LotusScript for Visual Basic Programmers - IBM Redbooks

Chapter 7
Accessing Notes Databases
A database is a file used by Notes to store data in the form of documents. A
database also contains metadata in the form of forms, views, agents, and an
Access Control List (ACL).
In this chapter, we will discuss how to access a Notes database
In HiTest
Using Notes classes through OLE automation in Visual Basic
Using LotusScript in Notes.
Accessing Notes Databases Using the HiTest Basic API
In the HiTest Visual Basic API, the database object exists in the implicit
context of the session and represents Lotus Notes databases as distinct
objects. The primary attributes of a database are the server name, database
name, database file path (relative to the Notes data directory), and a handle
when the database is opened.
A database may be opened, in which case it is represented by a handle.
When opened, the contents of a database are accessed and manipulated
with this handle. An open database also contains status information
pertaining to the database file. Many of the remaining objects exist within
the context of a database. Some objects use a database directly and some
indirectly through a document, which is only valid in the context of that
database, including indices, open documents, metadata, and properties.
Multiple databases may be opened in a single session. The HiTest API uses
the global constant NULLHANDLE = 0 to represent an invalid database
handle.
Accessing Notes Database Properties
HTDatabaseGetProperty: Fetches one of various database-level property
values into a supplied buffer. Each property has a data type, and the buffer
must be large enough to hold the result.
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