, ArrayLists, HashMaps etc.
• Eg Where a document is required use the UNID instead
(String)
Managed Beans – Lookups – Use Case
• Most databases have lookup lists (Keywords)
• Should decide on which ones are common
• Keep in a library for sharing across all databases
• App Specific can reside in a class(es)
• Goal from Expression Language / SSJS
• Simple call syntax eg Lookup.Locations
• Cached for the appropriate Life Cycle (Good for
Performance)
• Session
• Application
• Request / View
Managed Beans Code – First We Declare
• Find and Edit the Faces-Config.xml file
• Go to the Java Perspective
• Package Explorer
• Register your bean by adding XML Contents as
shown
Managed Beans – Add POJO code
Now Available Getter / Setter Methods
Now Available for SSJS / EL
• A simple call to the bean will get us a cached
version of whichever property we want
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ArrayLists
Strings
Objects
Not Domino Objects!
• More efficient than lots of @DBLookups everywhere
• Deploy in an OSGI library available for all applications
Managed Beans – Line Items – Use Case
• Many applications have one-to-many tables
• Order line items
• Expenses Line Items
• Managed Beans help with this
• Provide a flexible structure for modeling
• Abstract out data
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No need to worry at early development
Could be response docs
Related docs by key
Relational database table(s)
Managed Beans – Line Items – Use Case
• Use a classic MVC
• Create a controller class for managing the POJO
objects
• Adding
• Removing
• Updating
• POJO objects are real life objects (the line items)
• Controlled by the controlling class
• The objects are then “written to disk” as appropriate by
classes performing data operations
• This stage the appropriate data definitions can be
defined
• Response Documents / Related Documents
• Data Structures - RDBMS
Managed Beans – Line Items – Steps
• Find and Edit the Faces-Config.xml file
• Go to the Java Perspective
• Package Explorer
• Register your bean by adding XML Contents as
shown
Managed Beans – Controller Class
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ArrayLists for containing Person Objects
An arraylist is bound to a repeat control
Methods for adding / removing Person Objects
When the save button is pressed on xpage these
objects are “written to disk”
Steps for Setting Excel Export in Library
• Build Java Class
• Package up into OSGI bundle
• Distribute to developers
• Install on Server
• Register as Managed Bean
• Request Scoped
• Link opens an Xpage – which has one line of code
Export Class – exportViewcolumns()
• Class contains several methods
• This method exports all documents
• Takes a NotesView as a parameter
• Exports all documents
• Exports all columns
Export Class – exportViewColumns()
Export Class – writeCurrentColumnEntry
• Writes out the current selected Entry (document)
• Series of <tr><td>xxxx</td></tr>
Generic Workflow Process
• What is a typical workflow process?
• Document that changes its “Status”
• Visible on the document
• Visible on views / reports
• Email Notifications
• Document Section Visibility
• Buttons (and other components such as fields)
• Sections / Areas of forms
• Security
• Readership
• Authorship
• Typically Triggered by a Button
• We can therefore build a generic process that ties
these aspects together
Benefits of Generic Workflow Process
• Where requirements are not clear
• Users often want “workflow” but have not thought
about exactly how this works
• We can mock up and demo quickly
• We can change quickly as the user understands how
this works by configuration and not development.
• Better quality and more stable
• Provide a uniform approach
• All applications behave the same
• Easier to maintain
• Extendable through sub-classing where necessary
• Demo Workflow
Step 1 – Action Driven
• Typically From Buttons
• Example – “Submit” button – control visibility of
display
• Visible in “Draft” mode – ie status is blank
Step 2 – Execute SSJS – 1 Line
• Executes the following SSJS Lightweight code
• Attached to button onclick event
• DocumentOperations.writeDocument() method
• Important Parameters
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ArrayList to write to disk
ArrayList to delete from disk
Document Object
Compare Object
Step 3 – Run writeDocument() method
• Executes the following Lightweight code
• DocumentOperations.writeDocument() method
• Important Parameters
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ArrayList to write to disk
ArrayList to delete from disk
Document Object
Compare Object
Step 3 – runWriteDocument() method
• DocumentOperations.doButtonvalidation(ArrayList)
• Returns true or false to the fields required property
Step 4 – Workflow Class / Object
• Main engine for workflow
• Reads configuration parameters which maps actions to
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Document Readership
Document Authorship
Status field setting
Emailing
Next page to display
Step 4 – Workflow Class / Object
• Stored in an OSGI plugin
• Will deal how that’s done in a different stage
• Available Globally to all applications
• Workflow Class has various properties read from
config
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Document Readership
Document Authorship
Status Field
Email Subject
Email Recipients etc
• The Workflow Class is registered as a managed
bean and properties are available
• Workflow.readers
• Workflow.subject
• Workflow.status (the status that its moving to)
Step 4 – Workflow Class / Object
• So example if the recipients field is not null
• Evaluate the following Formula from the config
document “MailSubject” field on the current
document.
Step 4 – Workflow Class / Object
• Subject Formula = “Text”+ID+”Text”
• Does this with all the parameters in the config
document.
Step 5 – Send Email and Redirect Page
• Uses Email class
• Formats a message with a URL link in it
• Sets sendto, subject etc
• Redirects browser to “Next Page”
Simple Validation
• Checkbox on a field
• Produces a nice message which is configurable
• The Issue
• Any refresh event could trigger this message
• Only want to target validation in certain circumstances
• Such as a specific button or event triggering
• Demo the issue
Step 1 – Hijack “Required”
• In the GUI fields are “Required” – COMPUTE!
• We need to compute the circumstances when this
field is required
Run method to compute Boolean
• Lookup.tablebuttonids
• Managed Bean Property (ArrayList)
• Of Event ids that you want to trigger this validation
• DocumentOperations.doButtonvalidation(ArrayList)
• Returns true or false to the fields required property