Advanced Programming With Notes/DominoCOM Classes
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The document discusses using COM (Component Object Model) classes to access Notes/Domino objects from outside the Notes client. It describes front-end objects that require the Notes UI and back-end objects that can run without it. The speaker demonstrates how to consume both front-end and back-end COM objects from Visual Studio .NET languages and C++. Using COM allows standalone programs to leverage Notes functionality without Java.
Advanced Programming With Notes/DominoCOM Classes
- 1. 3/11/2010 Advanced Programming With Notes/Domino COM Classes EntwicklerCamp, March, 2010 Bob Balaban Looseleaf Software LLC bbalaban@gmail.com Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software Agenda • Speaker intro • COM and OLE • Notes “front-end” and “back-end” objects • Where can you use Notes COM/OLE classes? • Vb.net • C# • C++ • Why? • Demos and samples • Q &A Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 1
- 2. 3/11/2010 Speaker Introduction • 15+ years as a Lotus/Iris/IBM developer (1-2-3, Notes/Domino) • Wrote the original LotusScript/Java back-end classes (Notes v4.0) • Notes/SAP integration (v7.x, 2006) • 9+ years as an independent consultant/developer/author • Frequent speaker at LUGs and Lotusphere • Many trade journal articles • Expertise in N/D programmability, plugins, J2ee, system integration, messaging, appdev in general Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software COM – Component Object Model • A way to provide “interfaces” for other code to use • Kind of like Web Services, for Windows programs • “Provider” (“server”): • Create a component in c++ or a .NET language, • Describe the interface in IDL (interface definition language), • Compile IDL to a “type library”, register it under some ID and/or name • COM objects can be DLL or EXE (“in-proc”, “out-of-proc”) • “Consumer” (“client”): • Use Visual Studio (it generates a lot of code for you) • Get an instance of the root object (by ID or name, or…) • Use it to get other objects Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 2
- 3. 3/11/2010 COM, the Big Picture My Program (.exe) IPC Broker IF 1 In-Process Out-of-Process IF 2 Other Some Program Typelib Typelib DLL 1 (.exe) 2 Windows Registry Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software COM and OLE • Object Linking and Embedding • Very UI-oriented • Standards and practices for putting “live” objects into composite “documents” • ALL based on COM objects • Container (e.g., Word or Notes) supplies embedding interfaces (pre- defined) to the contained object (picture, Visio, something) • Persistent storage, access to menu, location, etc. etc. • Embedded object provides pre-defined interfaces to the container (launch, quiesce, open, save…) • We’re not going to do much with OLE in this session • (too much typing…) Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 3
- 4. 3/11/2010 Notes “Front-end” and “Back-end” • Front-end is UI • NotesUIWorkspace, NotesUIDatabase, etc. • Can only operate in the context of a running Notes Client • (otherwise there’s no UI!) • No equivalent in Java, LotusScript and COM only • Back-end classes have no UI • NotesSession, NotesDatabase, etc. • Can run either in Client or in Server • Java, LotusScript, COM, CORBA Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software Front-end and Back-end COM • BOTH sets of classes are available to COM-consuming programs • Each one has it’s own “typelib” • Front-end classes launch the Notes Client, “out-of-proc” • “Lotus Notes Automation Classes” library • Back-end classes load the LSXBE DLL “in-proc” • “Lotus Domino Objects” library Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 4
- 5. 3/11/2010 Front-end / Back-end COM libs My COM program NLNOTES.exe IPC Broker Front-end (UIWorkspace, etc.) LSXBE dll Back-end (Session, etc.) Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software COM Consumers • Use Visual Studio.net! • 2005, 2008 (2003 works, but not as well) • CLR languages (VB.net, C#) • Easy! • C++ - some tricks required Demo 1: Front-end with CLR Demo 2: Back-end with CLR Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 5
- 6. 3/11/2010 Why Do This: Use Cases • You want to write a standalone program (.exe) that uses Notes objects, and you don’t want to write Java • You want to write a standalone program (.exe) that uses front-end objects (not an option with Java) • You’re writing an Extension Manager plugin or Server Addin (or anything that requires C/C++) and want to use higher- level objects than you get in Notes CAPI • You are writing something that requires .NET (ASPX, Web part, whatever) Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software More Demo Demo 3: Front-end COM in C++ (launch new Memo form in mail db) Demo 4: Back-end COM in C++ (export dxl from a data document) Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 6
- 7. 3/11/2010 Summary • COM is difficult to explain thoroughly • But pretty easy to use • If you get the right tools (Visual Studio!) • COM gives you access to both Front- and Back-end objects from “outside” the product • CLR languages (C#, VB.net) are the easiest to use • C++ also possible, requires a bit of extra work Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software References • “Essential COM” by Don Box (1988) • The best and most thorough reference on all things COM • “COM Together” – Lotus Redbook, 2000 • http://www.redbooks.ibm.com/abstracts/sg245670.html?Op en • “In Theory” blog – couple of articles on using COM and C# with Notes CAPI • http://www.bobzblog.com Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 7
- 8. 3/11/2010 Questions How to contact me: Bob Balaban (not the actor) bbalaban@gmail.com Blog – http://www.bobzblog.com Copyright 2010 Looseleaf Software 8