Adding automation

Adding automation to an application can speed up repetitive tasks, route documents, update information, perform calculations, run programs, and check for errors.

You can add the following automated components to the design elements in a Domino® application such as a database, a view, a form, or a document:

  • Actions
  • Hotspots
  • Agents

Actions

Actions automate tasks that are found on Notes® menus or tasks defined by formulas or a LotusScript® program. Users click a button, hotspot, or pick from the Action menu to execute the action. For Web applications in particular, use actions to simulate Notes® menu items.

Hotspots

A hotspot is text or a picture that a user can click to perform an action, run a formula or script, or follow a link. The hotspot can be a link to another Web site, database, or element in a database. It can be a button, pop-up, or an action as well.

Agents

Agents are programs that perform a series of automated tasks according to a set schedule or at the request of a user. An agent consists of three components: the trigger (when it acts), the search (what documents it acts on), and the action (what it does). Use agents to set up user-activated tasks, or background tasks, in any part of a Domino® application. Agents can be simple, such as moving documents to a folder, or complex, using Java™TM programs to run multiple automated tasks at scheduled times. Agents are stored with databases, but you can use them to run automated tasks for views, documents, fields, and databases.

For more information, see Adding Automation to Applications.