Re: Text field lengths and external DataBases.

["Roger Vicker, CCP" <rvicker@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Scott,

I'll check the Sandbox again. We are looking for something that will 
either limit the amount of input during typing or at least give a 
character counter keystroke by keystroke like some web page inputs. An 
overview of Notes 6 said that there were almost twice as many classes 
available as Notes 5.

As far as communications we looked at LEI but it was too expensive for 
the size of the project. DECs was a possibility but some of the mapping 
ended up needing agents anyway so we went with the native ODBC. The 
agent loads the server copies each evening and copies the new server 
data to DB2 each morning. The users replicate to their notebooks first 
and last thing each day. The user are not allowed to update only create 
documents so the agents are somewhat simpler. If it had been a full 
update in both implementations with the Notes side being disconnected 
things would have been a lot more complicated even with Domino's great 
replication and conflict handling.

I am not sure if the native ODBC will talk to a system other than the 
one the agent is running on. If it won't can you set up DDM files on the 
host system that point to the actual data hosting system?

Roger Vicker, CCP

On 1/22/2003 9:27 AM, Scott Johnson wrote:

> Roger,
>
> There are many ways to do field validation.  Probably more ways than there
> are ice cream flavors at Baskin&Robbins.  Most of the better ones seem to
> use JavaScript on the Form to do the validation.  Go to the Sandbox on
> Notes.net and search for validation.  If I remember correctly there is an
> issue with JavaScript not working nicely in the 5.0.* Notes clients. On
> browsers it works great. I think in Notes 6, JavaScript runs in the client
> a lot better. Plus I think there are a couple of new events available in
> the Notes 6 Client that help adding validation a lot easier.
>
> A side question.  What are you using to "talk" back and forth between Notes
> and DB2/400?  DECS? LEI? Home Grown?  We are in the middle of a project
> where we are front ending the maintenance of our Product data in
> Notes/Domino running on one iSeries. The Product Data is actually located
> in DB2/400 on a different iSeries for fulfillment purposes.  I am up
> against a real big wall in trying to decide how to shuttle the actual data
> back and forth.  The two big things I have left on this project are data
> movement and field validation.  I started work on it under 5, we are now
> going to re-do it in Notes 6.  So I am hoping that 6 will make things
> easier.
>
> --
> ------------------------------------------------------
> Scott P. Johnson
> Applications Development Team Coordinator
> Microcomputer Development Specialist
> IBM Certified Specialist - AS/400 RPG Programmer
> Highsmith Inc.
> W5527 Hwy 106, PO BOX 800
> Fort Atkinson, WI 53538-0800
> TEL:  920-563-9571                FAX:  920-563-7395
> sjohnson@highsmith.com
> www.highsmith.com
> ------------------------------------------------------
>
>
>
> Hello,
>
> We have put a Domino/Notes face on a DB2 application using Domino 5.0.10
> (soon Domino 6) and are having problems with text fields.
>
> Since this is based on a DB2 application running on an iSeries the text
> fields have a fixed length however in the Notes client the only way to
> limit the input is by issuing an error message after the user's input
> :-(  or by truncating :-( :-(  in the code. The users really hate having
> to retype their text or guessing at how much will fit and usually end up
> with very short lines that waste a lot of database space.
>
> In addition there are areas where a memo is attached to a master record.
> Again, with a DB2 backend this is structured as an unlimited number of
> fixed length records, each representing a line.
>
> Surely with the number of Domino applications interfacing with other
> databases that use fixed length fields someone has developed a better
> way of making the Notes client keep the fields compatible.
>
> I would appreciate any code _snipits_ or addresses that could help with
> these situations.
>
> Thanks.
>
> Roger Vicker, CCP
>
> --
> *** Vicker Programming and Service *** Have bits will byte ***
> www.vicker.com ***
> A conference with the IRS is a taxing proposition.
>
>
>
>  
--
*** Vicker Programming and Service *** Have bits will byte *** www.vicker.com ***
If it ain't broke yet, let me have a shot at it.