The project I'm working on involved some very complex and quite convoluted LotusScript agents, and in them my co-worker and I have constructed a reasonably simple debug and progress reporting model, which involves the use of Notes Agent Logs, done to an agent log database -- using NotesLog.OpenNotesLog and the alog4.ntf template.

Problem was that each run of the agent might, in some cases, write 2000 debug and progress lines into the log, and it soon became hard to find any issues, even though lines written to report errors are marked with a big red X in the view. So I added a new view, same as the supplied one, but which only displayed errors. Simplified the process of looking up the debug log data no end. It was cool. Now here's the tip:

Let's say you look at an error, and then want to see it in context of the rest of the log around it. Doing that is easy; just hold down CTRL while you switch to the other view. If you hold CTRL while switching views, Notes retains document position as it opens the new view (if it can).

So the new view opens with the bar on the error line, directly in the centre of the screen, and shows you the error in context. It becomes real easy to switch back and forth to find each error, and then see it in relation to the other debug records around it.

Told you it was cool.

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.