08/28/2011

Announcing the winners of the XPages Development Contest


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It gives great pleasure to announce the winners of the first ever OpenNTF Development Contest. Without any further ado here are the winners:

Ferry Kranenburg for his Multi Database Search Control
Dennis Chen for his ZK Spreadsheet for XPages
Rami Muurimaki for his XPages PDF Exporter Custom Control

The winners can select to receive a 64gb Wifi iPad or a 32gb 3G iPad.

The contest had a total of 22 individual contributors who submitted 49 entries which contained 54 custom controls and 10 library controls. More importantly there were 14 first time OpenNTF contributors who participated in the contest. They are Mariusz Jakubowski, Per Henrik Lausten, Serdar Basegmez, Naveen Maurya, Martin Meijer, Aidan Cooper, Fredrik Norling, Elijah Lapson, Kateryna Czerniachowska, Dennis Chen, Marco Dreher, Michael McGarel, Lars Buntrock and Rami Muurimaeki. Existing OpenNTF contributors and committers included Ulrich Krause, Declan Lynch, Ferry Kranenburg, Frank van der Linden, Mark Hughes, Patrick Kwinten, Paul Withers and Rolf Kremer.

A special honorable mention goes out to Ulrich Krause who submitted 11 custom controls for the contest. Very impressive!

All of the contest contributors will each be receiving a special OpenNTF Development T-Shirt thanks to contest sponsor We4IT. Each contributor will be contacted to arrange for sizes and shipping instructions.

IBM Director of Lotus Software Ed Brill had the following to say about the development contest:

"The quantity and quality of the entries in the OpenNTF.org development content reflects the growing adoption of XPages as a powerful framework for building exceptional work experience applications. From practical to clever to intricate, the range of submissions exceeded my expectations. The contest also demonstrated that Domino developers seek recognition and reward, and I hope we can use this framework for additional community-building efforts in the future."

You can see screenshots and watch videos of all the contest entries on XPages.info.

As Chairman of OpenNTF I would like to thank all of the people who participated in the contest and to IBM Business Partner We4IT for their sponsorship. I would also like to thank IBM's Niklas Heidloff for driving the success of the contest within the community. Ever since I started working with Niklas a few years back, he has always wanted to have a development contest like this. You have all helped to "knock this out of the park" for not only the IBM XPages community but for Niklas.

Please also stay tuned for a special announcement on Tuesday, September 6th.

08/23/2011

Observations from the OpenNTF IP Manager


[Posted under wrong name. This blog is from Peter Tanner, OpenNTF IP manager:]

Its been an interesting few months at OpenNTF from an Intellectual Property perspective.  Everyone contributing to OpenNTF is now covered by a contribution agreement, which helps to protects your rights to use the code.   And not only were there nearly 50 contest entries to scan, but we have been scanning most of the OpenNTF submissions that have been made since the beginning of the year. And all the projects that have passed the scan have been entered into the OpenNTF Catalog.

So – what is this scan?  

Well – IBM has licensed its code-scanning tool to OpenNTF for doing IP checks on OpenNTF submissions.  The tool helps me check for third party code that people have forgotten to mention in their Notice files.

So, my main work is actually quite simple – is the third party code that I find in a submission, listed in the Notice file, and are the licenses for the third party code compatible with the overall submission license?

So – what have I been seeing?

Well, first of all, OpenNTF submissions are generally in good shape.  Nearly everyone includes the License and Notice files in the zip file – which is a good way of protecting the authors' ongoing rights to the code.  

And, interestingly, nearly all the submissions are made under Apache.  

The problems I see are often due to incompatibility of licenses.  This is a really tricky area.  Oddly, licenses in the GPL family are not always compatible with each other.  For example, according to http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-faq.html#AllCompatibility, you can't use GPL2-licensed code in a GPL3 project.  

What happens most frequently with OpenNTF submissions is that authors would like to include an LGPL package, but license the overall project under Apache.  Unfortunately, that doesn't work (see Category X here – http://www.apache.org/legal/3party.html).  In this case, the project ends up being licensed under GPL3 (which can contain an LGPL element).  

So, while it is clear that the Apache license is favored, submitters end up licensing under GPL3 so that they can include other open source that they received under LGPL or GPL.  

If you have any IP questions about your current or future OpenNTF submissions, please do not hesitate to send me an email.  

08/22/2011

New Projects: PDF Exporter Control and Feed Reader Control


The nominations for the development contest sponsored by We4IT closed last Friday. Before this two more controls were submitted.


PDF exporter control by Rami Muurimaeki

With this control you are able to create fully customized PDF documents by using a PDF template and custom data. Watch the video. Rami is a first time contributor.

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Feed reader control by Ulrich Krause

The control can load an Atom or RSS feed from a URL in display it in an collapsible area. Watch the video.

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08/19/2011

DojoX Extension Library and Uni-Form Extension Library


OpenNTF has received more controls from Mariusz Jakubowski as part of the development contest sponsored by We4IT.

The two projects have been implemented as extension. Interestingly the UniForm Java control can be deployed within an NSF which is an unsupported configuration Tim Tripcony blogged about.

