Lotus iNotes: How to enable a custom Forms database

To create and enable a custom Forms database, you should perform three steps:
1.        Open the FormsXX.nsf database with Lotus Notes or Designer and click the menu: File - Application (Database) - New Copy  [You must give the database a new replica ID]  Name the database whatever you please, for example: Forms8_customized.nsf.
2.        Add the new Forms database to the list of allowed iNotes Forms for your Domino server by modifying the following environment variable on your Domino server
iNotes_WA_FormsFiles=iNotes/Forms7.nsf,iNotes/Forms8.nsf,iNotes/Forms8_customized.nsf
3.        Change the $FormsTemplateFile field on the icon note of any mail database so that the Domino server knows which Forms database to use (shown below)

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Did you know that the database icon note of all Notes databases contains more data than just the icon?  The easiest way to access the database icon note is via the special NoteID "FFFF0010".

Here are some of the fields you might find on the icon note:

Field name	Description
$Daos	"0"  // enable|disable Domino Attachment and Object Storage (R8.5)
$Flags	// A special string of flags that represent the database properties you see on the File - Application - Properties dialog box
$FormsTemplateFile	"iNotes/Forms85.nsf"  // Where to find the Lotus iNotes UI
$HaikuFlags	"1"  // This lets the Domino server know that the database uses a Lotus QuickPlace design
$LANGUAGE	"en"  // The language of the design notes
$TITLE	// The database title
$WebHybridDb	"1"  // This lets the Domino server know that the database does not use the standard Domino Web design
IconBitmap	// The database icon

If you have made customizations to the Lotus iNotes Forms database (Forms8.nsf, Forms7.nsf, Forms6.nsf, etc), and you only want to show those customizations for certain folks, you could rename the Forms database to something unique and set that Forms database by changing the value stored in the icon note.  

Here is an agent that you might run from any database.  It displays a view of your corporate NAB (Names.nsf on your Domino server) and lets you select people that will receive the new iNotes UI.


(Runtime target in Agent properties = "None")

 
 Option Public 
 Option Explicit 
 Sub Initialize 
 Dim ns As New NotesSession 
 Dim uiw As New NotesUIWorkspace 
 Dim nc As NotesDocumentCollection 
 Dim dbThis As NotesDatabase 
 Dim docLog As NotesDocument 
 Dim docPerson As NotesDocument 
 Dim choices$, nab$, sFFName$ 
 Dim vTmp As Variant 
 Dim nCount&, nTotal& 
 On Error Goto Err_Agent 
 
 Set dbThis = ns.CurrentDatabase 
 Set docLog = dbThis.CreateDocument 
 Call docLog.ReplaceItemValue("Title", "Activity Log - " & Cstr(Now)) 
 
 '// Get a list of all available address books 
 Forall dbNAB In ns.AddressBooks 
 If (True=dbNAB.IsPublicAddressBook) Then 
     choices = choices & "," & dbNAB.Server & " - " & dbNAB.FilePath 
 End If 
 End Forall 
 vTmp = Split(Mid(choices,2), ",") 
 If (Ubound(vTmp) > Lbound(vTmp)) Then 
     '// Select one of the address books 
     vTmp = uiw.Prompt(4, "NAB Picker", "Choose the address book:", "", vTmp) 
 End If 
 nab = StringValue(vTmp) 
 If (0=Len(nab)) Then 
     Exit Sub 
 End If 
 Call LogStatus(docLog, "AddressBook chosen = " & nab) 
 
 '// Select people to convert to new Forms database 
 vTmp = Split(nab, " - ") 
 Set nc = uiw.PickListCollection( 
  3, True, vTmp(0), vTmp(1),  
  "$PeopleGroupsFlat", "People Picker",  
  "Select people for iNotes Forms database conversion") 
 
 '// Let user type in a new Forms database value 
 vTmp = uiw.Prompt(3, "New iNotes Forms Database Value", "Convert " &_ 
  Cstr(nc.Count) & " users to a new iNotes Forms database named:",  
  "iNotes/Forms8-orange-theme.nsf") 
 sFFName = StringValue(vTmp) 
 If (0=Len(sFFName)) Then 
     Exit Sub 
 End If 
 Call LogStatus(docLog, "New Forms database name = " & sFFName) 
 
 '// Modify all selected mail databases 
 nTotal = 0 
 For nCount = nc.Count To 1 Step -1 
     Set docPerson = nc.GetNthDocument(nCount) 
     Call LogStatus( docLog, SetFormsDbName( 
        sFFName,  
        docPerson.GetItemValue("FullName")(0),  
        docPerson.GetItemValue("MailServer")(0),  
        docPerson.GetItemValue("MailFile")(0)) ) 
 Next 
 
 Exit_Agent: 
 On Error Resume Next 
 Call docLog.Save(True, False, False) 
 Exit Sub 
 Err_Agent: 
 On Error Resume Next 
 Call LogStatus(docLog, Error$) 
 On Error Goto Err_Agent 
 Resume Next 
 End Sub 
 
 Function SetFormsDbName( sFFName$, sFN$, sDS$, sDF$ ) As String 
 Dim nnFN As New NotesName( sFN ) '// FullName 
 Dim nnDS As New NotesName( sDS ) '// ServerName 
 Dim db As NotesDatabase 
 Dim docIcon As NotesDocument 
 Dim status$ 
 On Error Goto Err_SetFormsDbName 
 status = nnFN.Abbreviated & ": " 
 
 '// Open the user's database 
 Set db = New NotesDatabase( nnDS.Abbreviated, sDF ) 
 If (False=db.IsOpen) Then 
     Call db.Open("","") 
 End If 
 
 '// Get the icon note using a special HEX value 
 Set docIcon = db.GetDocumentByID("FFFF0010") 
 
 '// Replace the value 
 Call docIcon.ReplaceItemValue("$FormsTemplateFile", sFFName) 
 Call docIcon.Save(True, False, True) 
 Set docIcon = Nothing 
 status = status & "new Forms value was saved" 
 
 Exit_SetFormsDbName: 
     Set db = Nothing 
     SetFormsDbName = status 
 Exit Function 
 
 Err_SetFormsDbName: 
     status = status & Error$ 
     Resume Exit_SetFormsDbName 
 End Function 
 
 Function StringValue( vTmp As Variant ) As String 
 Dim sRtn$ 
 On Error Goto Err_StringValue 
 sRtn = "" 
 If (False=Isempty(vTmp)) Then 
     If (True=Isarray(vTmp)) Then 
         sRtn = Cstr(vTmp(0)) 
     Else 
         sRtn = Cstr(vTmp) 
     End If 
 End If 
 Exit_StringValue: 
     StringValue = sRtn 
     Exit Function 
 Err_StringValue: 
     Resume Exit_StringValue 
 End Function 
 
 Sub LogStatus( doc As NotesDocument, status$ ) 
 Dim vBody As Variant 
 Set vBody = doc.GetFirstItem("Body") 
 If (vBody Is Nothing) Then 
     Set vBody = doc.CreateRichTextItem("Body") 
 End If 
 vBody.AppendText(status) 
 vBody.AddNewLine(1) 
 End Sub