I know LotusScript is a "legacy" language, but, some of us still use it on all-too-regular basis (myself included) to think of it that way.

Recently I devised a set of core LotusScript "wrapper" classes that help with some of the more mundane aspects of writing web apps built with LotusScript.

A lot of the LotusScript I've written over the years has been along the lines of something like this:

Dim coll as NotesDocumentCollection
Dim view as NotesView
Dim doc as NotesDocument

set view = database.GetView("InvoicesByUserName")
Set coll = view.GetAllDocumentsByKey("jake howlett", True)
Set doc = coll.GetFirstDocument()

Print "content-type: application/json"
Print "["
While not doc is Nothing
        Print |{"Title":"|+doc.getItemValue("Title")(0)+|", "Value": |+_ 
         Cstr(doc.GetItemValue("Value")(0))+|},|

        Set doc = coll.GetNextDocument(doc)
Wend
Print "]"

Nothing wrong with the code above (apart from one problem I've left in for the eagle eyed ÔÇô top marks to anybody who spots it!), per se, but imagine you could write it like this instead:

Dim factory As New InvoiceFactory()
Dim invoices As InvoiceCollection

Set invoices = factory.getAllInvociesForUser("jake howlett")

Print "content-type: application/json"

Call factory.PrintToWebAsJSONArray(invoices)

Well, now you can!

Not only that, but you can write code like this:

Dim factory As New InvoiceFactory
Dim invoices As InvoiceCollection
Dim invoice As Invoice

Set invoices = factory.GetAllInvoices()

If invoices.Count > 0 Then

 Set invoice = invoices.getFirst()

 While Not invoice Is Nothing

  Print "<h1>" + invoice.Title + "</h1><p>" + invoice.ValueFormattedAsString + "</p>"
  Print "<h4>As JSON</h4>"
  Print "<p><code>" + invoice.AsJSON + "</code></p>"

  Print "<h3>Customer</h3>"
  
  Print "<p>Customer's name is " + invoice.Customer.FullNameReversed +_
   " ("+ invoice.CustomerID + "), who has " +_
   CStr(invoice.Customer.Invoices.Count) + " invoices in total.</p>"
   
  Print "<h4>As JSON</h4>"
  Print "<p><code>" + invoice.Customer.AsJSON + "</code></p>"
 
  Print "<hr>"

  Set invoice = invoices.getNext()

 Wend
End If

The custom classes in use above are InvoiceFactory, InvoiceCollection and Invoice. They are based, respectfully, on the base classes DocumentFactory, DocumentCollection and DocumentWrapper.

These three base classes can be used to represent each type of business object in the database. Roughly speaking, there's one set of classes per Form used. The above three classes are for the Invoice form. Each Invoice is linked to a customer, which has a Customer form and can be represented using the CustomerFactory, CustomerCollection and Customer classes.

All the code involved is available here.

The benefits of using classes to represent objects should go without saying. It just makes things so much simpler. Not only to maintain, but also to code. Instead of typing: document.getItemValue("DidICallTheTitleFieldTitle?")(0) you just type invoice.Title (Domino Designer even suggests this for you as you type!).

You no longer need to litter your LotusScript agents with field names and logic. I know field names rarely change, but you never know! The benefits of class-based logic stretch way further than that.

Using this approach requires quite a bit of upfront work to set the classes up, but it's worth it. If not just for that warm fuzzy feeling of seeing your classes and properties appear while type-ahead coding. No? That's just me then is it?

All a bit late in the day really. I so wish I'd come up with this approach 10 years ago....

Is there any interest in this? I'm guessing not, but if there is I can put together a demo download.