Mick on Lotus Notes, DCC in Model Railroading, and anything else I care to write about. http://www.MickMoignard.com/MickMoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/ en-us Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:41:00 +0100 Thu, 3 Jul 2008 09:41:00 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03072008094100MMOC7Q.htm Lotus Notes 8.5 Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03072008094100MMOC7Q.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03072008094100MMOC7Q.htm

In Domino Designer 8.5.  I do hope that the checkbox always comes up unselected, especially as there is no second prompt.... ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/03072008094100MMOC7Q.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03072008094100MMOC7Q.htm?opendocument&comments Wed, 2 Jul 2008 17:26:29 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/02072008172629MMOMAL.htm Lotus Notes 8.5 Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/02072008172629MMOMAL.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/02072008172629MMOMAL.htm
]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/02072008172629MMOMAL.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/02072008172629MMOMAL.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 24 Jun 2008 15:11:27 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008151127MMOJN8.htm Wordle Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008151127MMOJN8.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008151127MMOJN8.htm wordled:


]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/24062008151127MMOJN8.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008151127MMOJN8.htm?opendocument&comments Tue, 24 Jun 2008 11:59:09 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008115909MMOEW2.htm Lotus Notes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008115909MMOEW2.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008115909MMOEW2.htm
What I find is this - with the Notes 8.0.1 client - standard or basic - if you open a notes document in read mode by double-clicking in the view, it  always switches to any open copy of that document. Good.  Now, open a notes document in Edit mode by Ctrl-E opens a new instance of the document. Keep doing it and you can have 10 copies open, all in edit mode. Bad, very bad.    It also appears that the standard Notes edit action does that, too.   I don't know (yet)  if a programmed edit in a view action also causes the issue.    

All of which is a great way to generate rep/save conflicts.  Lots of them, in fact.

I don't have a Notes 7.0x client to hand, so does anyone know if the 7.0.x client has this problem, or whether it is new in 8.x?

Next, what would you do about it?  Raising a PMR isn't going to see a fix anytime soon.

Would document locking work - given that this is two edits by the same person. Would locking stop that?

I can't see an easy way round this:

• make a custom edit action on all forms in the database, which sets a flag somewhere to record that the edit button has been clicked.  Check that in both QueryOpen and QueryModeChange check to ensure that if opening or switching to edit that it's done via the edit action, which should let me catch Ctrl-E actions and prevent them
• remove the edit action from the view, so that it can't be pressed twice from the view and which leaves the only view action open to the user beingCtrl-E.  Or record, somehow, that the document is already open in edit and prevent another edit by the same person (yech)

All of that leaves me somewhat cold.  Any other ideas?  Anything I've missed?

]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/24062008115909MMOEW2.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/24062008115909MMOEW2.htm?opendocument&comments Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:34:23 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/13062008163423MMOLA2.htm GolfGTI Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/13062008163423MMOLA2.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/13062008163423MMOLA2.htm
You could say that it's basically a clever automatic with manual override.  But, crucially, as it has no torque converter, the engine speed, like a manual, is dependant on the gear you are in and the road speed.   It has two automatic modes; regular D mode, and S mode.  S mode expects full-throttle work all the time, and changes at the redline. D mode is more sedate, but on fill throttle still changes up at pretty high engine speeds.  In both cases you can use the paddles to force an gear change - so long as the software thinks that its safe to make the change.  Which means that even in auto mode, you can fly into a corner on full brakes, change down 2 or 3 gears as you go, and be at the apex in the right gear to get out of the corner quickly, and with no hands off the wheel.    It then changes back to auto mode when it thinks its safe to do so.    The idea of the two clutches and 3 shafts is that as you accelerate or decelerate it can set up the next change that it expects you need on the other shaft, so when it's time for the change, it's ready and pre-engaged, so it just needs one clutch to open and the other to close.   You do see that a shift in a direction it doesn't expect takes a little longer.  

Manual mode works off the paddles; right for up and left for down; and it leaves it up to you unless you ask it to do something silly; it won;t allow a 5 to 6 change at under about 33mph, for example, and if you brake to a stand from 6th, you see it change down each gear as it needs to.  Give it throttle at 35mph in 6th, and it may well change by itself to 3rd or 4th.  And you get regular manual-transmission engine braking too, useful for going down hills and so on.

