Software Development
Thursday 22nd, March 2007
DBLookup Tips22/03/2007 12:34 PMLocation : Home Office
One of my colleagues pointed me to this
DeveloperWorks article on performance tips for DBLookup. Some excellent tips here and I am sure a few of us have made some of these mistakes in the past.
I know I will be checking some of our larger Notes applications for some of these tips.
Technorati: Lotus Notes
(0)
I know I will be checking some of our larger Notes applications for some of these tips.
Technorati: Lotus Notes
(0)
Monday 2nd, October 2006
Workplace Forms Integrated with Workflow-Xpress on Domino: Part 302/10/2006 06:54 PMLocation : Home Office
Well little by little I am progressing. I was having trouble getting the Translator Servlet running on Domino (mainly due to a big lack of documentation showing how to deploy IBM Workplace Forms Server on a servlet container other than IBM Websphere Application Server). So I decided to try it the way it was documented by using WAS 6.0.2.
First I setup another VM-Server running Windows 2003 and applied the appropriate patches etc. I then installed Domino 7.0.1 and the Workplace Forms API and got the Mortgages example working (As this was now the second time it took maybe 1 hr instead of the day that it took the first time). This meant I could use Domino as the storage and data repository for the Mortgages Form using the Workplace Forms Viewer embedded into the browser as an object.
Then in order to get the Workplace Forms Server Translator Servlet operating (This is what renders the XFDL form as HTML) I installed WAS 6.0.0.0 Then upgraded it to WAS 6.0.2.0. The hardest thing here was finding the right files to download from IBM. The documentation seems to indicate that you need to change the Default HTTP Port to be 8085 rather than the preset 9080 for WAS so I did this. I then installed the Workplace Forms Server including the Translator and the sample apps. This seemed to work fine however when I then tried the sample it wouldn't work. After turning off Internet Explorer's "Friendly Error Messages" (NOT) I realised that both the WAS HTTP server and the Translator Service were running on 8085 and hence the conflict. So skip the above step re changing the Port!! Once I changed it back and restarted the services it worked a treat. This all took most of the day as it was a painful process but again I reckon it will only take an hour or so next time.
So now I have Domino acting as the main HTTP server and WAS acting as the servlet container for just the Translator Servlet. Next step is to write a JSP that combines both the Domino integration example and the WAS sample. This should then allow me to use Domino as the Workplace Forms storage of Form templates and have the Mortgages application detect if the user has Workplace Forms Viewer installed. If it does it will load the viewer (as per the Domino Integration example) and if it doesn't it will use the Translator (running on WAS) to render the form as HTML allowing me to still populate the data into the Domino database. Then we are really cooking with gas as they say for all those Domino sites that want to integrate Workplace Forms!!
One good thing about the above is that once you have the Translator installed as a service there is no need to start WAS. You just need to start the Translator service and that seems to work fine. I still believe it will be possible to get the Translator servlet running just on Domino without the need for Tomcat or WAS but I really wanted to get the Translator going first so I went with WAS. Down the track I will try again to get it going just on Domino. An important point that maybe makes it all pointless anyway is that WAS is bundled with Workplace Forms Server anyway (Restricted use license for Workplace Forms only) so that may very well be the way to go regardless.
Technorati: None IBM Lotus Domino Workplace Forms
(3)
First I setup another VM-Server running Windows 2003 and applied the appropriate patches etc. I then installed Domino 7.0.1 and the Workplace Forms API and got the Mortgages example working (As this was now the second time it took maybe 1 hr instead of the day that it took the first time). This meant I could use Domino as the storage and data repository for the Mortgages Form using the Workplace Forms Viewer embedded into the browser as an object.
Then in order to get the Workplace Forms Server Translator Servlet operating (This is what renders the XFDL form as HTML) I installed WAS 6.0.0.0 Then upgraded it to WAS 6.0.2.0. The hardest thing here was finding the right files to download from IBM. The documentation seems to indicate that you need to change the Default HTTP Port to be 8085 rather than the preset 9080 for WAS so I did this. I then installed the Workplace Forms Server including the Translator and the sample apps. This seemed to work fine however when I then tried the sample it wouldn't work. After turning off Internet Explorer's "Friendly Error Messages" (NOT) I realised that both the WAS HTTP server and the Translator Service were running on 8085 and hence the conflict. So skip the above step re changing the Port!! Once I changed it back and restarted the services it worked a treat. This all took most of the day as it was a painful process but again I reckon it will only take an hour or so next time.
