Problem With Files Called Global
There's a slight chance today that you might see codestore sans CSS. Why? Because I've had to rename my stylesheet from global.css to codestore.css. Why? Read on.
Having moved both servers (the Linux box you see now and the Windows box at home) to Domino 6 something strange started happening. The Windows box refused to serve the global.css file from the Domino/HTML folder. After a lot of playing round I found that it was simply because the file had the name "global". Nothing else. I've written it up on the forum and had my suspicions confirmed.
What is it with Domino? There's no doubt it's littered with bugs but some of them are just so darned obscure.
In order to make the changes I had to create a new template from the original. This wasn't without incident either. Every time I gave the new file a template name it would blank it out the next time I looked. Strange. After yet more messing about I find out that Domino 6 introduces a new security setting - Who can create master templates. By default this field is blank, meaning that nobody can. Nice one. Would it not be a lot easier to just tell me I can't create templates rather than blanking the field?
Anyway, all should be well now. The love-hate relationship I have with Lotus Notes continues...
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Out of interest, why the global CSS file and not just include the CSS file in your database?
I was suffering from the misguided notion that files served straight from the disk would be quicker than pages from Domino design.
Anything in that? Maybe so....
Oh boy, am I going to be in trouble for this... I'm interested to know how other people view the future of Domino. No really, hear me out. I've been developing and administering this product for a living for several years now, and confess that I have both loved and loathed it. You know how that feels I'm sure. But recently (last ten-twelve months or so) I've been nagged by an increasing feeling that I'm doing it the hard way. Check my posts on Notes.net today and you'll see why. As my web development skills move/lurch forward I keep hitting situations where I have to 'persuade' Domino to do something that would be a hell of a lot simpler with a Java servlet, for example.
I *know* Domino can host servlets (though, tut tut, not JSPs) but why should I design a Notes form and a Domino agent when I could just create the web page in 'pure' markup and process the data with a servlet? And if I go that far, why not just fire up the Apache server on the RS/6000 and ignore Domino? At least Apache can serve JSPs AND it's open source AND we can move the Java anytime to any other platform.
Okay, okay I know Domino has more to it than this, and Notes applications in offices are still highly productive workflow thingies. I'm just trying to poke a few of you to see what you think. Are R6 courses/exams worthwhile, or is there more potential work out there being hot at PHP/mySQL and Java EJBs? (That one was rhetorical - you can get the answer at cwjobs.com.)
Or...
If Domino becomes even more niche (because companies go all standards-based or MS .Net) does that make those of us who cling on to Domino more valuable? If IBM are hinting at dumping the Notes Storage Facility and having Domino databases use a form of mini DB2 file, is that not the writing on the wall? They did pole vault from R5.0.x to R6 don't forget, and some of us DID NOTICE the juicy things advertised in R6 that we were promised originally for R5.
So no flamers please. I'm seeding here, not lecturing.
T
Hey! It's been a little while since my last visit/entry... busy, busy, busy!
I've done some performance testing with graphic files served off the disk versus as a resource. You're right. There is a performance gain when served off the disk. In fact, the newly retooled clickInvites site now serves graphics off the disk.
Joe
Jake-
This a problem with R5 as well, only on Win2000, and not NT or UNIX. It will not be fixed. Apparently Windows has a function called QueryDosDevice which identifies certain files as dos devices which could hang the server and be a DenialOfService attack. Because the prefix "global" is used, Domino will not serve the file because of the results of the function.
Thanks Brian. But this doesn't explain why everything worked okay before I upgraded to R6...
That little change in templates must have some reasoning behind it, but it is very frustrating when you try to name your template (20 times) and the darn thing just blanks out. After trying it one day, and then the next (just to make sure I wasn't totally insane), I finally checked the forum and someone else had run into the problem.
Oh well, I have become accustomed to the wonderful "gliches" with Notes.
Great site by the way. I refer to often when posting in the forum.