(VOID) $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

HCL Domino Domino Forum
1

UPDATE 14.11.2007

I have received a near-perfect solution from Mike Bryant. I will pay the bounty to him. Hence, my offer is expired!

Thanks everybody for your support, help ideas etc.

Regards

Lukas

++++++

Original Message

Hi all

I am looking for any hint or solution to export data from Teamrooms, Document Libraries and Discussion Libraries. I need to obtain a hierarchical dump of the categorized database view of a notes database on my filesystem.

The solution should go through all documents in the “By Category” view of the choosen database and

  • create a hierarchy of folders on a filesystem named after the categories / subcategories of the documents in this view

  • save the document’s content into a text file

  • save all attached (embedded) documents as a file next to the exported text in the corresponding folder

Thanks for your help!

Lukas

Disclaimer: I am ready to pay a reward of $350 for the first person providing me with a fully working solution for my notes 7 infrastructure (Domino-Server on Linux, Notes Client on WinXP). If someone points me to a non-free resource on the Internet, I am ready to pay the difference between the cost of the solution and said $350 for any hint.

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Subject: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

Take a look at these products and see if they will work for you.

Zmerge (http://www.gsw.com)

MayFlower - Sentinel 6.1 (Lotus Notes Data Mover | Sentinel | MayFlower Software)

Simply Notes - ImpEX (http://www.simply-notes.com/impex.html)

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Subject: Your spec is inadequate…

What would you like to name the exported text file for the document?

What fields would you like that export to include? Who created the doc? A time/date stamp for edits? The subject line?

What text representation would you prefer? The proper way to do this if you want compatibility with anything else for the meta data is DXL.

How would you know, with this design, which attachments went with which documents? Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to have a folder for each category, followed by a folder for each document, where the text export for the document and any related attachments from that doc are in that single folder?

How would you like to handle threading from discussions? Should responses save to an appropriate hierarchical folder structure to reflect the parent/child relationships?

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Subject: RE: Your spec is inadequate…

Nathan, thanks for your reply. Its always difficult to create 100% bulletproof specs.

What would you like to name the exported text file for the document?

The saved documents’ name should correspond to the notes document’s title.

What fields would you like that export to include?

Who created the doc? A time/date stamp for edits? The subject line?

What text representation would you prefer?

The proper way to do this if you want compatibility with anything else

for the meta data is DXL.

I do not need any metadata besides the title which is saved as the documents filename.

How would you know, with this design, which attachments went

with which documents?

Are you sure you wouldn’t prefer to have a folder for each category,

followed by a folder for each document, where the text export for the

document and any related attachments from that doc are in that single

folder?

Your completely right! Your suggestion makes more sense.

How would you like to handle threading from discussions? Should

responses save to an appropriate hierarchical folder structure to

reflect the parent/child relationships?

If possible, yes.

Thanks very much for your time.

As the other suggested solutions are more for import, the bounty is still available.

Regards

Lukas

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Subject: RE: Your spec is inadequate…

Another thing to be careful of is uniqueness of names imposed by the OS for folders/files within the same directory and no such requirement on the Notes side (you may have more than 1 topic with the title “READ THIS!!!”)

Also, how do you propose replacing illegal characters contained in category or topic names when converting those into folder or file names? Do you have a “translation table” you would like to use?

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Subject: RE: Your spec is inadequate…

Another thing to be careful of is uniqueness of names imposed by the OS> for folders/files within the same directory and no such requirement on

the Notes side (you may have more than 1 topic with the title "READ

THIS!!!")

Ouch!! I don’t think we will run into this problem though. Name und Name-1 for duplicates might solve this issue.

Also, how do you propose replacing illegal characters contained in

category or topic names when converting those into folder or file

names? Do you have a “translation table” you would like to use?

Is this an issue? Wie have lots of French and German Umlauts (é, ä, ö) but these are all supported by the OS. I could live with illegal characters beeing replaced by e.g _ in order to have a simple working solution.

Thanks

Lukas

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Subject: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

This will do it.

Lyrix from Axceler (formerly Percussion Software)

http://www.axceler.com/products/lyrix/

  • You pick the folder to export the documents to.

  • You can pick a field on the documents to use to create sub folders (the categorized view value)

  • You can configure the a folder to export the attachments to.

-The best part… the attachments can be exported with their native names or with an id that links them back to the exported notes document. This goes for any image in a rich text field or the forms design (e.g., banner at the top).

