The Quickr Blog

This is seriously exciting news - SnappFiles for Quickr

Last night, amidst the buzz in Cupertino about the launch of the iPad, we at SNAPPS quietly got an email notification that the fruits of Julian's labor for the past few months, SnappFilesTM, is now available for sale on the Apple app store. "Sale" is a bit of a misnomer, since like many of our other "SNAPPS Labs" efforts, the inaugural version of SnappFiles is free. Yep, free. Can't think of a better price.

So what is SnappFiles? It's fairly easy to grok. Start it up, point it to a Lotus Quickr server (Domino or J2EE), and browse for your files. If there's a viewer, open and read them on the device. Or, send a link to the page and file to anyone with one click. That's it. Pretty easy, huh?

Here are a few screenshots. Because it's a native app (vs. a browser app, which Julian also developed when he was getting started), it looks amazing, flows very smoothly, is very responsive, and follows all the Apple human interface standards. It's really slick, works great with PDFs, Office docs, images and anything else with a viewer. It even works with several of the Quickr Templates including QPhotos.

And, it will work straight away on the iPad when it's released. In fact, I think it will be a killer app for iPad in business - ECM integration - as the format is so good for reading documents.

Well done to Rob, Julian and all the team at SNAPPS - this brings together the best team collaboration solution out there with the hottest mobile devices.  As an iPhone user for 18 months or so, I've been longing for IBM to develop some native applications for Quickr and Connections.  SNAPPS have stepped into the breach...

Downloading now!

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 1 Comments | On: 28 January 2010 16:54:13 | Tags:  quickr  iphone 

Fergal Mckenna of the Lotus QuickR Domino (SEAL) Team in Dublin contacted me with an update on Quickr content on OpenNTF.org:

I wanted to let you know about the Customisation Samples Template that we published onto OpenNTF along with a reference document on the Quickr Wiki by the Lotus Quickr SEAL Team.

I'm not sure if you have seen this before? We are trying to get the word out to the Quickr Community that there is somewhere to get Quickr Code & Quickr Samples. And it is also somewhere for people to add code as well. This is going to be an ongoing project and we will be adding more Templates. The Next Template that we will be releasing is a Media template, this will happen in a few weeks..

OpenNTF is a software development community aimed at collaborating on Lotus Notes/Domino applications and to release the applications as open source. In January 2009 IBM announced that we had agreed to sponsor a collaboration with OpenNTF.  Following on from this we are going to be placing some Lotus Quickr Domino Templates onto OpenNTF.

The Customisation Samples Template is designed to assist users to start customising Quickr Domino Places. It provides easy to follow examples of the broad customisations that can be done using - Forms, Placebots, The Extended Javasscript file and Themes

Wiki Article: http://www-10.lotus.com/ldd/lqwiki.nsf/dx/The_Quickr_Domino_Customisation_Samples_Template_on_www.OpenNTF.org

OpenNTF Catalog: http://www.openntf.org/catalogs/a2cat.nsf/topicThread.xsp?action=openDocument&documentId=093E45ABCC25088786257693003F4256

OpenNTF Project System: http://openntf.org/Projects/pmt.nsf/ProjectLookup/Quickr%20Domino%20Customisation%20Samples%20Template

This is an excellent initiative, and one that I was unaware of until Fergal's email.  Here's some more info on the template itself:

The Customisation Samples Template



Each folder is broken down into the 6 different areas of customising with explanations and samples of how to customise in each area.

Example of a Folder covering a HTML form (Photo)


The areas covered include.

