Modifying Team Workplace (QuickPlace) invitations, a.k.a. Novak does know something useful
Category QuickPlace
My first technical posting in a while, but I was asked this question a few times at Lotusphere so thought I would share.
In Team Workplace 6.5.1, you can use the qpconfig.xml file to modify one part of the outgoing invitation - the line about the "use your internet password". IBM added this to the configuration since companies have their own vernacular for everything including login IDs. However, sometimes a company will need to modify more than that, especially to add disclaimers, more information, or to re-name the "QuickPlace" branding that is in the invitations. A little known example from Lotus Devcon 2000 (yes, 5 years old!) when QuickPlace 2.0 first shipped gives you this flexibility. Here are the files and instructions to get this going - I've tested it and it works on every version from 2.0 to 6.5.1. That said, it's a freebie sample so use at your own risk!
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The attached files should be placed as follows on the server:
1. QPCustomInvite.dll should be placed in the Domino program directory
2. qpcustdoc.nsf should be placed in the Domino data subdirectory
The notes.ini should be modified somewhere in the middle to add this line:
QuickPlaceModules=qpcustominvite.dll
Next, from the Notes client on the server (nlnotes.exe) you want to open the database (Ctrl-O) called Quick Place Custom Docs. Navigate to the "Invitations" view and you will see four documents. For each of these, you can modify the text you see to what you'd like your invitations to say, keeping note of the "tags" that are placeholders for the server and place name. In the section for user name and password, you may overwrite the tags with your static text. As a reminder, editing Notes documents is easily done with Ctrl-E while you're reading it. You can press Esc to leave the document and it will ask if you want to save your changes.
You may also place your own disclaimer at the bottom of each invitation.
To enable all of this, then just restart the Domino server by typing "restart server" at the console.
++++++++++++++++++++++
My first technical posting in a while, but I was asked this question a few times at Lotusphere so thought I would share.
In Team Workplace 6.5.1, you can use the qpconfig.xml file to modify one part of the outgoing invitation - the line about the "use your internet password". IBM added this to the configuration since companies have their own vernacular for everything including login IDs. However, sometimes a company will need to modify more than that, especially to add disclaimers, more information, or to re-name the "QuickPlace" branding that is in the invitations. A little known example from Lotus Devcon 2000 (yes, 5 years old!) when QuickPlace 2.0 first shipped gives you this flexibility. Here are the files and instructions to get this going - I've tested it and it works on every version from 2.0 to 6.5.1. That said, it's a freebie sample so use at your own risk!
++++++++++++++++++++
The attached files should be placed as follows on the server:
1. QPCustomInvite.dll should be placed in the Domino program directory
2. qpcustdoc.nsf should be placed in the Domino data subdirectory
The notes.ini should be modified somewhere in the middle to add this line:
QuickPlaceModules=qpcustominvite.dll
Next, from the Notes client on the server (nlnotes.exe) you want to open the database (Ctrl-O) called Quick Place Custom Docs. Navigate to the "Invitations" view and you will see four documents. For each of these, you can modify the text you see to what you'd like your invitations to say, keeping note of the "tags" that are placeholders for the server and place name. In the section for user name and password, you may overwrite the tags with your static text. As a reminder, editing Notes documents is easily done with Ctrl-E while you're reading it. You can press Esc to leave the document and it will ask if you want to save your changes.
You may also place your own disclaimer at the bottom of each invitation.
To enable all of this, then just restart the Domino server by typing "restart server" at the console.
++++++++++++++++++++++
Comments
Posted by Patrick Lambourne At 01:07:00 PM On 02/17/2005 | - Website - |
Talk about coincidence... I had just started to download these samples, and got it working. One thing came to mind was how to 'jazz' up the invitation to use MIME. I was initially thinking of modifying the note passed into the hook to add MIME content, but after recompiling the .dll to show items, it looks like the note being passed into the hook isn't in it's final phase before being dropped in mail.box. I'm guessing QP is doing some more modification to the note before it is actually sent. Have you got any ideas?
Thanks.
Rob.
Posted by Rob Chillingworth At 01:38:13 PM On 02/17/2005 | - Website - |
@Rob: There is a more in-depth example of writing to mail.box in the custom notify example. I've changed this a few times (not recently) and with it, you can write directly to mail.box. I think this will get you closer.
Posted by Rob Novak At 03:37:04 PM On 02/17/2005 | - Website - |
Not being able to change the content of the invitation mail has been the bain of my life for the past 4 years!!!!!! I currently have to plead with my site administrators to remove the default tick, half the time they forget and then we have lots of confussed new users (first impressions count, especially when it comes to technology).
Cheers Claire
Posted by Claire Harrison At 05:11:40 AM On 04/26/2005 | - Website - |
Thanks in advance
Matt
Posted by Matt At 03:42:21 AM On 06/18/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Rob Novak At 06:56:47 AM On 06/18/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Marcello Modica At 10:48:40 AM On 10/22/2007 | - Website - |
Posted by Rob Novak At 12:53:00 PM On 10/22/2007 | - Website - |