Workplace Forms Integrated with Workflow-Xpress on Domino: Part 3

Well little by little I am progressing. I was having trouble getting the Translator Servlet running on Domino (mainly due to a big lack of documentation showing how to deploy IBM Workplace Forms Server on a servlet container other than IBM Websphere Application Server). So I decided to try it the way it was documented by using WAS 6.0.2.

First I setup another VM-Server running Windows 2003 and applied the appropriate patches etc. I then installed Domino 7.0.1 and the Workplace Forms API and got the Mortgages example working (As this was now the second time it took maybe 1 hr instead of the day that it took the first time). This meant I could use Domino as the storage and data repository for the Mortgages Form using the Workplace Forms Viewer embedded into the browser as an object.

Then in order to get the Workplace Forms Server Translator Servlet operating (This is what renders the XFDL form as HTML) I installed WAS 6.0.0.0 Then upgraded it to WAS 6.0.2.0. The hardest thing here was finding the right files to download from IBM. The documentation seems to indicate that you need to change the Default HTTP Port to be 8085 rather than the preset 9080 for WAS so I did this. I then installed the Workplace Forms Server including the Translator and the sample apps. This seemed to work fine however when I then tried the sample it wouldn't work. After turning off Internet Explorer's "Friendly Error Messages" (NOT) I realised that both the WAS HTTP server and the Translator Service were running on 8085 and hence the conflict. So skip the above step re changing the Port!! Once I changed it back and restarted the services it worked a treat. This all took most of the day as it was a painful process but again I reckon it will only take an hour or so next time.

So now I have Domino acting as the main HTTP server and WAS acting as the servlet container for just the Translator Servlet. Next step is to write a JSP that combines both the Domino integration example and the WAS sample. This should then allow me to use Domino as the Workplace Forms storage of Form templates and have the Mortgages application detect if the user has Workplace Forms Viewer installed. If it does it will load the viewer (as per the Domino Integration example) and if it doesn't it will use the Translator (running on WAS) to render the form as HTML allowing me to still populate the data into the Domino database. Then we are really cooking with gas as they say for all those Domino sites that want to integrate Workplace Forms!!

One good thing about the above is that once you have the Translator installed as a service there is no need to start WAS. You just need to start the Translator service and that seems to work fine. I still believe it will be possible to get the Translator servlet running just on Domino without the need for Tomcat or WAS but I really wanted to get the Translator going first so I went with WAS. Down the track I will try again to get it going just on Domino. An important point that maybe makes it all pointless anyway is that WAS is bundled with Workplace Forms Server anyway (Restricted use license for Workplace Forms only) so that may very well be the way to go regardless.