The “Nonexistent frame or frameset specified” error has been posted by a number of people in both 5.x and 6.x forums. The only resolutions noted are to close Notes, delete cache files, etc. and that does NOT resolve the issue. Yes the user can use the database again but only until the conditions are right for the error to surface again.
I figured out how to trip this error message at will so its not a random issue although it might appear to be.
Note: my db is pretty simple, there is a main menu and 5 sub-menu’s for market regions…Northeast, NY Metro, Southeast, Central, and West Coast. Each uses a frameset which displays a row of hotspot buttons along the top of the screen and a large frame for viewing market data below. The hotspot buttons let you switch between different views for a given region.
With that said, here are the steps which trigger the error message in my db…
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Open the Lotus Notes email database
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Open an email message
You might be wondering, huh??? Yeah well me too, keep reading.
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Open my db
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Click the hotspot that opens the Northeast region frameset.
Okay so far no problems, my db is working fine. I’m now looking at the NE region frameset with the default market data view showing.
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Click a hotspot button to switch to a different view.
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Close the Northeast frameset.
Okay everything still looks fine, I’m back at the main menu BUT the error message is ready to pounce, we are now in error message “mode”. Theres something about step 5, switching to a different view that is giving Notes a fit. If I now click any hotspot button that tries to open a frameset, NE, SE, does not matter I get the error message.
Notes of interest…
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Closing and reopening my database does not fix the problem, I still get the error message.
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Closing the email message and email database does work and my db returns to normal operation.
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I happen to have another db that also uses framesets. If I do the above to get into error message mode, then try to open this 3rd database I immediatly get the error message e.g. once in error message mode all db’s that attempt to open a frameset will get the error message.
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For some reason just opening the Notes email db does not trigger the error, everything works fine, I have to also open an email message or document.
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Is it only the Notes email db that helps trigger the error? No, it seems any db that uses framesets will trigger it if a document is open.
This set of conditions is not common but its not uncommon either. The odds are fair that a user might have their email db and an email message open, and then open my db, switch a view, then try to go somewhere else that opens a frameset. Reports of this problem are few but steady.
Here is the only code involved, anyone see a problem in this? As I said this works fine in Notes 5.x and also 6.x so long as the email db and an email message are not open at the same time.
These two lines open the sub-menu frameset.
Dim workspace As New NotesUIWorkspace
Call workspace.OpenframeSet(“Region CE”)
These lines switch to a different view
Dim session As New NotesSession
Dim workspace As New NotesUIWorkspace
Dim uidb As NotesUIDatabase
Set uidb = workspace.CurrentDatabase
Call workspace.SetTargetFrame(“BDE View”)
Call uidb.OpenView(“CE Activity Pursuit”,False)