So now I have Domino acting as the main HTTP server and WAS acting as the servlet container for just the Translator Servlet. Next step is to write a JSP that combines both the Domino integration example and the WAS sample. This should then allow me to use Domino as the Workplace Forms storage of Form templates and have the Mortgages application detect if the user has Workplace Forms Viewer installed. If it does it will load the viewer (as per the Domino Integration example) and if it doesn't it will use the Translator (running on WAS) to render the form as HTML allowing me to still populate the data into the Domino database. Then we are really cooking with gas as they say for all those Domino sites that want to integrate Workplace Forms!!
One good thing about the above is that once you have the Translator installed as a service there is no need to start WAS. You just need to start the Translator service and that seems to work fine. I still believe it will be possible to get the Translator servlet running just on Domino without the need for Tomcat or WAS but I really wanted to get the Translator going first so I went with WAS. Down the track I will try again to get it going just on Domino. An important point that maybe makes it all pointless anyway is that WAS is bundled with Workplace Forms Server anyway (Restricted use license for Workplace Forms only) so that may very well be the way to go regardless.
Technorati: None IBM Lotus Domino Workplace Forms
(3)
Friday 22nd, September 2006
Workplace Forms Integrated with Workflow-Xpress on Domino: Part 222/09/2006 01:41 PMLocation : Home Office
Awesome. I have managed to install Workplace Forms Server API onto a Domino server and have got the Mortgage Form Sample working. At this stage a user can access the Mortgage form from a browser (using the Workplace Forms Viewer at this stage) and enter a customer number. The form is then prepopulated with customer data that is extracted from a Notes database. The user can then complete the form and submit it back to the Notes database. The submit will update any changed customer details and create a new Notes document with the Workplace Form attached. The data from the form is parsed out and populated into the Notes document.
There were a few little tricky bits where the documentation wasn't quite correct (mainly to do with new versions of the API's). Also the setup of the PureEdge configuration needed a little tweaking.
The next step is to modify the Form so that it used the Workplace Forms HTML Translator so that users don't need the Workplace Forms viewer and can have a zero footprint. Once I have that going I plan to integrate the Notes database with Workflow-Xpress so that the submission of the form kicks of a workflow business process to route the form to appropriate people.
Technorati: IBM Lotus Notes Workplace Forms
(0)
There were a few little tricky bits where the documentation wasn't quite correct (mainly to do with new versions of the API's). Also the setup of the PureEdge configuration needed a little tweaking.
The next step is to modify the Form so that it used the Workplace Forms HTML Translator so that users don't need the Workplace Forms viewer and can have a zero footprint. Once I have that going I plan to integrate the Notes database with Workflow-Xpress so that the submission of the form kicks of a workflow business process to route the form to appropriate people.
Technorati: IBM Lotus Notes Workplace Forms
(0)
Wednesday 20th, September 2006
Workplace Forms Integrated with Workflow-Xpress on Domino20/09/2006 09:10 AMLocation : Home Office
I am just starting a project for a client to integrate IBM Workplace Forms with a Lotus Notes/Domino database. We have purchased a nice new IBM X-Series 346 server with plenty of memory & disk. I plan to install Linux as the host operating system and then utilise VMWare Server so that I can run up a few different installation options. At this point the first server will be a Windows Server 2003 Standard Edn.
The plan is to implement Workplace Forms Server Express onto a server running Domino. The Domino server will serve out the clients public web site where customers can fill in a Workplace Form (Loan application for example).
Once the Form has been filled in it would be submitted to the server and saved as an attachment to a Lotus Notes document. I plan to parse the Workplace Form and then populate corresponding fields on the Notes document. Users within the clients Notes environment would then be notified that a client has submitted a form. They would be able to read the details parsed into the Notes document and if they have Workplace Forms Viewer installed they could open the actual form attached. If they don't have workplace Forms Viewer I thought I could add an option to launch the form in a browser via the Workplace Forms Server.
In a step based approach it will work as follows:
and that is basically it.
So as I progress I will update here on.
Technorati: IBM Workplace Forms Lotus Domino
(521)
The plan is to implement Workplace Forms Server Express onto a server running Domino. The Domino server will serve out the clients public web site where customers can fill in a Workplace Form (Loan application for example).
