[OFBiz] Dev - Best Practices for Custom Applications

[cjhowe]

I've completed a first draft in the wiki for creating
custom web applications using a difference approach as
opposed to copy/modify approach that has been used in
the past.  Read it, try it, critique it, change it.
This approach should create more natural offshoot
projects that are able to keep more in step with OFBIZ
development and are released back into the community
for the benefit of everyone(the wholesale app comes to
mind I should be trying to recreate it using this
method in about three weeks).  Thus moving OFBIZ more
into their framwork mindset and the community building
applications off of it.


http://ofbizwiki.go-integral.com/Wiki.jsp?page=FAQ28

Your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.

Chris


 
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[Si Chen-2]

Chris,

I think this is good, and it's great that you put it together.

Perhaps it's a matter of wording, but I personally think the approach
you're talking about (creating a difference app) is better for
"customizing an application" rather than a "custom application."  The
former, involving changing the logic, layout, and some screens but not
touching core functionality, can be done this way.

If you're building a "custom application," though, where there are new
data models, business logic, and workflow, this approach may cause you
problems because inevitably you'll be digging in deeper to change things
that would not merge well with the rest of OFBiz.  In that case, it
would be better to make your application a separate application component.

Si

Chris Howe wrote:

>I've completed a first draft in the wiki for creating
>custom web applications using a difference approach as
>opposed to copy/modify approach that has been used in
>the past.  Read it, try it, critique it, change it.
>This approach should create more natural offshoot
>projects that are able to keep more in step with OFBIZ
>development and are released back into the community
>for the benefit of everyone(the wholesale app comes to
>mind I should be trying to recreate it using this
>method in about three weeks).  Thus moving OFBIZ more
>into their framwork mindset and the community building
>applications off of it.
>
>
>http://ofbizwiki.go-integral.com/Wiki.jsp?page=FAQ28
>
>Your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
>
>Chris
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Dev mailing list
>[hidden email]
>http://lists.ofbiz.org/mailman/listinfo/dev
>
>  
>

 
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[cjhowe]

This approach does create a new component so I think it would work in creating a "custom application" as well.  It just gives you the start that the model application has a wealth of reqeusts and views already configured for you.  The appraoch is similar to the recent effort of getting rid of the duplicate .ftl and .bsh files that has been going on between the ecommerce and order components, but it takes it a step further in that you can reuse the entire screen, not just the parts of the screen when applicable.  My custom application using this approach  uses it's own services, it's own addition to the entity model, and it's own  source files (which admittedly should probably be services as well, but I haven't gone into the more generic java files in enough depth).  The only problem I've encontoured so far is that I can't disable ECAs (not that I've really needed to) without touching original Ofbiz code.
,chris
--- Si Chen wrote:

Chris,

I think this is good, and it's great that you put it
together.

Perhaps it's a matter of wording, but I personally
think the approach
you're talking about (creating a difference app) is
better for
"customizing an application" rather than a "custom
application." The
former, involving changing the logic, layout, and
some screens but not
touching core functionality, can be done this way.

If you're building a "custom application," though,
where there are new
data models, business logic, and workflow, this
approach may cause you
problems because inevitably you'll be digging in
deeper to change things
that would not merge well with the rest of OFBiz.
In that case, it
would be better to make your application a separate
application component.

Si
!
Chris Howe wrote:

>I've completed a first draft in the wiki for
creating
>custom web applications using a difference approach
as
>opposed to copy/modify approach that has been used
in
>the past. Read it, try it, critique it, change it.

>This approach should create more natural offshoot
>projects that are able to keep more in step with
OFBIZ
>development and are released back into the
community
>for the benefit of everyone(the wholesale app comes
to
>mind I should be trying to recreate it using this
>method in about three weeks). Thus moving OFBIZ
more
>into their framwork mindset and the community
building
>applications off of it.
>
>
>http://ofbizwiki.go-integral.com/Wiki.jsp?page=FAQ28
>
>Your feedback is welcomed and encouraged.
>
>Chris
>
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>Dev mailing list
>[hidden email]
>http://lists.ofbiz.org/mailman/listinfo/dev
>
>
>

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