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DojoX controls by Mariusz Jakubowski

This extension library contains controls from the Dojo library that are not included in the XPages Extension Library. These controls are: rotator, rotator controller, autorotator, lightbox. Watch the video or take a look at the screenshots.

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Uni-Form Control by Mariusz Jakubowski

This control supports nice looking, well structured, highly customizable, accessible and usable forms. The control uses the Uni-Form open source project and integrates it in XPages. Watch the video or take a look at the screenshots.

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08/18/2011

Select Database Control, OneUI Starter Control and Stop Watch Control


OpenNTF has received three more new controls as part of the development contest sponsored by We4IT.


Select database control by Lars Buntrock

This control provides the same functionality as the Ctrl-O dialog in IBM Lotus Notes where you can select a database. Watch the video. Lars is a first time OpenNTF contributor.

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OneUI starter control by Michael McGarel

This control is designed to help developers to create a OneUI-based application very quickly. Watch the video. Michael is a first time OpenNTF contributor.

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Stop watch control by Rolf Kremer

The stop watch control allows users to meassure time. Watch the video.

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08/17/2011

New Screenshots Gallery for OpenNTF Projects


Stephan Wissel had mentioned that the screenshots of projects are relative hard to find. Yesterday he improved this user experience by adding a carousel component to the screenshots views. Additionally he displays now the attachments of documents in the view directly.

You can open any project to see the new user interface in action, e.g. in the project Bildr.

We're also thinking about adding this to the project home pages.

Technically the new interface uses dojox.image.Gallery which gets data through a dojo.data.ItemFileReadStore which is fed by a Notes view.

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08/15/2011

Three new IBM Business Partners become OpenNTF, Inc. Members


Please join OpenNTF in welcoming three new IBM Business Partners as OpenNTF Members:

- Simplified Technology Solutions
- PHL Consult
- Softwerk

Learn how your company/organizations can become a member on our FAQ page >

08/15/2011

New OpenNTF Project: Multi Database Search from XPages


Ferry Kranenburg from Change to Comm has contributed a new XPages control as part of the development contest sponsored by We4IT - multi database search control.

Watch the video to see the control in action.

By default all NSFs in the root directory are used as targets but you can also define a list of databases in a property of the custom control. During the search the UI is not blocked. Progress indicators show which databases have already been used and in which databases the search is happening.

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The results are displayed in a grid control and they can be sorted dynamically without going back to the databases. Also the results can be customized via custom formulas and developers can define which columns to show.

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08/12/2011

Six more new XPages Controls on OpenNTF


OpenNTF has received six more new controls as part of the development contest sponsored by We4IT.


Alpha jump control by Elijah Lapson

This control gives end users of applications a quick way to jump to a certain letter in a sorted view. Watch the video. Elijah is a first time OpenNTF contributor.

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Redirector control by Fredrik Norling

This control helps developers to have an easy way to redirect users from a certain XPage when it's opened to another XPage. Watch the video. Fredrik Norling is a first time OpenNTF contributor.

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DojoX calendar control by Mariusz Jakubowski

This control is a replacement for a standard date picker. It allows users to easily and quickly select a year and a month. Watch the video. Mariusz is a first time OpenNTF contributor.

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Multiselect Combobox Control by Mariusz Jakubowski

This control allows you to select multiple values from a drop down select control using a list of checkboxes. Watch the video.

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MySQL control by Ulrich Krause

This control provides the functionallity to access a MySQL Database and retrieve values from a table using SQL statements. Watch the video.

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Floating pane control by Ulrich Krause

Floating pane provides flexible support for floating panes which can be resized, minimized/maximized and layered dynamically, similar to application windows within the web page.

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08/11/2011

Four new XPages Controls on OpenNTF


OpenNTF has received four more XPages controls as part of the development contest sponsored by We4IT.


Recaptcha control from Marco Dreher:

This control uses the Google's Recaptcha API to bring captchas to your XPages applications instantly. Watch the video. Marco is a first time contributor.

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Calendar plan controls from Kateryna Czerniachowska and Grzegorz Pawlak:

The Calendar plan controls are two controls for planning project schedules: 1. filter projects in calendar, 2. sequence of tasks in Gantt. Watch the video. Both Kateryna and Grzegorz are first time contributors.

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JQuery library controls from Declan Lynch:

This control adds the jQuery library to your XPages. Watch the video. As shown in the screenshots the two controls have been implemented via the extensibility API.

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Sliding login control from Declan Lynch:

This control is a login panel that slides in from the top of the screen. Watch the video.

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08/10/2011

New OpenNTF Project: Embed Spreadsheets in XPages Applications


Dennis Chen has contributed another reusable control as part of the development contest sponsored by We4IT - the ZK spreadsheet control.

ZK is an open source Java framework for building amazing enterprise web applications with components like spreadsheets, pivottables and calendars. The OpenNTF project wraps this functionality in easy to use XPages controls.

Read the user guide or watch the video to find out more.

You can embed the full spreadsheet editor ...

