Notes Configuration Details for OpenInsight and Reporter (Operating System Compatibility)

Introduction

There are four typical combinations of OpenInsight for Workgroups and Lotus Notes:

1.     Without Notes. OpenInsight for Workgroups is designed to operate with or without Notes. Only the Notes-related tools like Notes Registration, and Notes functions like OpenNote, require Notes to exist. Without Notes present, an application that uses these tools or functions will not work.

2.     Notes r3 16-bit. Notes r3 was the latest version when OpenInsight for Workgroups was originally released. OpenInsight continues to support Notes r3.

3.     Notes r4 16-bit. Starting with OpenInsight 3.1, the 16-bit Notes r4 client is supported.

4.     Notes r4 32-bit. This combination is not supported by OpenInsight because the 32-bit Notes DLL's cannot be called directly from a 16-bit application like OpenInsight.

If 16-bit Notes is not available, or if OpenInsight is not configured correctly, menu items for Notes functionality will be grayed out.

Note that the Revelation Reporter supports Notes in the same manner as OpenInsight. At any point in this article, you can substitute "Revelation Reporter" for "OpenInsight" and "OpenInsight for Workgroups".

Choosing the correct interface library

OpenInsight comes with two files for accessing Notes functionality:

1.     OI2NOTES.DL3 - the interface file for Notes r3

2.     OI2NOTES.DL4 - the interface file for Notes r4

The applicable file is copied to OI2NOTES.DLL in the OpenInsight directory during setup. The same process can be done manually:

1.     Using Notes r3 16-bit, copy OI2NOTES.DL3 to OI2NOTES.DLL in the OpenInsight directory.

2.     Using Notes r4 16-bit, copy OI2NOTES.DL4 to OI2NOTES.DLL in the OpenInsight directory.

3.     If you are not using Notes or if you do not have a 16-bit version of Notes, delete OI2NOTES.DLL.

Adding Notes to the path

OI2NOTES.DLL calls functions in various Notes DLL's. In order for OpenInsight to find these Notes DLL's, the Notes directory must be in the search path. The PATH environmental variable, typically set in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, must be modified to include the Notes directory. This step is performed optionally during the OpenInsight setup. To perform this task manually, edit the AUTOEXEC.BAT and add the Notes directory to the PATH statement. After modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT, restart your computer in order for the changes to take effect.

To verify that the Notes directory is in the search path:

1.     Determine your Notes path. This is often C:\NOTES, but some sites run Notes from a common location on the network. (You can check the Notes icon in the Program Manager or the Notes short-cut in Windows '95 to determine the location of the Notes directory.)

2.     Open a DOS window, type PATH, and press <enter>. This displays the literal "PATH=" followed by the current search path. Multiple directories in the search path are separated by semicolons (;). Look through the search path for the Notes directory; if it is not there, add it to the PATH statement in AUTOEXEC.BAT and then restart your computer.

Example:

PATH C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;C:\NOTES

Conclusion

Configuring OpenInsight to work with Notes is simple and straight-forward:

1.     Make sure you have a 16-bit version of Notes, and determine whether it is Notes r3 or Notes r4.

2.     Depending on whether you are using r3 or r4, copy the appropriate interface library to OI2NOTES.DLL.

3.     Double check that the directory of the 16-bit version of Notes is in the PATH.

Note that all of these steps are done either automatically or optionally during OpenInsight setup.