• Simple Forms: How a standard Simple Form works, What are the different types of workflow that can be used with Simple forms and then how Versioning works.
• Microsoft Office Forms: How to create Microsoft Office forms with examples of MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint forms
• HTML Forms: How to create a HTML form in Quickr and examples of what can be done. Examples included are
• Photo form where a photo is displayed when published rather than just seen as an attached file.
• Video form which plays an attached flash-compatible Video.
• Feed form, which can display an RSS or ATOM feed.
• Audio form, a published page can have audio files played from the page.
• WebCam form, this published page can launch a connected webcam so that a user can take a snapshot and then save it.
• PlaceBots: Placebots which are triggered when a document is getting submitted or is triggered from a Schedule.
• OnSubmission: This Placebot is triggered when a Simple Form is submitted, it will take data(Company Name) from the form and create a new folder. The method for creating the new folder is that it takes a copy of a previously created folder and uses this to create the new folder. This allows for an easy way to upgrade if the Quickr folder structure is changed by the development team. Simply create a new folder and use it as the template for creating the new folders. The Placebot also moves the page published with the Simple form into the new folder.
• Scheduled: Each night a Placebot runs which checks the pages to see if a page is Active or InActive, If there is InActive pages then an email is sent to a nominated person and informs them to amend the InActive pages.
• Extended JavaScript: Tagging Box is added with the extended javascript file quickr81_ext.js. This loads in the browser after the Theme files have been loaded.
• Themes: There are 2 themes used in the Place, Theme one has some simple customisation (images, colour, icons...etc) and Theme two is the same as Theme one with some advanced customisation (content on the left "lotusColLeft" moved to the right side).

It's pleasing to see the IBM teams contributing such impressive content into OpenNTF, and particularly to see that OpenNTF is truly expanding beyond just being a Notes/Domino-focused resource.  Thanks Fergal!

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 1 Comments | On: 28 January 2010 05:23:09 | Tags:  quickr  openntf 

2010 seems to be the year of content management integration for Lotus Quickr.

Hot on the heels of the Alfresco connector announced before Lotusphere, there is more news - this time from Gary Walsh at DLI.Tools:

Following meetings with the IBM team at Lotusphere last week, I am pleased to announce that DLI is developing a connector for Lotus Quickr.  This will allow Quickr users to publish content to Docova, to leverage Docova's advanced document management features such as workflow and version control.  Development is expected to be completed in February 2010.

Docova is one of the most established document management solutions for Lotus Domino.

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 0 Comments | On: 28 January 2010 04:51:39 | Tags:  quickr  docova 

Well here we are again, approaching another exciting Lotusphere event.  Thoughts move to what aspects of Lotus Quickr might be announced or clarified at this year's OGS, or at other sessions during the week.

At the end of Lotusphere 2009, we'd heard about plans for Quickr 8.2 (with the integration of XPages technology), the future direction towards Quickr connectors for the Mac and RIM's plans for a client for the Blackberry.  Nearly a year later, we have Quickr 8.2 (with the promised XPages, and more surprisingly, massive performance improvements) and RIM have just announced their Quickr client for Blackberry 1.0.  However, the Mac (and Linux) connectors seem a long way off still.

So what do I hope to hear at Lotusphere 2010?

• A significant clarification of the Quickr roadmap, particularly with reference to:
  • Domino vs. J2EE platforms.  This is still an issue for many customers. Which one to pick? Do they need both? Which features are in one but not the other? Distributed vs. Centralised? Which one does IBM recommend? Which one do I recommend? Which one do ISVs support (shown just yesterday in the RIM announcement - J2EE only)?  I'd like to hear whether both platforms feature in the future or whether there will be some separation of the two products, and possibly merging of aspects of Quickr with other more prominent Lotus products.
  • Quickr vs. Connections. There is clearly significant overlap between Quickr and Connections, particularly on the J2EE platform.  This has been further highlighted by the inclusion of Files and Wikis from Connections 2.5 into the entitlement for Quickr.  Customer are again confused - which one is right for them? Teams vs. Communities? Intranet versus Extranet? Taxonomy vs. Folksonomy etc.  I'd like to know where the two products (both of which I love) will sit in 6-12 months time, particularly with regard to competing with the upcoming (and very significant threat) Sharepoint 2010.
  • Platform support. Whether at the server (Quickr/Domino on Linux pppllleeeaaasssseee!) or the client (Connectors for Mac and Linux), there are currently obvious holes in the Quickr story when compared with Lotus' broader support for platform choice (which is still very highly respected in the industry).  I'd like to see both the near-term and long-term views of whether these gaps will be filled, and how.
• Details of the forthcoming Quickr 8.5 release, and the public reaction to them.  As a Quickr design partner we have had sight of 8.5 in beta form and are impressed with the improvements being made, but Lotusphere is a chance for IBM to expand on the vision for the release and to clarify the specifics of what will make or miss the release.
• Further expansion of Quickr mobile support.  As others have stated, 2010 looks to be 'the Year of the Mobile', Android is marching up to provide real competition for the iPhone, and the much-hyped Apple Tablet seems only weeks away.  At the same time Quickr support on mobile devices is shifting up a gear - SNAPPS have done great work in this area, Blackberry have delivered their solution, and others are focused on closing the gap.  There is sure be news in this area, and I'm really excited to try some of the solutions on the showcase floor.