I'm hooked, which I didn't expect to be saying. I've driven old-fashioned automatics, mostly US hire cars, where pressing the gas pedal hard results in more noise for a second or two before anything else happens.  In this thing, it reacts like a manual - it just goes.  And the gas mileage,  if you leave it in D, is about 5-7% better than the old car when driven in a similar manner.  Drive it in manual mode, where you make most but not all the gear decisions, and the gas mileage comes down to the same as the manual, which I think I'd expect.
 
I hate to say this, coming from a country where we expect to drive manuals, and automatics are regarded as motorway barge-mobiles, but I think that this is the future of high-performance cars, especially back-lane blasters which the GTI basically is.  Given that VW group made the 1000bhp Bugatti Veyron available only with the DSG gearbox, I suspect I'm not alone in thinking that.   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/13062008163423MMOLA2.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/13062008163423MMOLA2.htm?opendocument&comments Wed, 11 Jun 2008 09:05:41 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/11062008090541MMOBHL.htm Travel with a Laptop Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/11062008090541MMOBHL.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/11062008090541MMOBHL.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/11062008090541MMOBHL.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/11062008090541MMOBHL.htm?opendocument&comments Mon, 9 Jun 2008 08:51:51 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09062008085151MMOB8Z.htm ILUG2008 Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09062008085151MMOB8Z.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09062008085151MMOB8Z.htm
But Sunday didn't go so well - but at least the weather was good; warm and sunny  We'd heard during the week that Dublin airport's ATC system had failed - apparently it crashed on Wednesday - and there were some issues with getting it all going again.  At breakfast Bruce said they'd heard their flight to Chicago was delayed, so we checked with bmi around 10 for our 15:40, no delays reported.    We decided to take the scenic 16a bus out to the airport as we had plenty of time.  Must have been at least 3 hen/stag parties checking in at various airlines.   Then the delays started - first to 16:10, then 16:30, and the pilots turned up in the lounge with us.  They were told that the inbound would land around 16:05, so we sauntered down for around 16:15, and it wasn't there - it arrived a bit later.  Boarded around 17:00 we then had a slot delay for 45 mins, and finally took off around 18:00.  

We had a great view of our house and village from around 5000 feet as we made the initial approaches to LHR, down around 7pm.  Then we had to wait nearly 40 minutes for baggage as the handlers had been reassigned to another arival, or something. Finally made it home just before 9pm.  

I did, however feel even more sorry for anyone on the 11:40 Air Lingus flight to Atlanta (Julian Robichaux?) which, according to the departures board, had not left and had no posted time by the time we got away. ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/09062008085151MMOB8Z.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09062008085151MMOB8Z.htm?opendocument&comments Fri, 30 May 2008 09:44:25 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/30052008094425MMOC9U.htm Lotus Notes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/30052008094425MMOC9U.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/30052008094425MMOC9U.htm
rownnumber:=@right(@thisname;"_")

to be able to locate fields in the same row; which all works just fine.  There is, for example, a category_x field on the row that must have a value if the hours_x field has a value; so I have an input validation formula in each category_x field:

rownumber:= @Right(@ThisName;"_");
@If(@GetField("hours_" + rownumber) != "" & @ThisValue = "";@Failure("You must supply a category for line " + rownumber);@Success)

And that works just fine in each row.

However, I then wanted to add another column called pages_x, and have either that column or the hours_x column hidden per row depending on the category value; you either enter hours or pages but not both, driven by the category value on that row.   I have a hidden field on the form (documentcategories, multivalue) that locates the category values that trigger the hidewhen.  Unhiding that field shows me that it has the values I expect.  

I generated a hidewhen as follows for the Hours fields:

rownumber := @Right(@ThisName;"_");
@IsMember(@GetField("category_" + rownumber);documentcategories)

and for the Pages column

rownumber := @Right(@ThisName;"_");
!@IsMember(@GetField("category_" + rownumber);documentcategories)

Note these are opposites via the "!" at the start of the @ismember on the second formula.  

And it doesn't work.  

I can get the hidewhen to works OK if I put the actual fieldname (category_x) in place of the @Getfield in the @isMember first parameter.  I cannot get the truly portable version with @Getfield to work.  

I've tried @getdocfield with @documentuniqueID as the first parameter.    I've tried adding the code to field default formulas to see what happend and whether ultimately the @ismember generates 1 or 0, and indeed in those circumstances I get the values I'd expect.  I've made triply sure that the category_x field (which, as you might have guessed, is a keyword field) has "refresh fields on keyword change" set (and remember that it works if I don't use @getfield), and I've even tried using OnChange to refire the Hidewhens, and none of those have helped.  