  • You can choose to export 1 one or all rich text fields or the entire document to .html, .xml, .pdf or Word.

  • When you choose Word all images and attachments will be show up embedded in the Word file. .xml, .html. Will replace the attachment and image with a reference to the new file on the files system. You can choose how to build the mapping back to the files.

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Subject: RE: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

Lyrix may be able to do the job but is heavily geared towards enterprise usage, specially in pricing. I cannot spend $ 45’000 on a product :-).

Further, It will only work with domino 6.5 on windows. (I have 7 on Linux)

But thanks anyway for your suggestion…

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Subject: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

I already have some code that does almost the exact thing you described, which I wrote a few years ago. The only difference is you check all the documents in the view (easy to change that) you want exported, it uses a “Category” field in each document to determine the folder and subfolders (I can change it to use the view’s categorized columns instead), and it doesn’t add the text file (another easy change). If I make these simple changes, how would I send you the code? I’m still a little apprehensive about this because I’m afraid in the hour or two it would take me to make these changes, you will find a third party tool and I’ve wasted two hours on nothing.

-chris

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Subject: RE: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

Chris

Your offer is most promissing so far… Nathan offered me to write something from scratch himself, if there isn’t anything which exists allready, but I guess duplicating effort is not really worth it…

I already have some code that does almost the exact thing you

described, which I wrote a few years ago. The only difference is you

check all the documents in the view (easy to change that) you want

exported

This is even better!

it uses a “Category” field in each document to determine the folder

and subfolders (I can change it to use the view’s categorized columns

instead)

This would have to be changed since I do not have a Category field.

How do you handle Reponse-Documents

and it doesn’t add the text file (another easy change).

Ok… If you say so… I do only have minimal scripting knowledge.

If I make these simple changes, how would I send you the code?

If it is only simple text for an agent, you can send it to me straight forward. Otherwise I suggest you add the code to a virgin DocLibrary and mail the nsf to me.

I’m still a little apprehensive about this because I’m afraid in the hour

or two it would take me to make these changes, you will find a third

party tool and I’ve wasted two hours on nothing.

So far I have not found anything and there are no suggestions. If you can alter your script to perform as specified in above’s discussion the bounty is yours!

What do you think? In what timeframe could you do the changes?

How can I pay you? PayPal?

If you send me ( lukas.karrer@stimmt.ch ) your e-Mail, we can work out the details off-list.

Regards

Lukas

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Subject: RE: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

Lukas,

Just sent you an email. On the off change you see this first, just let me know and I’ll forward you an nsf file that will do exactly what you need.

Mike

mbryant@s2v.com

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Subject: RE: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

Hey Mike,

Why don’t you share your “near perfect” solution with the rest of the community. It sounds like you have a winner.

Presumably, other people might be able to use the same solution.

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Subject: $350 Reward for Solution to Export Notes Databases to Filesystem

Also,

a company called Crossware makes a Quickplace export tool. They might be able to make it work for a standard Domino database.

Here’s the link:

http://www.crossware.co.nz/websites/crossware/crossware.nsf/vwWebPages/PGRM-5SXTPP

QP-Export extracts standard QuickPlace data into a standard windows directory:

  The whole QuickPlace structure is extracted automatically.

  Folders and rooms are automatically created as subdirectories.

  All documents are extracted as searchable text files.

  All attachment are exported in their native formats.

  Only standard fields are extracted [forms are excluded in the current version]

Let me know is that suits your needs.

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Subject: $350 Reward - you cheapskate

As it happens I am currently working with a Notes app that exports teamrooms and document libraries to Rich Text Files.

For $350 I would consider telling how to do it. It isn’t easy!

Good luck

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Subject: RE: $350 Reward - you cheapskate

Phil,

If only recieve a hint and have to work for another 6 hours to get the solution up and running, I think $350.- is a fair price.

If you can send me an out-of-the box solution conforming to my specs (see above) which is deployed in under 30 min, I would be willing to raise the bounty to $500

It’s on you… what do you think? Post the solution and the money is yours.

Cheers

Lukas

BTW: This offer is for applies to everybody… I do not think I am a cheapskate.

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Subject: RE: $350 Reward - you cheapskate

If nobody gets you a solution before Saturday, I’ll do it.

I have too much to do today, but for $500, I’ll work on a Saturday to crank it out. Of course, we have to agree on payment terms, as well.

nathan.freeman@lotus911.com