So there we are - nothing earth-shattering in that list, but together I believe that if my hopes are satisfied, Lotus Quickr (or the technology currently known as Lotus Quickr!) will be well set to compete through 2010, and take the fight to Sharepoint 2010 head-on.

We'll soon find out!

(These are my hopes for Quickr at Lotusphere - what are yours?

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 4 Comments | On: 13 January 2010 09:13:55 | Tags:  lotusphere2010  ls10  quickr 

Let's just say the answer isn't currently what we'd want it to be:

Is Lotus Quickr services for Lotus Domino supported with client workstations running Microsoft Windows 7?

Answer
At this time, Windows 7 is not a supported operating system for current Lotus Quickr releases. The following table should address questions regarding which versions of Quickr are supported with Windows 7:

Lotus Quickr version	Supported with Windows 7?
Lotus Quickr services for Domino 8.0/8.0.0.2	No
Lotus Quickr services for Domino 8.1	No
Lotus Quickr services for Domino 8.2	No

However, the news for the future is better:

The Lotus Quickr 8.5 is expected to support the Windows 7 environment.

Quickr 8.5 is due 1H10 I believe...

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 4 Comments | On: 7 January 2010 10:18:11 | Tags:  quickr  lotus  windows7 

Beth Anne Collopy uses the Lotus Quickr wiki to list the Quickr-related sessions on the Lotusphere 2010 agenda:

List of Quickr Sessions at Lotusphere 2010

JMP203 We've Got Collaboration Under Control: IBM Lotus Quickr in Action
John Schumacher & Mustansir (Miki) Banatwala

SHOW202 How to customize Lotus Quickr Templates Using HTML, Javascript and CSS
Bob Barber & Brian O'Gorman

BP113 "Making Quickr Scream": Performance Strategies for a Smokin' Fast Server
Jerald Mahurin & Warren Elsmore

BP211 IBM Lotus Quickr Development Grows Up: Now This Changes Things
Troy Reimer & Viktor Krantz

ID307 Deployment and Performance Considerations for IBM Lotus Quickr Domino Services
Pat Osullivan & Olusola Omosaiye

ID308 IBM Lotus Quickr Services for J2EE
Marc Pagnier & Jon Brunn

ID309 IBM Lotus Quickr Domino 8.5 Sneak Preview
David Kajmo & Art Thomas

ID310 IBM Lotus Quickr ECM Integration
Dan McPherson & David Kajmo

AD304 Keep it Simple (and Open and Standard) with IBM Lotus Quickr Content Services!
Gregory Melahn & Cesar Wong

AD305 Customizing IBM Lotus Quickr Using Templates and APIs
Bill Rodrick & Andreas Goelzer

BOF Lotus Quickr Domino 8.5 Feedback
David Kajmo & Tom Lechner

Nice work, Beth Anne!

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 0 Comments | On: 2 January 2010 07:01:27 | Tags:  lotusphere2010  quickr 

I've been working on a project recently that calls for integration of Lotus Sametime, Quickr and Connections in order to develop a meeting management system.  Integration of products has always been a strength of the Lotus portfolio, and there are plenty of points within the three points where integration is possible - Quickr places into Communities, Sametime awareness throughout, SSO and so on.

However, one the key areas where customers get immediate value from Lotus Connections is by integrating the Profiles business card into the rest of the portfolio (including Sametime, Quickr and Notes 8.5.1) and even into other web applications using JavaScript calls.

Unfortunately, I have had real issues getting the Connections 2.5 business card working in Quickr 8.2 - it just wouldn't show up consistently.  It now seems obvious why that might be the case.  Cue a very useful technote:

The new IBM Lotus Connections business card does not show up in IBM Lotus Quickr 8.2 services for Lotus Domino
 
Problem
The new Dojo-based business card does not work in Lotus Quickr 8.2 services for Lotus Domino.
 
Symptom
The yellow tooltip does not show up when a user hovers over a person's name.
 