All of this is to avoid editing 40 (20 rows, 2 affected fields/row) hide-when formulas, and it's really bugging me that I can't get it to work.  Any ideas as to why it doesn't work?  The Designer help says that @getfield is OK in Hide-when formulas, but that is the thing that appears to be the issue.  I'm annoyed that I'm stumped by this one.  By the way, I'm using Notes client and Designer 8.0.1 for this.   If anyone has any ideas, I'd really appreciate them.   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/30052008094425MMOC9U.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/30052008094425MMOC9U.htm?opendocument&comments Thu, 22 May 2008 08:42:18 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/22052008084217MMOB32.htm Microsoft Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/22052008084217MMOB32.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/22052008084217MMOB32.htm Ed, quite enthusiastically,  Nathan, less so, and plenty of others, and questioning what MS's motives are for making this announcement.  Is it because they've seen the inevitable, as Ed implies, or is it the start of an emasculation attempt as Nathan and others suggest?

Here's my spin on this.  Whenever a new standard is proposed (in any industry), the proponent spends a lot of time and effort pushing the standard, because they know more about it (and its pitfalls) than anyone else, at least  for a short period.  They see that as competitive edge, with everyone else having to play catch-up for a while.  The loss of proprietorial interest is worth it for the short-term gain.  For everyone else, particularly those who have a competitive "standard", this new standard is a disaster, unless of course they can fight it off.  If they can't, there comes a time when they have to engage with it, or lose their market share to those who do support the new standard.  And when that happens, they'll embrace the new standard as though they have all along,  but with sometimes less than perfect implementation, because, after all, their own one is "better".  Ever seen that before?

So what I read into this announcement is this:

Firstly MS have admitted to themselves that ODF might not be as good as their file formats, but it is here to stay - they aren't going to defeat it completely.  There are mainstream products out there supporting it, and they'll have customers start to ask them about interoperability. However, they're going to support ODF 1.1, not 1.2 - read into that what you may.   And that is generally good news, unless, as the cynics say, support is the best way to undermine.  

Secondly, MS must be worried about what appears to be IBM's marketing strategy for Symphony, if I read right the various clues that I've heard and seen.  This appears to be that IBM offer Symphony for free, so that all that license money that's spent now on Office license renewals doesn't get spent on Office renewals.  That money is then available for new sells, with the added incentive that as it's IBM who has made that money available there's a hope that it gets spent it with IBM rather than competitors on new stuff to help your enterprise do this or that better than it is done now?  

MS must be hoping that if they can say "we do ODF too" that they have a valid counter for that approach.  After all, the thrust of Symphony against MS products is 1: free, 2: support MS file formats and 3: ODF as well which is the new standard blah blah blah (as well as native generation of PDFs).  MS aren't going to do anything much about the free bit, so their tactic will be 1: we do MS file formats better than anyone else, OOXML nothwithstanding, 2, now we also do ODF and PDF and 3: no it's not free but then neither is moving to Symphony.    What they must fear though, is the suggestion that the first-year costs saved by not renewing MS licenses more than covers the transition to Symphony, and then after that, Symphony is free. ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/22052008084217MMOB32.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/22052008084217MMOB32.htm?opendocument&comments Mon, 19 May 2008 13:55:32 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/19052008135531MMOH6R.htm American Express Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/19052008135531MMOH6R.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/19052008135531MMOH6R.htm
The mailer had a mailing address for Swissotel Global sales, so I googled it for a phone number, and called.   Not too unexpectedly, they had no idea what I was on about, and kept offering me an email address to try instead!

Amex were much better; their operative was very smooth, and said that he was sure that the Swissotel site was down for maintenance; given that the rest of it was working fine, I gave him 0/10 for accuracy, but 9/10 for customer service.    That was Friday.  The web page is still 404 today.  So what I see as the whole point of the mailer, in driving me to a specific place on their website,  has totally failed.