Once the Form has been filled in it would be submitted to the server and saved as an attachment to a Lotus Notes document. I plan to parse the Workplace Form and then populate corresponding fields on the Notes document. Users within the clients Notes environment would then be notified that a client has submitted a form. They would be able to read the details parsed into the Notes document and if they have Workplace Forms Viewer installed they could open the actual form attached. If they don't have workplace Forms Viewer I thought I could add an option to launch the form in a browser via the Workplace Forms Server.
In a step based approach it will work as follows:
- The end-user fills in the form, using the Workplace Forms WebForm Server ( Translator ) or the Workplace Forms Viewer, and clicks the [Submit] button
- The data within the form -and- the form itself are posted into Domino using a J2EE servlet running on the Domino server
- The servlet parses the form, and extracts the data into a NSF.
- The servlet also stores the form as an attachment to the Notes document
- By integrating ISW's Workflow-Xpress with the NSF, the business-user receives an email notification, advising them of an update ( this is a Domino application trigger driven by Workflow-Xpress)
- They navigate to the relevant database, and view the data stored within the database schema
- They also choose to open the form by clicking on the attachment; alternatively, they click on a button which invokes the WebForm Server ( Translator ) and passes the form ( as an XFDL file )
and that is basically it.
So as I progress I will update here on.
Technorati: IBM Workplace Forms Lotus Domino
(521)
Saturday 5th, August 2006
Developing Software in Australia05/08/2006 07:18 PMLocation : Home Office
I have been thinking recently about how the development and more importantly commercialisation of software in the Australian market has changed in recent years. I have been fortunate enough to spend most of my career working for organisations that have developed software solutions with a view of commercialising them and taking them to market. Some of these products have been very successful and a couple that really havn't amounted to much. I firmly believe that a key success factor (or failure in the case of the not so successful products) has been the market reach of the product and hence the potential customer base. Now I guess this really isn't rocket science and it is pretty obvious when stated simply. In order to succeed with any product (software or otherwise) there needs to be a clear strategy of how to best reach the market and there needs to be a potential customer base large enough to justify investing in the product.
Now I also believe that here in lied the primary challenge for Australian software companies of the past (ie 2-3+ years ago). For an Australian company the potential target market used to pretty much be Australia. As little as a few years ago the reality was that for a small company that wanted to develop software in Australia the market was pretty much 20 million people (the population of Australia). For companies based in the Europe or America the market was much larger (American Population ~295 million people). So what does this mean? Well for a software company building a very niche product the market in Australia is probably pretty small. Whereas American and UK software companies have a much larger audience for niche products simply due to their populations. The reality was that unless you had some significant backing (ie $$$) it was very difficult to promote, sell, distribute, and support software overseas.
A good example of this is ISW's Address-IT software suite. Address-IT was developed specifically for the Australian market to barcode mail as part of the Australia Post AMAS program. We have been pretty successful with the product over the last 7 or 8 years it has been in the market. We have a good client base that is continuing to grow and the product provides a good return for the investment made. In real terms the product employs 3-4 people and has enabled us to invest further in our software business. We are pretty proud of what we have acheived with the product. The reality is though that the product is only designed for the Australian market and hence the potential growth into the future is limited.
Now as a comparison, ISW partners with a company in the US (based in Seattle), Satori Software. Satori develops a product called Mail Room Toolkit. The product is essentially the same as Address-IT in that it enables American companies to barcode their mail under the equivalent American postal programs. Now Satori have also been pretty successful with what is pretty much the same niche software product (there are a few differences but the underlying purpose of the products are the same). The difference is off course is that their product is aimed at the American market (295 million people). So their potential customer base is simply huge compared to that of Address-IT. As a result Satori now employ something like 85 people and are focused primarily on this one product!! That is a pretty amazing difference to Address-IT and makes our success look humble in comparison.
There are of course may be a number of difference but I am pretty sure the market size is the key factor here differing the growth of two products.
So what is the point of all of this. Well the natural extension of this is that if Australian software companies want to grow to significant businesses they really needs to have a broader focus than just the Australian market. The great thing is that the world has changed even just in the last few years. I believe that the internet phenonemon has truely taken hold and companies are in no way restricted by their geographic locations. Google, Yahoo , etc....Web Conferences, Web Demos, VOIP, and real time collaboration over the net have enabled us to reach these remote locations like they are down the road. Sure you may need to get up at 2am for the occasional meeting but I am happy to sleep in after those meetings. Companies, and more importantly the people making the buying decisions understand now that geographic location isn't really a big deal. Small IT companies have had true world wide success with niche products. Companies all around the world now have the entire world as their potential market without having to spend heaps of $$$ to do so. Setup a good web presence and off you go.
