While the instructions on how to set this up were fairly thorough, one thing I noticed was that when first opening the "Notes.net Welcome" database, I needed to manually type the name of the server in the Open Database dialog box in order to connect to it. I've found that this is necessary when I've created a connection document for a server but haven't actually connected to it yet. You'll also need to accept some cross-certificates, but have no fear, it won't hurt.

You'll be able to replicate most of the databases that make up the Notes.net site, including the Iris Today Webzine, the Iris Sandbox, and the Notes.net forums. You can even participate in the forums directly from Notes! And, since you're viewing these databases in Notes, be sure to take advantage of some of the built-in Notes features such as using the search bar, the preview pane, and the escape key to help you navigate through the information more quickly. There's also a neat "Send topic to friend" button that allows you to send an entire posting to someone via Notes, which will save them the trouble of having to look it up themselves.

One of the first things you'll find when you start to replicate the databases is that some of them are huge. The Notes/Domino Gold forum, for instance, is almost 9 gigabytes with 475,000 documents! In contrast, the QuickPlace Discussion forum is a relatively svelte 119 megabytes. So, if you want to replicate these databases yet still save space on your hard drive, select the replication settings and either choose to remove documents not modified in the last "x" days from your replica or use a custom replication formula to get just the information you want.

And, if you're impressed by how well the Notes/Domino Gold forum works in both Notes and on the Web (and you should be), you can download a copy of the design for your own use from the Iris Sandbox at http://notes.net/sandbox.nsf/$DefaultView/100701cc7e8253d0852568fe006d38a5.

You can also find other Notes.net-related templates by searching the Iris Sandbox (at http://notes.net/sandbox.nsf) using "Notes.net" as your search term.

I can't explain it, but there's something about accessing Notes.net information via Notes that makes even a grizzled old Domino Web Developer like me feel kind of warm and fuzzy inside.

Conclusion
As always, I'd love to hear any feedback you have about the tips I write. Your comments can help shape the direction and content of future tips. Please send your feedback to me at dvelasco@dominopower.com. I'm going to work during the next month to update my personal Web site and would love to include some comments from DominoPower readers who have found the tips and articles I've written useful. And make sure you're signed up for the DominoPower tip newsletter so you can receive tips 101, 102, 103, etc.

Mick Moignard has been working and traveling with Lotus Notes since Release 2.0 in 1991. Mick is a DominoPower Senior Technical Editor and a Principal CLP with Unipart Expert Practices, a Lotus Advanced Partner in the UK. If you want to discuss anything to do with this article, or indeed anything else to do with Notes and Domino, contact Mick at Mick_Moignard@unipart.co.uk. Unipart Expert Practices will also happily discuss any opportunities you may have with any Notes and Domino application development or infrastructure projects you need help with. Unipart Expert Practices can be found at http://www.unipartep.com.