Now, even if the mailer was the winning one - matching a number, there's still the obstacle of claiming - the mailer has to be sent to Swissotel Global Sales at the address given (and with no receipt, of course).   Given that when I called they has no idea what I was on about, sending the dinning mailer, even if I had it, might not actually generate any results.    And then, given the ineptitude shown so far, would one actually want to go at all? ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/19052008135531MMOH6R.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/19052008135531MMOH6R.htm?opendocument&comments Wed, 7 May 2008 11:24:46 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008112445MMOE8J.htm Notes 8 Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008112445MMOE8J.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008112445MMOE8J.htm
It started (I think) when I opened my mail: and while it was opening, switched via the Windows task bar to designer.  My mail opened; twice! once in the Notes 8 Standard, and then again in a new Notes basic window, which was grey - no content in the database space.  I could not close that new window, and it (mostly) tracked the open tabs on the Standard client, but with a grey content space and the wrong window title.  I had to close my Notes client with Notesmedic to get rid of it all - just closing the client made the two windows go away, but left nlnotes.exe still running.    How bizarre is that?:



What weird stuff have you seen?   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/07052008112445MMOE8J.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008112445MMOE8J.htm?opendocument&comments Wed, 7 May 2008 10:15:27 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008101527MMOCV8.htm NotLotusNotes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008101527MMOCV8.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008101527MMOCV8.htm
So, if you get or have gotten one of these, beware.   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/07052008101527MMOCV8.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/07052008101527MMOCV8.htm?opendocument&comments Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:40:48 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/25042008164047MMOLE2.htm DCC Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/25042008164047MMOLE2.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/25042008164047MMOLE2.htm
I was aware for a while that the Power-1 didn't always work.  You see, I had one in a Westside #50 D&RGW diesel loco - we're talking HOn3 here - so to get it all into the cab of the loco, which it would shared with the Mashima 16/20 motor, involved removing the capacitor from the Power-1 and remounting it at the end of a couple of inches of wire.   I played long and hard with the thing,and came to the conclusion that while the motor control was pretty good, the Power-1 thingy wasn't all it could be.

Put the loco on a piece of track, and power it with crocclips.  You could take one off, and the loco would run fine for about 6 inches, before stopping. Not bad, but if you remove the other croc-clip, it stops instantly. Turn the loco round, and then remove the first clip stops it instantly, while removing the second lets it run on.  Usually.

Which means that the Power-1 actually only works as it's supposed to against one rail.  If the loco loses contact with that rail, it will carry on until it gets back in contact.  Lose contact with the other rail, and it just stops.

But recently, it got worse. I now have a number of sound-equipped locos - Soundtraxx Tsunamis.   The layout is also divided up by a Digitrax PM42 into subdistricts. Recently, I started having power-on problems, which I was able to localise as the too-many-locos-in-the-section-and-too-much-inrush-current issue.   I upped the PM42 from 3 amps per district to 4.5, and that seemed to solve the problem.  Until next day; and to cut a long story short; it was the locos with Power-1 modules that seemed to be the main culprit.

Diesel #50 how has the new Digitrax DZ125 decoder in it - smaller than a MiniGold, encased in heatshrink, greater current carrying capacity, and, dare I say it, better motor control.    In the next week or so, I think the other two MiniGold/Power1 modules will also be replaced.   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/25042008164047MMOLE2.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/25042008164047MMOLE2.htm?opendocument&comments Sun, 20 Apr 2008 11:36:32 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/20042008113632MMOEFV.htm NotLotusNotes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/20042008113632MMOEFV.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/20042008113632MMOEFV.htm
The printer error displays suggested a paper jam - but with no paper in the printer.    Some examination with a torch to see if there were any fragments of torn paper instead showed that behind the paper-sensing lever was a ring-like object, which didn't really look like a piece of printer to me.   Started to poke about with some long-nosed pliers, and after a few moments juggling the pliers, the printer and the torch, I recovered a pair of nail-scissors.  Much laughter from me and Nikki, and some embarrassment from Vicki.  

Printer now operational.   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/20042008113632MMOEFV.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/20042008113632MMOEFV.htm?opendocument&comments Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:14:01 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/17042008151401MMOJPU.htm Lotus Notes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/17042008151401MMOJPU.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/17042008151401MMOJPU.htm
Mental note: if you speed up the client death and restart by using NotesMedic, and you are running a server as well on your laptop, it will take the server down too. Fortunately the server comes back a lot faster than the client. ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/17042008151401MMOJPU.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/17042008151401MMOJPU.htm?opendocument&comments Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:29:22 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/10042008082922MMOASX.htm NotLotusNotes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/10042008082922MMOASX.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/10042008082922MMOASX.htm
Maybe this will all become clearer at ILUG.


