python interacting with other programs

[Kris J. Zaragoza]

In article <7ZRM8.9358$bt2.116439 at charlie.risq.qc.ca>, Marc Cote wrote:
> "Jakob" <da_woym at hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:64eb9145.0206041454.4f70e86e at posting.google.com...
>> now I know python can interact with programs like Microsoft wor and
>> access and all but has anyone ever tried to interact with Lotus Notes?
>> Is it possible?
> 
> Jakob,
> 
> Google Search: "Lotus Notes Python" gives:
> 
>     Using Python to create a command line interpreter for Notes
> 
> URL: http://www.dominopower.com/issues/issue200008/command001.html
> 

Using Notes via COM on a Windows box is really the most viable option.
I did a bit of this while working at Lotus, and it really is quite a
nice way to get data in and out of a Notes database.  Thankfully, the
COM API exposed by Lotus is well structured, and easy to work with.

Unfortunately, the COM interface doesn't expose the entirety of the
Notes API.  If you need to perform any low-level functions or access
parts of the API that aren't exposed via COM, you'll have to roll your
own extension module.  If you want to use Python to access Notes
databases on any platform other than Windows, you'll have to roll your
own.

Even with tools like SWIG, you'll have quite a job of building an
extension library, as it's a very big API.  On the bright side, you
generally only need to call a handful of functions, so building a
limited Notes API wrapper shouldn't be too difficult.  Unfortunately,
I never started down this path, so I don't have any code to
contribute.  (I'm also working in a pretty much all-Microsoft shop, so
we're using that POS Exchange and a bunch of folders on a file server
instead of a nice set of Notes-based collaborative apps.  *grumble*)

-Kris


-- 
Kris J. Zaragoza       | On the face of it, Microsoft complaining about
kzaragoza at attbi.com    | the source license used by Linux is like the
                       | event horizon calling the kettle black.
                       | -- Adam Barr, article on kuro5hin.org


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