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... or you can embed just the spreadsheet:

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You can manipulate the content of the spreadsheet from XPages using managed beans:

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The new controls have been implemented using the extensibility API and can be deployed as OSGi plugins globally to a Domino server.

08/09/2011

Big Set of Charting Controls for XPages based on JFreeCharts


Naveen Maurya has contributed a really nice set of charting controls as part of the development contest - Java Charts Controls.

The Java Charts controls enable you to create various types of charts and display them on your XPages. They also provide an ability to export these charts to PDF files.

The controls use JFreeChart to create charts and iText to export those charts to PDF file.

The following types of charts are available:

1. Pie
2. Pie 3D
3. Ring
4. Gantt
5. Area
6. Bar
7. Bar 3D
8. Line
9. Line 3D
10. Stacked Area
11. Stacked Bar
12. Waterfall

Watch this video or check out the screenshots below.

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Here is the XPages source showing how to access NSF data:

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08/08/2011

Some OpenNTF Numbers


Just a quick update. Last month we had 17.048 downloads which is more than OpenNTF has ever had. As of today we have already more downloads this year than in 2008.

The number of uploads was also good again last month - 41 new releases.

For the development contest we've received 39 reusable controls so far. Over the next days we'll blog about the new ones which have been submitted over the last two weeks.

The deadline for the contest is next week Friday, 1.5 more weeks to submit your controls to potentially win one of three iPads.

08/07/2011

IBM Business Partner ASND Designs becomes an OpenNTF Member

Please join OpenNTF in welcoming Maryland based IBM Business Partner ASND Designs as a new OpenNTF member.

Sean Burgess ASND Designs Head Designer says:

"I believe in the strongly believe in the open source software movement and want to make my support more visible to others inside the IBM Community and to my customers"

Learn how your company/organizations can become a member on our FAQ page >

08/03/2011

IBM Business Partner Developi becomes an OpenNTF Member

Please join OpenNTF in welcoming Turkish IBM Business Partner Developi as a new OpenNTF member.

Developi's Serdar Basegmez says:

"Developi is proud to be a member of OpenNTF Alliance. So far, we were trying to support OpenNTF activities at an individual level. Because we believe in open source communities leverage the value of their software technologies. It's not only downloading sample codes or ready-to-use projects; such an initiative bands passionate developers together, improves communication and collaboration within a global community and decreases knowledge barriers around the technology. Our OpenNTF is 9 years old today, and they have always been an integral part of the IBM Lotus community. Therefore, for a company dedicated on IBM Lotus Software, supporting OpenNTF in a corporate level, taking responsibility for a community alliance and advocating this vision in our market should be seen as an important investment to our technology, so our business."

Tomorrow we will announce another new IBM Business Partner who has joined as a member.

Learn how your company/organizations can become a member on our FAQ page >

08/03/2011

The Way Forward for OpenNTF, Inc.

Following up on Bruce's post about OpenNTF's new status, here is some information on how we plan to transition from being an un-incorporated “Alliance” to being a nonprofit corporation, with a Board of Directors, and all the advantages and responsibilities that go along with being incorporated.  

There are two really important things to note:

1. The new structure, as defined in the Bylaws, requires that the Contributors elect three Directors to the Board. There had been complaints that individuals could not be “members” of OpenNTF.  So, while the “members” are still corporations, we have set up a mechanism where leading individuals can participate and be elected to the board.  All Contributors who are covered by ICLAs or CCLAs are eligible to vote for these Directors.

2. All members (ie companies/organizations) need to sign new Membership Agreement.  We would like to have as many companies as possible sign up before the end of September, so that they can participate in the election of the Directors.  It doesn't matter whether you are currently a member or not.  We will elect nine Directors who will represent these corporate members of OpenNTF.  

During the next two months, we will be encouraging all companies who are involved with OpenNTF software to sign up – so that they can participate in the direction (technical and otherwise) of the new organization.  

The first week of October will be the period for nominating both kinds of Directors – those representing Contributors and those representing companies.  Nominations will close October 7.
       
Those nominated will then be able to make their pitches – and voting will be from October 13-17.  

The new Board of Directors for OpenNTF Inc. will then take office on October 18, with the first Board meeting scheduled, by teleconference, for October 20.  It is likely that at that time, the existing Alliance will disappear, and the responsibility for the website and all other OpenNTF activities will be transferred to the new nonprofit.

The signed agreements should be faxed to +1 845-491-7347 or a scanned copy should be sent to ipmanager@openntf.org

08/02/2011

Two members from the XPages Dev Team talk about relational database connectivity

IBM's Phil Riand and Jim Quill spoke to Julian Robichaux and I about the recently announced relational database support coming to XPages. In the podcast we talked about:

        - What is JDBC?
        - Which design elements work with RDBMS feature
        - How to configure your XPages app to work with JDBC
        - Working with SQL statements with parameters that can be defined at runtime
        - Talk about the demonstration video created by IBM's Niklas Heidloff
        - What's planned for future versions of the Extension Library and database connectivity
        - Where you can download the XPages Extension Library and documentation
        - We answer questions from the development community
        - and much more...

Listen to Taking Notes Episode 137 >