]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/10042008082922MMOASX.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/10042008082922MMOASX.htm?opendocument&comments Wed, 9 Apr 2008 16:39:35 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09042008163935MMOLDA.htm Lotus Notes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09042008163935MMOLDA.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09042008163935MMOLDA.htm to manage my expenses.   Well, recently, the Pylon software has quit: when I start a Hotsync, all goes OK until Pylon starts it's sync, and then Pylon and Hotsync just hang.  I think I've done all the usual things: checked that I've not installed anything new since I last did a successful Hotsync, restarted Notes, restarted Windows,  explored iAnywhere (the current owner of Pylon)'s web site, reinstalled Pylon, to no avail.   I'm going to try a few more things, like reinstalling the Palm Hotsync, but I'm starting to think that I might need to move on, as iAnywhere say on their web site that they are discontinuing Pylon next year, and their suggested forward path doesn't include the ability to sync Expenses.

So I'm looking for a Palm to Notes sync utility that will sync outgoing mail from the device (not interested in reading mail on it, as it's not wireless push), Contacts, ToDos, Journal, and Expenses; Contacts and Expenses are the important ones.   I'm using PalmOS Garnet 5.4.8  on a LifeDrive, syncing via Hotsync 6.0.1  to Notes 8.0.1 via a USB cable.      Anyone got any advice for me, either on what I might try to get it working again, or on other software to try? ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/09042008163935MMOLDA.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/09042008163935MMOLDA.htm?opendocument&comments Sun, 6 Apr 2008 10:47:38 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/06042008104737MMODHB.htm Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/06042008104737MMODHB.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/06042008104737MMODHB.htm
I liked what I saw, and I could see potential for Notes within Unipart, but at that time we had no network, as we were a mainframe/dumb-terminal user.   Early summer 1992 I build an application to solve a warehouse parts inspection problem, and we deployed it on one server and six workstations, all connected together by modems and dialup on the internal phone system.  At 2400 baud, we thought that was fast, too.  By the way, that application is still in daily use, so at nearly 16 years old, it must be one of the oldest Notes apps around.  

During late '92 and early '93, Unipart installed a LAN at head office, and looked around for an email system to replace our mainframe-based one, which, incidentally, I'd also installed.  That was an IMS-based system we'd bought from Canadian Pacific.  Initial selection was cc:Mail, but my evangelisation of Notes changed that decision, and we're still using Notes today.   ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/06042008104737MMODHB.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/06042008104737MMODHB.htm?opendocument&comments Thu, 3 Apr 2008 16:53:19 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008165319MMOLMV.htm Working at Home Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008165319MMOLMV.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008165319MMOLMV.htm
I've always worked on the basis that a laptop is always, always carried as hand baggage unless you are already weighed down with other laptops in your hand baggage that have more valuable hard disk content.  If you really have to check a laptop, would you not ensure that a complete backup exists at home or on your person (or preferably, both) on a USB hard disk or similar.    Same idea that if you are travelling to present, you carry a second copy of the slideware and any demos on  a memory stick just in case.    While you can sympathise with the guy to some extent, surely checking in a laptop at any airport is just asking for trouble?

Thought: when was the last time you backed up your laptop?  I'm doing mine right now. ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/03042008165319MMOLMV.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008165319MMOLMV.htm?opendocument&comments Thu, 3 Apr 2008 16:37:09 +0100 http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008163708MMOLBS.htm Lotus Notes Mick Moignard http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008163708MMOLBS.htm?opendocument&comments http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008163708MMOLBS.htm
I came quite quickly up with pretty basic showstoppers:
1.        When you are validating entries, you cannot get rid of the supplied error message that merely states that the field didn't pass validation.  Even if I supply a custom error message, this still appears.  What I really wanted to do was to place the error message in the status bar via a Print statement and then Beep, so that the cursor was placed back in the errant field without the user having to click any OK buttons.  
2.        What I'd also wanted to do was be able to replace the value in the view entry as part of the validation - so that, for example, if a date field was cleared or not entered, I'd enter today's date automatically.  Well, it appears that you can't do that.
3.        And, if a value was entered in to a column where the allowed values is one of a set of values - like a dialog field list - I'd like to be able to present a list of values via NotesUIWorkspace.Prompt or NotesUIWorkspace.Picklist, and have the selected value placed in the field entry.  But again, you can't write back to the view entry field.  And you can't elegantly deal with invalid values.

These issues, to me, mean that in-view editing sucks.   If you agree, go to IdeaJam and vote the idea up. Or down.  Your choice. ]]> http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dxcomments/03042008163708MMOLBS.htm http://www.mickmoignard.com/mickmoignard/mickmoignard.nsf/dx/03042008163708MMOLBS.htm?opendocument&comments