IBM Lotus Notes 8.5.2 running on Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal) under WINE

In my other blog post I talk about the display\graphic problems using the native debian/ubuntu IBM Domino client.

Seeing as I also use the admin client, and occasional designer I thought I'd have a crack at installing under Wine v 1.2.2.

I'm going to blog this exactly as it happened, theres a point in which the gremlins get in and make something do something which is good (ish) but I'm not exactly sure when and what. I'll be sure to point that bit out.

Once Wine is installed use the Wine utils to run setup.exe. All appears well until about 90% on the install bar when you then receive a notes.ini error. I suspect the install procedure can't write it and so barfs.

I cancelled the error and then the install (had to use force quit). This actually left the Domino application files in .wine/drive_c/Program Files/IBM/Lotus/Notes (or your chosen path).

For all Dominos bad points its portability across systems and OS is a massive plus. So wondering if I could cheat I copied a notes.ini (paths were the same), names.nsf, bookmarks.nsf from my Windows install, right click notes.exe and open with Wine. Close, splash screen and the status bar just kept getting 100% and then starting again.

At this time Wine started to also play up, very slow to launch, like minutes. No config etc. I pushed through and tried to install Domino over the top of the existing install, you have a good .ini so use it. This seemed to fail, again couldn't launch.

So I slept on it and wondered about the Wine slow problems.

This morning a quick google and I ran :

wineboot --update

Bingo, Domino icons appeared on the desktop and applications menu. Excitement +1
Launched the app, password, desktop. +2

Opened an email -5
Opened a db -5

Exactly the same display problems as when I run the native Linux client. Certainly seems to point more to a graphics issue now though .. But on the plus side I got to play with Wine which is a new app for me, office 2010 and a h.323 client might be next !

So the gremlins. My hunch is that after the first Domino install I started to have Wine problems (hic). The second Domino install when there was a working notes.ini probable worked and had I run --update it would have got me to a working(ish) install.

If I were to do it again create the full domino path and plonk a good notes.ini in there prior to installing. If I get time/motivation I'll test this theory out. Please comment if you do ..

IBM Lotus Notes 8.5.2 Linux client on Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty Narwhal)

I've set myself the task of switching my desktop OS from Windows 7 to Ubuntu. No particular reason other than the challenge it sets.

Something thats not working great, when I say great I mean at all is the IBM Lotus Notes client. Having eventually found the Ubuntu download. No small effort when confronted with the IBM download site.

notes.net led me to a post with the part number - CZIF5EN. Which a search on the passport site found.

Install went pretty seamlessly. Extract the .tar and run the install which launched software centre. Ran through the regular first time client setup, server name, id file etc and launched the client - IT WORKS !

Amazing, I was expecting a fight. Open inbox, open message, oh .. some serious display issues. Not so much artefacts but empty tabs and big grey boxes.

I suspect its graphics related but so far Domino is the only application to exhibit any issues. I plan on opening a TAC with IBM.

UPDATE 15/7/2011 - IBM have confirmed that support for the native client is currently restricted to Ubuntu 8 - https://www-304.ibm.com/support/docview.wss?uid=swg27019218#Ubuntu Desktop

Sending IBM/Lotus Domino eMails from Excel

Heres your macro :

Public Sub emailme()
Dim noSession As Object, noDatabase As Object, noDocument As Object
   Dim vaRecipient As Variant
   Dim rnbody As Range
   Dim rnbody1 As Range
   Dim Data As DataObject
   Const stSubject As String = "P.O. Issues" ****
   Const stMsg As String = "Do you have an update on the following:"****  
   Const stPrompt As String = "Please select the range:"****
   vaRecipient = VBA.Array("your email address.com")****A MUST****
    On Error Resume Next
    Set rnbody = Application.InputBox("Please choose the range", Type:=8)
    On Error GoTo 0
    If rnbody Is Nothing _
    Then MsgBox "RNG is nothing" _
Else 'MsgBox rnbody.Address
rnbody.Select
Set rnbody1 = Range(rnbody, rnbody.Offset(0, 3))************
rnbody1.Select
   Set noSession = CreateObject("Notes.NotesSession")
   Set noDatabase = noSession.GETDATABASE("", "")
   If noDatabase.IsOpen = False Then noDatabase.OPENMAIL
   Set noDocument = noDatabase.CreateDocument
   rnbody1.Copy
   Set Data = New DataObject
   Data.GetFromClipboard
   With noDocument
      .Form = "Memo"
      .SendTo = vaRecipient
      .Subject = stSubject
      .body = stMsg & vbCrLf & vbCrLf & Data.GetText
      .SaveMessageOnSend = True
   End With
   With noDocument
      .PostedDate = Now()
      .Send 0, vaRecipient
   Set noDocument = Nothing
   Set noDatabase = Nothing
   Set noSession = Nothing
   'Activate Excel for the user.
   AppActivate "Microsoft Excel"
   Application.CutCopyMode = False
   MsgBox "The e-mail has successfully been created and distributed.", vbInformation
End With
End Sub

Replace the ***** parts with your particular details.


You may need to change the following line :

Set rnbody1 = Range(rnbody, rnbody.Offset(0, 3))************


This by default will use the first cell plus the 3 cells to the right.


I then applied that to a button, but another way I found was to put the following code in your worksheet {copy code,right click sheet tab name, select view code, & paste}


Any cell with the words 'Send Me' in can then be double clicked to invoke the macro.

Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal Target As Excel.Range, Cancel As Boolean)
Select Case Target.Column
Case 1
If ActiveCell.Value = "Send Me" Then
ActiveCell.Offset(1, 0).Select
Call emailme
End If
End Sub

One gotcha I found was my installation of Excel didn't have the DataObject available.


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