Drupal uses hooks : http://api.drupal.org/api/group/hooks/7
Maybe something to get inspired by. It seems to provide good independance between modules. Cimballi On Fri, Dec 18, 2009 at 6:10 PM, Bruno Busco <bruno.bu...@gmail.com> wrote: > I try to write down some ideas I have on how I would like add-on > modules in OFBiz. > > -- Add-on module management -- > Every module should have a name, a version, a description, an author etc. > Every module should have a list of modules from which it depends. > A module should be added to the system using an add-on manager application. > The add-on manager should be able to list all the modules installed > with their version and dependencies. > The add-on manager should let a module installation (or activation) > only if all other required modules are installed and activated. > > -- Module integration -- > An "administration" application should be used to set all > configurations for all the modules (core and add-on). The > configuration fields or fieldgroups for all the modules should be > added to the admin configuration screens. > Additional modules, when added to the system, should be able to add > new features into other, pre-existent modules without requiring the > pre-existent modules to be aware of them. > > Example: > In the catalog application, when looking at a product, there is a > button that allows to go to the ecommerce page for that product. > This is an example of how two applications are linked in a way that > ties them toghether so that it is not possible to install one without > the other. > The ecommerce application depends on the catalog but the other way > around should not be. This ecommerce page link (not only this of > course) is an example of the catalog dependence on the ecommerce that > should not be. > This ecommerce page link button should be, in some way, not > implemented in the catalog application but in the ecommerce one. The > catalog application should only allow a plug-in hosting features > (hooks ?) that allows other applications to add links, fields etc. to > the product page and in all other places. > > While looking at a party, there are links in the menu that go to > "Shopping list", to "Employment applications", to "Billing and > financial accounts", "Orders", "Quotes" and even "Geolocation". > What happens if I want to use OFBiz to manage people that is not > supposed to buy things but, for instance, doing something else? > What happens if the users are not connected to the Internet and have > no possibility to access the Googlemap for the Geolocalization? > > In these cases I would like to be able to disable (or not install) the > Geolocalization, the orders, the accounting and the human resources > modules. > All the links should be automatically removed from the UI. > > I know that the entity, screen, form, menu extension system allows to > have a new application that extends some other but what I think would > be nice is a mechanism that allows a new application to change the > behaviour of an "old" application (without changing its code). > > What about a system that allows to define a menu extension to a > pre-existent menu? > By this I mean that supposing to have an applicationA with a menuA, if > I install an additional applicationB, this application is able to add > a couple of menuitems to the menuA of the applicationA. > And what about if this would be done on screens also? > > Thank you, > -Bruno > > > 2009/12/17 David E Jones <d...@me.com>: >> >> On Dec 17, 2009, at 3:46 PM, Bruno Busco wrote: >> >>> Having OFBiz splitted in a core framework and add-on modules seems to >>> me like a must if we want to improve features. >>> Add-on modules is how many large and popular projects are built. >>> Even OpenERP says to have more that 350 modules and offers different >>> flavours of it here http://www.openerp.com/discover/demonstration.html >> >> We already have a plugin, or add-on, or whatever you want to call it, >> facility: components. >> >>> I think we should start discussing on the module add-on system that we >>> want to implement in OFBiz. >>> I have read that there is a plan from Neogia people to introduce what >>> they have developed. Is there any schedule for this? >>> Are you going to write a Confluence page where we can see how it works? >>> >>> Are we going to host the add-on modules on a separate SVN folder? >> >> It seems the whole point of add-on modules is to NOT have them be part of >> the project. The intellectual property issues and concerns are totally >> different from the main project, and the licensing may not be compatible >> with what the ASF requires, so no I really don't think it would make sense >> to have a place for more loosely managed stuff in SVN. >> >> On the other hand, we already have a place for add-on modules in SVN: the >> specialpurpose directory. >> >> Consider that the framework and applications directories are the basis of >> OFBiz, and everything else is an add-on of sorts. The applications are >> important so that add-on components can use the common data model for >> implicit integration, unless the add-on application won't be doing anything >> with common business data, and then it only needs depend on the framework. >> >> Now getting back to the point... I think you already know all of this Bruno, >> so what is it that you'd like to see that OFBiz does not already have? >> >> -David >> >> >>> 2009/10/29 Tim Ruppert <tim.rupp...@hotwaxmedia.com>: >>>> This sounds fantastic Marc - it's amazing to see many of the software >>>> providers out there coming together to back this idea. This has the unique >>>> opportunity of taking everything that OFBiz does to the next level. >>>> >>>> I guess the big question is, what's next to help get some of these backend >>>> ideas back into this newly refined mission? We're more than happy to >>>> devote >>>> resources to making this happen. >>>> >>>> Cheers, >>>> Ruppert >>>> -- >>>> Tim Ruppert >>>> HotWax Media >>>> http://www.hotwaxmedia.com >>>> >>>> o:801.649.6594 >>>> f:801.649.6595 >>>> >>>> On Oct 29, 2009, at 7:47 AM, Marc Morin wrote: >>>> >>>>> As many of you know, we at Emforium have been busy building out a full set >>>>> of business software application to provide an "ALL-IN" comprehensive >>>>> solution for the small business market. When we started the evaluation >>>>> over >>>>> a year ago, Ofbiz was the selected platform of choice. Other components >>>>> are >>>>> Zimbra for email and concrete5 for web. >>>>> >>>>> Over this time, we've spent our efforts providing an entirely new UI front >>>>> end for the backend applications: sales order, inventory, CRM, admin, >>>>> reports, multi tenancy, published datasets (makes solution targeted for >>>>> any >>>>> market or geography), etc... >>>>> >>>>> We have expressed privately that Ofbiz needs to have a new mission in >>>>> order to really drive it's importance and relevance as an open source >>>>> project. As it stands, it's scope is very wide, and not targeted a >>>>> providing and out-of-the box solution to any problem, save ecommerce (even >>>>> then, lot's of styling work usually needed). >>>>> >>>>> We would be 100% behind this direction for Ofbiz. We'd want to contribute >>>>> back components now that are Emforium proprietary and would work to reduce >>>>> the amount of deviation between our proprietary solution and this newly >>>>> stated direction. >>>>> >>>>> Marc >>>> >>>> >> >> >
