Refreshing View Indexes

Refreshing view indexes

A view index is an internal filing system that builds a list of documents that belong in a view. When users add or change documents, the view index must be refreshed to show them which documents are new or changed. Refreshing a view index can occur manually when users press F9, as part of a condition built into the view design, or as part of the Updall (Update ALL) server process set up by the server administrator.

Refresh time options

To determine when to refresh an individual view, select a "Refresh index" option from the Advanced tab of the View Properties box.

Auto, after first use

Updates the view every time a user opens a view after the first time.

Automatic

Updates the view whether or not users ever open the database. Using this option, views open more quickly.

Manual

Relies on the user to refresh the view. This option is useful for large databases that don't need to stay uptodate. Using this option, views open very quickly. Users just press F9 to refresh the view.

Auto, at most every n hours

Controls how frequently the view index updates. Choose this option for large databases that change fairly often. The view index updates automatically no more frequently than the specified interval. When a user opens a database in which changes have been made since the last indexing, the refresh icon appears, and the user can press F9 to refresh the view manually.

If the document-selection formula is timebased, refresh the index as often as new documents are added. For example, if the view selects documents once a day, select Auto, at most once every 24 hours, to refresh the view index once daily.

Refresh display options

The On Refresh options (on the Options tab of the View Properties box) determine how users see the changes in a view. Choices are:

Display indicator

Does not show view changes automatically. Instead, the refresh icon in the left corner of the view displays to indicate that the view has changes and users must click the icon to see any changes.

Refresh display

Refreshes the display automatically before showing the view to users.

Refresh display from top row

Updates the view from the top down. This is useful in a reverse chronological display where users are likely to look for changes at the top of the view first.

Refresh display from bottom row

Updates the view from the bottom up. This is useful in a chronological display where users are likely to look for changes at the bottom of the view first.

Discard index options

To delete indexes automatically for a particular view and save disk space, specify a "Discard index" option from the Advanced tab of the View Properties box. When users open a view whose index has been discarded, they may have to wait for Domino to recreate a view index. These settings override the NOTES.INI setting "Default_Index_Lifetime_Days," which the server administrator sets and which, by default, deletes view indexes after 45 days.

After each use

Deletes the view index as soon as the user closes the database. This option saves the most disk space, but the index must be rebuilt the next time the view is opened. Choose this option for views that are used infrequently, but on a predictable basis -- for example, a view that an agent opens only on Friday afternoons.

If inactive for n days

Deletes a view index if the view hasn't been used in a specified number of days. Domino rebuilds the view index the next time a user opens the database. (This option doesn't affect local databases.) Choose this option for databases that users infrequently or unpredictably need.

Never

Permanently preserves the view index and appends updates to the existing index. Because this option takes up more disk space than the other options, use this only for views that users frequently need, so they don't have to wait for a new view index to be created when they open the database.

When the view index is deleted

The Updall (Update All) server task, which runs by default on each server at 2 AM, deletes the view index. Domino deletes the index the first time Updall runs after the index becomes eligible for deletion. For example, if you select "After each use" and the view is used at 10 AM Tuesday, the index is not actually discarded until 2 AM Wednesday.

If you choose to delete the index after one day, Domino waits until the index is at least one day (24 hours) old before deleting it. If the view is used at 10 AM Tuesday, it is only 16 hours old at 2 AM Wednesday when Updall runs, so it is not deleted until the next time Updall runs at 2 AM Thursday.

For more information, see Administering the Domino System.