Can links in Notes newsletters work in Outlook?
We make extensive use of links to databases and documents in the Notes client, in newsletters especailly. We are being told by corporate to use Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for e-mail but keep our Notes database in place. Will links in e-mails still work when accessed via Outlook? I can picture URL links working, but what about the native Notes client links?
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ASKED:
September 15, 2008 5:27 PM
UPDATED:
September 16, 2008 4:29 PM
RELATED QUESTIONS
Answer Wiki:
Yes and no.
Standard/typical Notes links (e.g., doc links, view links, database links, etc.) will get stripped off and lost when e-mail messages get sent to Outlook/Exchange e-mail accounts; however, Notes "text links" can be used instead.
NOTE: Don't get this confused with "web links". Web links open Notes docs/views/databases in a web browser. Notes "text links" open Notes docs/views/databases in a Lotus Notes client.
For example...
Web link to a Notes view (will open the view in a web browser):
http://DominoDNSName/DBName.nsf/view?OpenView
Notes text links:
Link to a DB (using the DB name):
Notes://NotesServerName/DBName.nsf
Link to a DB (using a DB rep ID):
Notes://NotesServerName/85256AE3006506B3
Link to a specific view:
Notes://NotesServerName/DBName.nsf/ViewUNID
Link to a specific document:
Notes://NotesServerName/DBName.nsf//DocUNID
The bad news is that there is no easy way for typical end users to send each other Notes text links. The text link for any specific document can be found by opening the "document properties" for that document, going to the fifth tab (the "Meta" tab), and copy/pasting the value shown in the "Identifier" field.
Although, those doc text links include an unneeded "View UNID" which can be removed to shorten the overall link length.
The good news is that it is extremely easy to programmatically send Notes text links (i.e., in approval workflows - where you want to have the application send an e-mail message to the next approver with a text link - saying "click here to access this request and then please approve/decline the request").
Happy linking.
To see all answers submitted to the Answer Wiki: View Answer History.
FYI:
Back in July I asked if anyone could recommend good books covering all the issues involved in trying to add a Domino “web browser interface” to existing Notes application databases:
http://itknowledgeexchange.techtarget.com/itanswers/please-recommend-good-books-on-adding-a-web-browser-interface-to-notesdomino-dbs/
Nobody has yet offered a single book. I’m glad to see that my Googling skills are still keen (e.g., it’s not my fault I couldn’t find such a book) … but it’s pretty sad that nobody knows of such a book. In my opinion, Notes Client development is great – but IBM/Lotus/Iris sure did a pathetic job of integrating Domino web functionality into Notes!!!