I did something similar a few years ago with ASP. Basically I have some ActiveX controls for the logic and then maintained a list of links for each procedure. Each view screen had a left hand nav column and a wizard like "NEXT" button on the bottom right. Based on the step in the workflow the Next would have the proper event and the left nav would relfect the current position. Each page basically stood alone and then stuck all of its results into the session. It was easy to code, but you could only work with one browser window at a time. When the user opened a second window it screwed up my session info, but that could be handled.
With all of pythons list manipulation this should be easy to work out. I'm thinking about a 2D list, where each step would be a full stand-alone MVC type app with some "success" condition. Once success is reached your would move to the next step. So you could create a "Service Request" mini-app that can do everything to / with a service. Then have that dump a set of variables into the session. We would have to code what should the initial view be, what the allowed view/actions would be/ and what the end condition should be. I'm interested because I have been playing with Jetspeed, the Java Portal, and thier Portlet syntax. I like some of the ideas there. Unfortunately there are so many layers of libraries in that project that it looks like it will be very hard to do what I want. So I started playing with the portlet idea for webware. Basically I want to make a portlet/super servlet/mini-app/whatever that can be viewed and used in multiple ways. It would tie into workflow because the app needs to be told how to look and behave based on the current user and circumstances of the call. I just really hate all of the systems that use an external xml file for all the settings. There are so many external files involved in installing a portlet into jetspeed/tomcat I have been screwing that up more then the code. Thanks, -Aaron Held ----- Original Message ----- From: "Karl Putland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Geoffrey Talvola" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "'Skorobeus'" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, April 18, 2002 8:56 PM Subject: RE: [Webware-discuss] PSP vs. Servlets? + OT sidetracked rant on work flow > --- Geoffrey Talvola <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > [...] > > Are you using self.includeURL() from the controller servlet to > > pull in the > > psp's? Or self.callMethodOfServlet()? > > > > - Geoff > > I'm using self.includeURL() for includeing the views. > Then when the controller is done, It does a response.sendRedirect() > to the next controller servlet. Currently the next servlet is > hardcoded but I'm trying to architect a work flow engine of sorts > for use in Webware. I've just started thinking about it, and > haven't gone to far with it, but the basic idea is that a work flow > will define a path through the available controllers with > pre-conditions and post-conditions for continuing to another > servlet. > > The main reason is for thinking about work flow, is that I'm trying > to write an internal sales and operations application that will > have the same screens/views for both departments. The two > departments will have access to the same data, but will have > different flows through that data. > > For instance take a sales person as the first example > 1. Search for customer > 2. Select or Create customer > 3. Collect customer addresses > 4. Collect customer contact methods > 5. Select associated persons > 6. Create service request > 7. Add Items to service request > 8. Verify service request > 8a. Edit any previously entered data > 9. Create contract > 10. Send contract to customer via selected contact methods > > Now take a look from the operations point of view > 1. Receive contract > 2. Search for service request > 3. Verify service request > 3a. Edit any preciously entered data > 4. Confirm contract with all associated parties > 5. Confirm payment > 6. Schedule service request > > > The application design is currently a tab based web interface. The > idea of a work flow would make this easy to reuse because both > types of end user will have to enter and edit the same information > related to a service request, but the next page that they have to > visit is different. > > I guess that work flows could/should be allowed to contain another > work flow as a step. This would allow for the definition of a > flexible hierarchy of actions that users are allowed to perform > based on their group or some security model yet to be figured out. > > If any of this sounds intriguing please feel free to comment, as > I've just started to think this though and could use some input. > > Thanks. > > --Karl > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Yahoo! Tax Center - online filing with TurboTax > http://taxes.yahoo.com/ > > _______________________________________________ > Webware-discuss mailing list > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/webware-discuss > _______________________________________________ Webware-discuss mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/webware-discuss
