Lotus Domino Designer 8 Help - Designing a form to hide the Notes document

APPLICATION DESIGN

Designing a form to hide the Notes document
To allow users to move seamlessly from the IBM® Lotus® Notes® view level to an autolaunched application and back again, design a form to hide the Notes document.

When you can hide the Notes document

You can design a form to hide the Notes document when users:

Create a document (Opening Create).
Open a document to edit it (Opening Edit).
Open a document to read it (Opening Read).
Close a document after creating it (Closing Create). This option is available only if "Opening Create" is selected.
Close a document after editing it (Closing Edit). This option is available only if "Opening Edit" is selected.
Close a document after reading it (Closing Read). This option is available only if "Opening Read" is selected.

Mixing Hide/Show options

You can also design a form that hides the Notes document in some circumstances and shows it in others. Use this type of form when document creators, editors, and readers play different roles in maintaining the information in the Notes database.

Hide Notes documents when:

The main focus of the document is the object, and users don't need to fill in anything else.
The form contains only one object.
Users aren't familiar with Notes and want to work in a familiar application.
The Notes database is functioning solely as a container system for other application files.
All users have access to and can launch the other application and always work in that application.

Show Notes documents when:

Readers need to see more than the data object itself.
The form contains multiple objects.
Revising the data in the object is optional; therefore, you don't need to launch the application every time the Notes document opens.
Users who create and edit documents need to fill in other fields on the form.
Some users have operating systems, such as OS/2, that don't support OLE objects, but they still need to read the information or edit other fields in the Notes document.

To hide a Notes document

1. Open the form.

2. Choose Design - Form Properties.

3. Click the Launch tab.

4. In the "Hide when" list, select an option. (Click the option again to deselect it.)

5. Close and save the form.

Example

You create a report-tracking database that allows users to use 1-2-3 to create and update their own expense reports. When users create or update expense reports, they don't need to see the Notes document; instead, they want to autolaunch the expense report object in 1-2-3.

To design a form that mirrors your users' workflow, create an Expense Report form, embed a worksheet object in the form, and set the form properties to automatically launch the worksheet. In the "Hide when" box, select:

Opening Create
Closing Create
Opening Edit
Closing Edit.

When users choose Create - Expense Report, Notes automatically starts 1-2-3 and launches the embedded worksheet object. Users enter information directly into the 1-2-3 worksheet object and never see the Notes document. When users complete the expense reports and quit 1-2-3, the worksheet object embedded in the form updates, users are returned to the view level in Notes. If users want to edit their expense reports, they open the document in Edit mode, and 1-2-3 autolaunches. When they close 1-2-3, users are returned to the view level of Notes.

Information from the expense report worksheet appears in the Notes document or in the Notes view. The Notes database contains all of the expense reports.

See Also

Launching objects automatically

Designing forms

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