But, Formula have many method that Lotus Script do not have, like @Implode and @Explode. Even we can write our ownLotus Script function to do that, it just a waste of time and energy.

But, we have Evaluate in Lotus Script.

Evaluate  function is one of many of my favorite functions, because it able to run Formula and than pass the result of that Formula intoLotus Script variable (variant).

This is the syntax of Evaluate

variant = notesSession.Evaluate( formula$, doc )

We can use Evaluate function to pass the result from any kind of Formula,  from simple formula like @UserName to more complex formula like @Implode.

Recently, I use Evaluate in my program, to shorten the length of theLotus Script.

I need to calculate the difference in days between two date, but only in business days ( so saturday and sunday will not be counted also holidays).

Formula already have the function to calculate that, so I don’t need to create another lengthly Lotus Scriptfunction just to calculate that. I use the formula instead, so I need the Evaluate function.

varDay=Evaluate(“@BusinessDays(@Date(datFinal);@Date(@Now);1;datPublicHoliday)”,doc)

Remember that Evaluate function return value is variant.

With Evaluate, Formula and Lotus Script can coexist together.

One of the important thing in workflow is email notification, to let users know that they have one job to do, or just simply notification.

Example,  if a staff create a leave request and when he or she submit the request, his or her manager will get an email notification about the request.

I have this one of my favorite sub program to create an email notification, well I named it “CreateEmailNotification” .

If you like, you can use it for free. Just copy the sub program in one or new Script Library.

This is the sub program.

=====Start of Sub Program
Sub CreateMailNotification(doc As notesdocument, strSendTo As Variant, strSubject As String, strCopyTo As Variant)

Dim session As notessession
Dim db As notesdatabase
Dim docMail As notesdocument
Dim rtitem As Variant

Set db = doc.parentdatabase
Set session = db.Parent
Set docMail=db.createdocument
Set rtitem=docMail.CreateRichTextItem(“Body”)

If strSendTo(0)=”" Then Exit Sub

‘=====set mail
docMail.Form = “Memo”
docMail.From = session.UserName
docMail.Principle = session.UserName
docMail.SendTo = strSendTo

If Isarray(strCopyTo) Then
If strCopyTo(0)<>”" Then
docMail.CopyTo = strCopyTo
End If
Else
If strCopyTo<>”" Then
docMail.CopyTo = strCopyTo
End If
End If

docMail.Recipients = strSendTo
docMail.Subject = strSubject
docMail.PostedDate = Now

‘=====set body field
Call rtitem.AppendText(“Please click this doclink to see more details about the status ” + ” “)
Call rtitem.AppendDocLink( doc, “click to open document”)
Call rtitem.AddNewLine( 2 )

‘=====send mail
Call docMail.send(False)
End Sub
=====End of Sub Program

Feel free to do some modification if necessary.

You can call it from any lotusscript with simple line like this.

call Call CreateMailNotification (doc, doc.nmSendTo, strSubject,doc.nmCopyTo)

Don’t forget to put use “Script Libary Name” first.

Actually lotus script – as far as I know – doesn’t provide function for
that. So, I look elsewhere, then I found a very interesting function call
shell.

From Designer Help, description about shell function is very short – Starts
another program – that it, no more no less.

Later I found out that shell can ‘almost’ run anything via command line,
like my agent that called an ftp program to download or upload a file.

Sample of my agent:
Dim TaskID as integer
TaskID = Shell (“c:\programto\download.bat”)

Than I create a batch file called download.bat
ftp.exe -i -s:”c:\programto\download.txt”>c:\jbadownload\log\getsO13Log.txt

Than I create a download.txt
open ftp.server.com
ftpusername
ftpusepassword
ascii
prompt
cd tosomefolder
lcd tosomelocalfolder
get somefile
bye

See the tricks?

I don’t use any third party ftp client, just using ftp client that already
included in all windows distribution. That’s works.

I also use the shell function to do many things, like extract zip files
with pkunzip and many more.

To do this, you must installed domino designer.

First of all, create a blank database.
>From File menu, select Database and click New. Than right click the
database, then click Open in Designer.

Second, create a form.
In the form, you should at least add one field, and action buttons to edit
and save.
For edit button, you can use this simple formula:
@Command([EditDocument])

For save button, you can use this formula
@Command([FileSave]);

If needed, you can add another action button, called Exit or Close
@Command([FileCloseWindow])

Third, create a view to display the form.
In the view, you should add an action button to create the form that you
just created.
Example:
@Command([Compose];”Form A”)

That it. Very basic, but your first notes database is ready to go.

To make your database more readable by users or to make it more good
looking, you can add these additional steps.

First, I like how IBM design the mail template. Therefore I like to use the
same design as in the mail template.

Create few pages
As in mail template, create two pages, one for database name, and second to
display your user name.
For page to display your database name, just type the name, no formula
needed.
For page to display your user name, create a computed text, and in the
formula windows type this formula @Name([CN];@UserName).

Create an outline.
Outline will simplify how your notes user will switch on different view.
Create one outline, and click generate default outline and then create a
page to display the outline.

Create a frame.
And to put the whole elements that you just created, you use a frame.

Now from the database properties, in launch tab, select the frame that you
just created as default launcher.

That it. Your database now look more professional with pages and frame. Add
more colors or pictures if you have too.

To add more functionality for your database, create an agent. This, another
story.

This a cut version of my lotusscript agent. I only show how we import the
data from a text file. My agent, actually use the data to create new
documents in notes database. The text file should located in the server
where the agent run. Also the signer of the agent must have appropriate
rights in the server.

In the agent, you will see the NoteLog object. Well, I have a habit to
create a log on every agent that I created. So I can troubleshoot the agent
easily if something goes wrong.

>>>>>
Sub Initialize
Dim fileNum As Integer
Dim strLine As String

‘//=====prepare for loging
Dim currentLog As New NotesLog( “Import data from text file” )
Call currentLog.OpenNotesLog( “”, “AMgrLog.nsf” )
‘//=====

fileNum = Freefile()
Open “c:\data\import\sample.txt” For Input As fileNum

‘//=====
Call currentLog.LogAction( “Import data from text file – Start”)
‘//=====

Do While Not Eof (fileNum)
Line Input #fileNum, strLine
‘//===now you have strLine variable that you can manipulate as
you want
‘//===example Trim(Mid$(strLine,69,7))
Loop

Close fileNum
‘//=====loging
Call currentLog.LogAction( “Import data from text file – End”)
Call currentLog.Close

End Sub
>>>>>

Now, you have it and have fun.