Is there a way to automatically populate a Notes Instant Messaging contact list?

HCL Domino Domino Forum
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We have a Sametime 7.5.1 server running quite happily, and all of our Lotus Notes clients are on version 7.0.2.

We are planning to rollout Notes Instant Messaging facilities to several hundred users, but would like to be able to achieve the following before doing so…

  • We would like to pre-populate their contact list with several users/groups

  • We would like to ensure that the contact list is displayed by default. Currently, the only apparent/visible difference to the user when they are logged in is the “I am active” indicator at the bottom of the Notes client.

Any assistance that you may be able to provide would be most appreciated!

Cheers,

T.

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Subject: Is there a way to automatically populate a Notes Instant Messaging contact list?

My company provides a free tool that can do this. It’s called Epilio Buddylist Control for IBM Lotus Sametime.

It’s a free tool, no catch, no registration etc.

Buddylist Control is a Command Line Utility that allows IBM Lotus Sametime Administrators to:

Pre-Populate a users buddylist with default groups or users

Add Public Groups to a users buddylist

Remove Public Groups from a users buddylist

Add Private Groups to a users buddylist

Remove Private Groups from a users buddylist

Add a user to a users buddylist

Remove a user from a users buddylist

Export a users Sametime Storage Attributes

Disconnect a remote Sametime User

Sametime Administrators can manage Sametime contact lists with Buddylist Control when:

The Sametime Server is running

The User who’s Buddylist is being modified is logged on

The User who’s Buddylist is being modified is logged off

The User who’s Buddylist is being modified/Created has never logged on

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Subject: Thanks very much Carl!!

That’s fantastic!

Now I just need to find out how to control the default visibility of the contact list when the user first logs in.

I sure appreciate your help with this one.

Cheers!

T.

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Subject: I would guess that’s a Notes.ini setting.

Try comparing two notes.ini files, one with it open, one with it closed.

If it isn’t you could use the @Command( [ShowHideIMContactList] ) in a database script or something to open it.

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Subject: Excellent Carl - Cheers!

I really should’ve looked that one up a little more thoroughly myself before posing the question.

Thanks very much for your responses!

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Subject: This is an excellent tool…

Thanks again for your response Carl!The Buddylist Control is working beautifully in our site.

I wonder if you could explain something for me though?

On your site, the second animation demonstrates a script performing a number of operations for a user.

Because we want to manage quite a few users at the same time, I have written a lotusscript agent that generates a batch file containing all of the necessary command prompts (since the command line utility can only affect one user at a time).

I wonder if there is any documentation related to the development of scripts for your utility? It looks alot cleaner than the batch file that I create.

Cheers!

T.

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Subject: RE: This is an excellent tool…

Hi Terry
The demo is just a regular batch/CMD file, just that I turned the ECHO OFF and piped the output from each command to a text file or NULL.

Example:

@ECHO OFF

ECHO Building default Buddylist for %*…

java -jar populateBL.jar stserver.acme.com “%*” “Add” “Private” “Division Heads” “CN=Carl Tyler/O=Epilio” “CN=Peter Packer” “CN=Bill Bolts” “CN=Penny Pincher” > NULL

java -jar populateBL.jar stserver.acme.com “%*” “Add” “Public” “ACME Employees” > NULL

java -jar populateBL.jar stserver.acme.com “%*” “Add” “Public” “Test Users” > NULL

ECHO Buddylist Built Successfully for %*

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Subject: Aah, now I getchya

I wasn’t piping the output.That has perfected the batch file now.

Thanks again Carl - Working perfectly!!

T.

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Subject: RE: Is there a way to automatically populate a Notes Instant Messaging contact list?

Hi Carl,

we are using a non-Domino LDAP directory with ST 7.5.1 and I can’t get users to correctly load into a buddy list using your tool.

I can run the BuddyList Control fine and it will log me in using my LDAP ID but when ST 7.5.1 displays the buddy list of users imported they are malformed - typically with part of the LDAP ID missing…

You are very generous to have written this and provided it freely ! I hope Im not imposing by asking about this. Any comments appreciated.

Mike

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Subject: Is there a way to automatically populate a Notes Instant Messaging contact list?

Hi Terry,Instant Technologies has also developed a product to centrally manage and control Sametime buddy lists. Our application provides a notes based user interface to configure your activities, fully logging of all activity, as well as the ability to create a searchable index of your vpuserinfo.nsf.

Information and some screen shots are available at:

http://www.instant-tech.com/Buddy_List_Admin.cfm

Peyton

Instant Technologies