Duffbert's Random Musings

Document Number:  1097253

Problem
What are the differences between Replace Design and Refresh Design?

Note: This information applies to all versions of Notes R3, R4, and R5 and 6.

Content
There are a few key differences between Replace Design and Refresh Design.

First, Replacing the Design of a database will remove all design elements in a database and replace them with those from a new template.  This process also resets the Database properties (specifically the Database properties you see on the Design tab in the InfoBox (a.k.a. Properties Box) when you select File, Database, Properties.)  In contrast, Refresh Design will use this information to do essentially the same job with the design elements, but the Design properties of the database will not change.  Refresh Design is the process which runs every night on the server by default (Design server task).

Second, Refresh Design will not give an option to select a new template.  You can only select a different server to use as a template server for the Refresh process.

An important side note to this information involves the attribute, 'Do not Allow Design Replace/Refresh To Modify.'  This property of specific design elements will prevent the Replace Design or Refresh Design task from modifying the element.  When the database as a whole inherits its design from a template, all new design elements will have this option selected by default.  In contrast, if the database as a whole does not inherit its design from a template, all new design elements will have this option deselected.  This is important because if the database property is changed, the design element property is not changed.  It is also possible for a single design element to inherit its design from a different template than the database as a whole.

Supporting Information:

Design-Refresh details:

-  Design Refresh locates the template the database is based on by the template name (you can determine the template name by checking the Design tab in the InfoBox for Database properties.  Select File, Database, Properties and switch to the Design tab, which is 4th tab from the left).

-  It scans both the database and the template for design elements.  Design elements are considered to be corresponding versions based on the $TITLE field of the design note.

-  If there are Design elements in the database that do not have a corresponding element in the template, these design notes are deleted in the database.

-  If there are Design elements in the template that do not have a corresponding element in the database, these design notes are added to the database.

Additionally:

-  If there is a Design element in the database which has a Design element of the same name in the Template, first the sequence times are compared to check the revisions.

In case there is no difference -> skip Design Element.
Given the Sequence time of the Template is different -> update Design Element

Actually when updating the design element it checks whether there really are changes to the Design element, for example, by looking in the $AssistVersion field of an agent.  In case there is no difference the update is only logged but not done/executed.   Whenever you apply changes to an agent using the Notes Client, even changes of the aliases in the Title, the $AssistVersion field is updated.  

Notes:

-  This does not apply to private views or folders that are stored in the client's Desktop.dsk file.

-  Design Refresh does not use the Universal IDs of the Design elements, but only names and aliases to identify what to update/add/remove.

-  The Designer Task has an issue customers should be aware of; for more information refer to the document  "Load Design Server Task Only Refreshes Databases the First Time" (#162622 ) .

Design-Replace details:

The only difference from Design-Refresh is that first the template name the database is inherited from is changed to the new one.  After this a regular design refresh runs.  This means:

-  The existing Design notes are not swept from the database in the first step.  In case there are Design elements of the same name, these are "updated" using the logic described above.

What if you have duplicate design elements in your database? Does Designer remove one of these?

This might happen when replicating the templates and/or databases containing design elements that do have the same Title but different universal ID.

Unfortunately, neither the Design task nor Design - Replace or Design - Refresh detect this.  They update only the first design note found having the same title in the template.  The other design note is left untouched.  One must manually remove the obsolete design element from the database or replace the design.

Additionally:

A design element may be inherited from a different template than specified in the Database properties.  You will find this on the Design tab in the properties of the design element itself.  When doing a Design Refresh these are taken from the appropriate database.  

Related Documents:

Load Design Server Task Only Refreshes Databases the First Time
Document #:  1093752  (162622)  

Replacing R5 Design with Template Having Hidden Design Does not Delete Existing Design Elements
Document #:  1087252  (171851)  

"Inherit Design from Template" Option Unchecked After User Is Renamed Using AdminP
Document #:  1092014  (164002)

Refresh Design Does not Replace Design Elements which Have Been Modified in the Db
Document #:  1156429