Genii Weblog

Ignore the "No Trespassing!" Sign

Mon 9 Feb 2009, 08:00 AM



by Ben Langhinrichs
EntwicklerCamp 2009I have agreed to speak again at EntwicklerCamp 2009 this year, and the two sessions should be very interesting.  I tend to make up sessions off the top of my head and only later figure them out more completely.  I find that leads to more spontaneous topics, but also to more hair tearing and stress as I try to fulfill whatever cockeyed idea I had way back when I submitted the sessions.  Sometimes I go back to see what I have agreed to speak on and I can't help but think, "What was I thinking?"

Thus, it was a great relief to come back from Lotusphere and read over my abstracts for the two sessions and find that both are interesting topics about which I can speak with some confidence.  (I usually wait until after Lotusphere to create sessions for EntwicklerCamp, because you never know what you might learn at Lotusphere that will enhance or change the sessions)  Here are the two topics I will present. with a small bit of commentary on each.  I encourage you to check out this wonderful development conference if you will be anywhere near Gelsenkirchen, Germany the first week of March.  Even if you don't want to see my sessions, come to see Maureen Leland, Andrew Pollack, Gerald Peters, Ulrich Krause, Bruce Lill and many more.  There are also Hands-On sessions which are always very popular, and worth the price of the whole conference.

Ignore the "No Trespassing!" Sign
In this session, we will explore some of the regions of development that are theoretically off-limits.  From @formulas to XPages, how to use design elements in ways they weren't intended to be used, how to build API applications that ignore their stated limits, and otherwise squeeze into questionable areas that may give you powers you didn't think you would have.

The hardest thing about this session will be to find a way to squeeze it into 75 minutes.  It is a topic of endless fascination to me, but I am always interested in hearing of ideas I haven't considered.  Have you found interesting ways to avoid the boundaries?  Virtually everyone has done simple stuff such as using a page as a CSS file to take advantage of computed text, but have you ever used an agent as a form, or a form as an agent?  Many have used a file resource as an image, but what about an agent as an image?  What about using a design element that isn't there?  Come to EntwicklerCamp to see how far the limits can be stretched, and when you can just duck under the limits and ignore them completely.  Oh yes, and find out what advantages you'll have over your limit-following competitors.

The Long-Ignored LSX Toolkit
After several years without a new version, IBM is finally releasing a brand new version of the LSX Toolkit.  We will build a small LSX during the session, talk about the new features, and discuss what makes the LSX such a powerful and enduring tool that even years of neglect have not lessened its value.

After many (many many) years of neglect, IBM has finally agreed to release a new LSX Toolkit.  What has spurred on their decision?  What new features are available?  More importantly, what is it about the LSX Toolkit that leads people to care after so many years.  Come find out about the new toolkit, but more importantly, come find out how easy it is to create an LSX that will empower your applications from the inside.

Copyright © 2009 Genii Software Ltd.

What has been said:


786.1. John Turnbow (02/09/2009 06:26 AM)

Hi Ben,

I don't see the "updated" LSX download. Any idea when it will be available for download?

TTYL,

John


786.2. Ben Langhinrichs (02/09/2009 06:35 AM)

I heard that it was announced at Lotusphere as Feb 1, but later amended to Feb. 15. I can only hope it is available, as it would be nice to do the presentation using the new release, although it certainly isn't necessary. Supposedly, the guy responsible has a blog, but I haven't dug it up yet to see if there is a revised date.


786.3. Jerry Carter (02/09/2009 09:45 AM)

Hi Ben,

Using an agent to deliver JSON or XML has been a fun way to do joins pre-x-pages. One other time I used a Java agent named something.php to interface with a service that was expecting me to have something.php - realizing what it really wanted was the result, not a particular source of said result. Worked just fine.

At the API level, creating custome declarations is sometimes possible, even contrary to available API documentation. I've had to do this a couple of times working with windows http objects - thinking outside the box to get around barriers is a great tactic to providing the needed solution.

It should be a fun topic!