Create and Access Hidden Views

Hidden views are a must in Notes/Domino applications. I use them to perform view lookups within keyword fields and back-end LotusScript routines. Creating a hidden view is easy; just wrap the view name with parentheses. As long as the view name is enclosed in parentheses, it won’t display on the navigation pane. For example, a hidden view I recently created looks up all policies that have been approved (vwlookupPolicyApproved).

It is a good idea to use hidden views whenever you’re relying on a view for LotusScript processing or looking up information using a keyword list because views can get changed and you risk the chance that an agent or keyword list won’t work.

So, how do you see a hidden view without changing the view name? To open a database from the Notes Desktop, select a database so it has focus, hold down the Ctrl and Shift keys, and then double-click on the database. When it opens, all of your hidden views are presented just like the other views are. I use this feature a lot when testing an application.

—Matt L. Vredenburg Whittman-Hart, Inc. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Directory Links Provide Quick Access to Notes Databases

When developing in Notes, I find that my otesdata (standard Notes/ Domino directory configuration) directory gets filled with lots of templates and Notes databases because of client projects. Once in a while, I clean out my otesdata directory by moving related templates and databases into a new directory tree, such as datafiles otesfiles. Within that directory tree, I create specific directories for each project. But, once I have these directories created, getting to the directories’ databases using the Notes Open Database dialog/browser can be frustrating because the browser initially displays databases in the otesdata directory. I find that traversing up and down my directory tree to find my databases can take a lot of time.

Instead of going through that effort each time I want to open a database, I now create directory links instead. There are two ways to create directory links: One way is to use the Notes/Domino Server Administration panel. By using this panel, you can also restrict who can access (from the Name and Address Book) the directory link.

I prefer the other way: Create a text file with the extension of .DIR (.dir for UNIX). Name it something that describes the information in the linking directory. Then, add the directory path in the text file. Make sure the .DIR file is in the otesdata directory. For example, I create a separate .DIR file for each of my client projects. When I browse databases on my local hard drive or server, I can see each of the .DIR files as directories within the otesdata directory. When I select the project directory, Notes directs the Open Database dialog/browser to the path defined in the .DIR file.

—Matt L. Vredenburg Whittman-Hart, Inc. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.