XPages, the powerful Web 2.0 design feature introduced with Domino Designer 8.5, makes developing Web pages easier than ever. However, because Eclipse features in the latest Designer client are new to many traditional Notes developers, you probably could use some hands-on help to get up to speed quickly. Let me orient you to the new Domino Designer 8.5, paying particular attention to how it behaves in relation to XPages. To experience the ease with which you can build an XPages application in Domino, I'll guide you through creating a simple application for managing a library of books. In the process, you'll get familiar with the many controls built into Domino Designer 8.5, along with some key aspects of XPages development.

The next article in this series will go further to focus on adding a Search capability, customizing views, using the session scope to pass information between XPages, the extensive JavaScript libraries included with Domino Designer 8.5, and much more. By the end of these two articles, you will know enough about XPages to build a basic application entirely in XPages.

Let me start with a basic concept that clarifies the relationship of data in traditional Notes elements to XPages.