A composite application definition can reference one or more Eclipse features as application requirements. Each requirement can specify a particular update site from which it will be provisioned.

You can use composite applications to install or update custom or third-party features in Notes, as described here. You can also use the Eclipse update manager, if exposed in Notes, to install or update custom or third-party features in Notes.

For information about installing new features as part of Notes install or with a third-party installer, see the topic Installing custom and third-party features and plug-ins.

When a user opens a composite application or when a composite application update operation occurs, if the application definition has changed, an update operation is run to provision both newly specified features as well as existing features that have newer available versions.

The feature requirement update site setting can specify a Domino server (or local NSF replica) or a Portal server (or any HTTP server). Update site URL examples for each server are as follows:

• The Domino server supports feature provisioning over the NRPC protocol.
  • Domino server
  
  NRPC://<server-hint-or-host>/<replica-id>/site.xml -> NRPC://updates.ibm.com/__85257258006000A1/site.xml
  • Local replica ID
  
  NRPC:///__85257258006000A1/site.xml
  
  Note Note the use of the double underscore and replica ID in the NRPC protocol.
• The Domino server optionally supports feature provisioning over the HTTP/HTTPS protocols.

  http://updates.ibm.com/updatesite.nsf/site.xml

  Eclipse update sites in conjunction with Domino NSFs allow for such usage scenarios as the following:

  • Host the NSF-based update site, for example UPDATESITE.NSF, on a Domino Web server.
  • Supply an NSF-based update site, for example UPDATESITE.NSF, to others, in which others can merge this NSF-based update site into their own.
  • Supply individual features and plug-ins to others for their own use in their own composite applications.
  • Create custom features and plug-ins with the additional capability to create a new NSF-based update site, for example UPDATESITE.NSF, and import these features and plug-ins.
• The Eclipse update site server (HTTP server) supports feature provisioning over the HTTP/HTTPS protocols.

  http://updates.ibm.com/updatesite/site.xml

Domino provides the capability to put an Eclipse update site inside an NSF database. An update site is typically a separate database that doesn't contain composite applications. However, since any Lotus Notes application NSF can contain a composite application, an update site NSF may contain a composite application. For example, a third-party could deliver a composite application and an update site, with the former pointing to the latter. Or an administrator could put the composite application in an update site NSF and make it available to users that way.

For more information about NSF-based update sites, see the topic Creating and using an NSF-based update site.

You can import Eclipse update sites into an NF-based update site application as described below.

Creating and preparing the NSF-based update site

1. Create an NSF-based update site, for example UPDATESITE.NSF, using the File - Application - New menu sequence and the Eclipse Update Site (8) template (UPDATESITE.NTF) installed with the Domino server.

Note To see the Eclipse Update Site (8) template (UPDATESITE.NTF), click Show Advanced Properties in the new Application dialog box.

The NSF-based update site acts as an Eclipse update site hosted in a Lotus Notes application on a Domino server. It dynamically provides the SITE.XML, features, and plug-ins.

3. Click the Import Local Update Site... action button.

4. From the resultant explanatory panel, use the Browse button to navigate to the Eclipse update site.

5. Select the SITE.XML file.

6. Click Open.

An "Importing update site" progress bar appears.

There are two methods you can use to edit a composite application's feature requirements update site URL:

A. Recommended method: Using the Composite Applications Editor to specify an update site for feature requirements

The preferred way to edit the update site URL for a feature requirement is through the use of the Composite Application Editor (CAE) as described in the following steps:

1. In Lotus Notes, open the composite application.

2. Click Actions > Edit Application... .

The Composite Applications Editor (CAE) opens in a new window.

4. Click Advanced.

A list of properties appears.

Alternatively, click Add and enter the name and the value.

7. Click OK to exit the Properties pane.

8. Click Done to close and save the changes.

9. The modified CA XML is re-read and processed.

B. Alternate method: Configuring a composite application to specify an update site

Use this process to define update sites for the contents of a particular composite application NSF.

10. The administrator obtains a composite application NSF, for example MyCompAppabx.nsf.

11. Accompanying the composite application NSF, the administrator obtains an update site folder, which contains a \features and \plugins subdirectory, as well as a SITE.XML file. The SITE.XML file lists features contained within the update site folder.

