DocMaster - Single Database Document Manager

When I started working with Notes in 1994, one of the first things I developed was a "Help" database. Over the years this has travelled with me and been used at almost every company I have worked at in one form or another. With input from dozens of people the original Help database has grown into a single database document manager called "DocMaster". A number of people have asked me to post the code, so here it is.

Bear in mind that this is NOT a commercial product; it is unpolished working code with some documentation. The database is both the help file, and the template. Email me with any questions.

DocMaster

Document management systems range from managing papers in a folder up to managing libraries of documents. There are many high end document management systems on the market, for example Domino.Doc or Documentum. If you think of these systems as a library, you can think of DocMaster as a filing cabinet. While there are many libraries in the world, there are many more filing cabinets. And if document collections grow to big for filing cabinets, they can be moved into the larger systems.

DocMaster is a "Single Database Document Manager" that is a place to manage collections of loosely related documents. Although DocMaster is structured like a traditional book, you don't read it as you would read a novel. Rather you read it as you would read a technical manual - typically you find the content you want and then do something with it, e.g. make a decision.

Typical Uses for DocMaster

• Corporate policies, procedures and standards.
• User manuals.
• Help documentation for Notes databases.
• Design notes for in-house software.
• All information on a particular project, e.g. a software upgrade. The next time that software is upgraded, all the notes etc. are in one place.
• All information on a particular piece of equipment, including user manuals, repair notes etc.
• A shared collection of links, pdf docs etc. on a particular subject.
• "Living" documents that often change.
• Meeting agendas and minutes.

DocMaster is easy for end users

• It uses a "Book" metaphor with a Table of Contents, an index, glossary of terms and a FAQ.
• It can use the same 3 pane interface as email, and uses folders as email does.
• It supports full text searching of all content.

DocMaster is easy to work with

• It is simple to set up, and easy to customize and includes tools to customize it for common uses.
• There is security, with document owners, editors, authors and readers.
• Work is tracked as it progresses, and you can easily see what remains.
• Audit trails. Tracks who did what, when and why. You can view or recover earlier  versions of documents.
• Highly customizable sorting: by date (up or down), by title or by doc number.
• Templates to control title format, date, author or many other fields. Templates can include content. Folders can be linked to templates so documents are created with standard settings (e.g. sorting).
• Document counter show total number of documents per folder, person, department etc.
• Tracks the size of documents.
• Any folder can have its own help documents, or one help document can be shared amongst several folders. The folder help document describes the purpose of the folder.

Advanced features

• Use Template documents to create documents with the same initial content.
• Add your own document types.
• Use "shared text" to include the same text in multiple places. Update the shared text once, and it is updated everywhere.