Gee... David

The noise surrounding XPages has certainly grabbed my attention but, to be honest, this statement took my breath away:

XPages allow Domino Web application developers to both extend the functionality and the end-user reach of current IBM® Lotus® Notes and Domino applications. . . Delivered through Java™Server Faces (JSF) technology, XPages provide both novice and seasoned Web application developers with nearly limitless data architecture. . .

That simple reference to JSF technology was overwhelming, to me. For a long time I have spoken to Domino developers who are tasked with creating Java based web applications to understand the similarity between Domino web development and JSFs. Of course those conversations have often resulted in sighs and wishes that Domino could do things 'like that'. Well, here we are. The quote is from the getting started section of a tutorial available at IBM's DeveloperWorks site. "Harness the power of XPages in Lotus Domino Designer".

But wait, to borrow from the patter of the TV infomercial, there's more: The power of XPages conceals the underlying complexity of JSF development and allows the power of the Domino Designer to retain its premier perch as a true RAD tool. (And NO I do not mean Rational Application Developer"). It is like having your own private rendering engine. Remember the "Domino Rendering Engine? Well, now you can have your own   rendering engine. XPages provide the mechanism by which 'you', the developer, supply your own markup and the resulting interpretation is mapped to JSF custom class libraries.

What does this mean for my applications?

• For starters, it makes it simple to bind multiple data sources to a single HTML form. Imagine allowing for an update to response documents, a related profile document, and a parent document all in one form submission. User input can be greatly simplified.
• Another benefit is that you can retire those old $$ hacks and the tedious effort it took to maintain them. XPages support page submission redirection without all the fuss we are used to.
• You can now easily work with CSS to drive layout and avoid placing your components in a (solitary confinement) cell.

When should you consider migrating to XPages? In my view it depends on where in the product maintenance life cycle you find yourself. I think, however, that when you consider the effort you typically expend maintaining your existing forms you will find that a little time in becoming comfortable with this powerful feature will enable your organization to cost effectively address the re-engineering required to do a soup-to-nuts renovation of your Domino web based applications. You won't simply extend their lifetime you will enhance their functionality.

So, head off to DeveloperWorks and take the tutorial for a spin. You will be glad you did. To paraphrase an famous religious figure, When we were children we saw but through a glass darkly but now we can build a new face for a new day.

Comments (0)
David Wilkerson October 6th, 2008 09:17:37 PM