Cause
Due to a conflict with the Dojo libraries used by the Lotus Connections business card and Lotus Quickr 8.2 services for Lotus Domino, the new Dojo-based business card does not work. The new business card can be loaded without dojo but requires a dojo version of 1.0 or greater. Quickr 8.2's dojo version is 0.4.3
 
Resolving the problem
A workaround for this is to switch to using the old business card in Lotus Quickr, by updating the qpconfig.xml as follows:

(get the text from the technote itself)

Ding! Of course!  So, until the next release of Quickr becomes available (it's currently in beta), stick to the old version of the business card in Quickr 8.2.
 

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 0 Comments | On: 20 November 2009 09:48:37 | Tags:  quickr  8.2  connections 

New on the Quickr wiki:

This document contains the material used for Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Quickr Domino Product Architecture.

Presenter: Mustansir Banatwala - Lotus Quickr Chief Programmer

This session covers the following:

Architecture
Place Catalog, Place Structure
Base Model
Folder, Form & Page Model
User Model
Extension Points
Administration
Integration with WPLC products

The attached presentation is available in Lotus Symphony format.

The full list of Quickr Masterclass presentations includes:

• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Advanced Deployments Part I (DAOS, iNotes & Sametime Integration)
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Advanced Deployments Part I (DAOS, iNotes & Sametime Integration)
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Branding,Customization,Template Development for Quickr
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Connectors - Deployment and Troubleshooting
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Extending Quickr and Building Customer Applications & Connectors
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Planning Optimal Deployments (Deployment, External Directory, qpconfig.xml customization, Expanded Membership)
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Quickr Administration Walkthrough
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: Quickr Domino Product Architechture
• Quickr Domino 8.2 Masterclass: What's New in Quickr 8.2 for Domino
• Quickr J2EE 8.1.1 Masterclass - Document API's to extend Quickr

Nice work...

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 0 Comments | On: 17 November 2009 15:11:33 | Tags:  quickr  masterclass 

I'm currently working on a really interesting project that involves the creation of a meetings management solution, to provide a single point of access to:

• organise online and phone meetings
• provide access to meeting resources (documents, presentations, surveys etc.)
• provide links to planned, current and recorded meetings
• to collate and manage actions
• to collate and collect feedback on decisions made
• to send meeting invites, reminders and SMS alerts to attendees

Whilst by no means a new requirement for many organisations, it is not one that is particularly well served with the Lotus portfolio 'out of the box', and a search for partner or competitor products has not revealed anything that fits the bill any better. We've therefore looked into the development of a custom solution based on Connections and Sametime, Quickr and Sametime or indeed a combination of all three products.

The design process is still ongoing, but it has been interesting to look into the options available for Sametime 8.0.2 Meetings integration with both Connections and Quickr.

I was therefore delighted to be alerted to this Lotus Quickr wiki article that describes the process of integration Lotus Quickr 8.x with Lotus Sametime web meetings:

To enable online meetings for Team Workplace users, complete the following steps:
1.        Copying the Java files required for online meetings
2.        Specifying the Web Conferencing authentication name.
3.        Specifying Sametime Community server in Team Workplace.

...



(Thanks for the link Andrew T!)

If this is something that would be beneficial in your organisation, this article is well worth a look.

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 0 Comments | On: 17 November 2009 13:38:47 | Tags:  quickr  sametime  meetings 

This is a wonderful new resource from the Quickr support folks:

This document contains links to technical support documents for IBM Lotus Quickr, ones that are frequently requested or identified by IBM as valuable for the time period covered by this notification.  This is key information to help you derive the most value from your software licenses, find answers to common questions, and work through current issues that might affect your environment.

This list reflects a small portion of our knowledge base.  If your problem or question is not featured here, perform a keyword search on the Lotus Quickr support pages to find any relevant documents.  If you need more help, you can review the Lotus Quickr discussion forum, or review the IBM Software Support Handbook for additional support options.

Contents:

  * Announcements
  * Documents for services for Lotus Domino
  * Documents for services for WebSphere Portal
  * Continual favorites
  * Consumability survey
  * Electronic Support Resources

Check it out for several pages of extremely informative and relevant comment.

By: Stuart McIntyre - Quickr Blog | 0 Comments | On: 12 November 2009 22:28:37 | Tags:  quickr  admin  support