12. The administrator modifies the composite application's XML to point to a specific Domino update site.

1. Open a composite application, for example MyCompAppabx.nsf, in Domino Designer on the Domino server.

As the application is opening, do not click Cancel.

Accept any security screen prompts.

1. Click Composite Application - Application in the left pane navigator.
2. Click the composite application name in the list and then click the Export tab.

This action outputs to an xml file of the same name, for example MyCompAppabx.xml.

Leave the composite application open.

1. Open the XML file created in the previous step.
2. Modify each "url.feature" value to point to the needed Domino update site. For example, for each <preference name="url.feature"> entry, where url.feature is the placeholder for the update site URL and the specific feature name, point to the needed Domino update site.

The following format uses an NRPC protocol:

NRPC://<server>/__<replicationID>/site.xml

The following format uses an HTTP protocol:

http://<server>/updatesite.nsf/site.xml

14. In Domino Designer and within the open composite application, click the composite application name in the list, click the Refresh tab, and select the modified composite application XML file.

15. Open the NSF-based update site application, for example UPDATESITE.NSF, and import the SITE.XML file from the local update site folder that accompanies this composite application.

Note A user can open the composite application using a Lotus Notes database link, bookmark, or File - Application - Open (or Ctrl-O) on the server to initiate update.

Retrieving composite application definitions (CA XML) from Domino

The NRPC URL format for retrieving composite application updates is as below:

NRPC://<Server-hint-or-host>/<replica-id>/composite.xml?<param>=<value>

Where:

Server-hint-or-host = DNS host name, IP address, or server name

replica-id of the database on the target server

param = <name|unid>

Name = String to be used to lookup CA design element in view -- Look up first as a name and if not found, then as an alias.

UNID = UNID of the composite application design note

For example:

NRPC://abx_tc.upcdev.ibm.com/__8525634000734621/composite.xml?name=Hannover

WebSphere Portal composite application update is made available to the Lotus Notes user through the Home Portal Account setting in Lotus Notes, as determined by the Domino administrator. In addition, the administrator must also have installed the WebSphere Portal composite application support for Lotus Notes on the same WebSphere Portal server to which the user's Home Portal Account points. WebSphere Portal composite application update pertains most applicably to the Lotus Notes user who is working with composite applications that contain Web projections.

For related information, see the Expeditor Information Center at http://publib.boulder.ibm.com/infocenter/ledoc/v6r1/index.jsp. See the Expeditor release 6.1.1 Information Center as it becomes available.

For information about configuring users for composite applications that contain portlets, see the topics Installing the WebSphere Portal composite application support for Lotus Notes, Specifying the home portal account using policy and Specifying the home portal account using preferences.

Resources for learning more about composite applications

The following reference information is available for learning more about configuring and using composite applications.

• For information and examples describing how to create and deploy composite applications in the Notes context, such as composite applications tutorials, see IBM developerWorks at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks, including the composite applications blog at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/CompApps. You can use the following site map to find information about a specific topic:

  http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/CompApps?entry=blog_sitemap

• For overview information about composite applications, see About composite applications.
• For information about developing and deploying NSF-based composite applications, see Domino Designer 8 Help at http://www.lotus.com/doc and the IBM developerWorks composite applications blog at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/CompApps .
• For information about creating a composite application to run in the IBM® Websphere® Portal environment, see the IBM WebSphere Portal Information Center at http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/websphere/zones/portal/proddoc.html.
• For information about NSF-based update sites, see Creating and using an NSF-based update site and the "NSF based Update Sites" blog entry at http://www-03.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/page/CompApps?entry=nsf_based_update_sites.
• For information about using composite applications, see the Notes help for these Help categories:
  • Portal Applications Catalog
  • Composite Applications Editor
  • Portal Template Library
  • Domino Designer Property Broker
• For information about the WebSphere Portal composite application support for Lotus Notes, see Installing the WebSphere Portal composite application support for Lotus Notes.
• For information about configuring the home portal account to enable users to open and use composite applications that contain portlets, see Specifying the home portal account using policy and Specifying the home portal account using preferences.

Creating and using an NSF-based update site
Installing and updating custom and third-party features and plug-ins
Installing the WebSphere Portal composite application support for Lotus Notes
Specifying the home portal account using policy
Specifying the home portal account using preferences

Glossary