COEX! Links 2.0 is out, and it rocks!
Wed 14 Apr 2004, 02:12 PM
by Ben Langhinrichs
OK, I am slightly biased, but I do think customers will like the new db mapping features, as well as the ability to create Web URLs for all, or only selected, doclinks. The news release is available with some details, the COEX! Links User's manual (zipped) has been completely rewritten and offers a good deal more help with confirguration options, and new licenses are available for Version 1.x licensees who are still on maintenance, or for anyone who is ready to buy.
As a reminder, here is a partial reprint of a post I wrote earlier about what is different in Version 2.0. I'll be writing up some scenarios later to bettr describe the new, and existing, option.
Previous Situation
In COEX! Links 1.0, doclinks (and view links and db links) were converted automatically in the Domino router to one of three formats, an NDL attachments, a hyperlink based Notes URL link, and a text based URL link. Thus, a doclink might have become
or it might have become
or it might have become
Notes:///852564840021BE86/95DE39B3D87082958525647B0016A59B
Each of these has its advantages for different users. Outlook users may need to use the NDL format, because Microsoft doesn't let the Notes:/// format pass through successfully. Web users might prefer the second format, as it looks nice (the text is configurable) and fits where a doclink used to be. Other e-mail users might prefer the text link which will either become hot automatically in most mail files, or can at least be copied and pasted into a browser. Still, there is an un-met need...
Meeting the un-met need
One of the assumptions behind all of these options is that the user still has a Notes client, yet one of the most requested features for COEX! Links is to be able to work in an environment where there are no more Notes clients. The Domino server still exists, but the Notes clients aren't there, so all three of the formats in COEX! Links 1.0 leave you stranded. Therefore, we are making a small, but significant, change to allow this need to be met.
In Version 2.0, you are able to specify an http URL with configurability (and some mapping to keep links sensible). Now, that same doclink mentioned above can be turned into either
or
As you will notice, these links do not require access to a Notes client, thus freeing clients to provide their own adaptions to the original Notes documents linked to. In one database, you may want to change the link to
while in another, you might want to change the link to
which is also possible. The format can be specified separately for each database, and in each case, it can be either a hyperlink (link hotspot) or a text link.
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