ISW has invested a lot of time and effort into ensuring the products that we are now taking to market have broader market reach and potential. We are pretty excited about a few of our products such as IVR-Xpress Visual builder (we have sold more licenses overseas than we have in Australia and fully expect this trend to continue and grow). Our IBM Lotus Notes & Domino products such as Workflow-Xpress and BusinessWorks have a potential audience of 125 million users around the world and thru clever use of google etc we have successfully penetrated both the American and European markets as well off course the Australian market.
I believe that an important factor in successful software development is that software isn't all about the code. The greatest code in the world won't alone make for a successful product. I might chat about that next. If anyone has want to comment what they think are the keys to commercialising software around the world I would be keen to hear from you.
Technorati: Software Development, Commercialisation
(0)
Now I also believe that here in lied the primary challenge for Australian software companies of the past (ie 2-3+ years ago). For an Australian company the potential target market used to pretty much be Australia. As little as a few years ago the reality was that for a small company that wanted to develop software in Australia the market was pretty much 20 million people (the population of Australia). For companies based in the Europe or America the market was much larger (American Population ~295 million people). So what does this mean? Well for a software company building a very niche product the market in Australia is probably pretty small. Whereas American and UK software companies have a much larger audience for niche products simply due to their populations. The reality was that unless you had some significant backing (ie $$$) it was very difficult to promote, sell, distribute, and support software overseas.
A good example of this is ISW's Address-IT software suite. Address-IT was developed specifically for the Australian market to barcode mail as part of the Australia Post AMAS program. We have been pretty successful with the product over the last 7 or 8 years it has been in the market. We have a good client base that is continuing to grow and the product provides a good return for the investment made. In real terms the product employs 3-4 people and has enabled us to invest further in our software business. We are pretty proud of what we have acheived with the product. The reality is though that the product is only designed for the Australian market and hence the potential growth into the future is limited.
Now as a comparison, ISW partners with a company in the US (based in Seattle), Satori Software. Satori develops a product called Mail Room Toolkit. The product is essentially the same as Address-IT in that it enables American companies to barcode their mail under the equivalent American postal programs. Now Satori have also been pretty successful with what is pretty much the same niche software product (there are a few differences but the underlying purpose of the products are the same). The difference is off course is that their product is aimed at the American market (295 million people). So their potential customer base is simply huge compared to that of Address-IT. As a result Satori now employ something like 85 people and are focused primarily on this one product!! That is a pretty amazing difference to Address-IT and makes our success look humble in comparison.
There are of course may be a number of difference but I am pretty sure the market size is the key factor here differing the growth of two products.
So what is the point of all of this. Well the natural extension of this is that if Australian software companies want to grow to significant businesses they really needs to have a broader focus than just the Australian market. The great thing is that the world has changed even just in the last few years. I believe that the internet phenonemon has truely taken hold and companies are in no way restricted by their geographic locations. Google, Yahoo , etc....Web Conferences, Web Demos, VOIP, and real time collaboration over the net have enabled us to reach these remote locations like they are down the road. Sure you may need to get up at 2am for the occasional meeting but I am happy to sleep in after those meetings. Companies, and more importantly the people making the buying decisions understand now that geographic location isn't really a big deal. Small IT companies have had true world wide success with niche products. Companies all around the world now have the entire world as their potential market without having to spend heaps of $$$ to do so. Setup a good web presence and off you go.
ISW has invested a lot of time and effort into ensuring the products that we are now taking to market have broader market reach and potential. We are pretty excited about a few of our products such as IVR-Xpress Visual builder (we have sold more licenses overseas than we have in Australia and fully expect this trend to continue and grow). Our IBM Lotus Notes & Domino products such as Workflow-Xpress and BusinessWorks have a potential audience of 125 million users around the world and thru clever use of google etc we have successfully penetrated both the American and European markets as well off course the Australian market.
I believe that an important factor in successful software development is that software isn't all about the code. The greatest code in the world won't alone make for a successful product. I might chat about that next. If anyone has want to comment what they think are the keys to commercialising software around the world I would be keen to hear from you.
Technorati: Software Development, Commercialisation
(0)
- 
