MODULESTUDIO

In the course of our work on a modular system for ecommerce applications, the need to import and export different data from different modules in a flexible way arose. An application for just this purpose has been modeled. So, without further ado: the Connector.

In the Model, varying tasks are represented by workflows. Beside a name and a description they have a state, for example: waiting, running or error. A workflow serves primarily as a container element to execute a complete process.

The „workflowJob“ entity stores the more interesting parts of a connector. A workflow consists of multiple jobs, each referring to an entity and representing either an import or an export. Different file formats and various settings are supported. The current version supports importing from XML, csv and ASCII files. In addition to those formats, exporting also supports the output of PDF files.

The Connector Module is not limited to simple import and export operations, however. The image shows a dropdown field named „Manager class“ in the lower part of the form. The „Flat data“ entry is selected by default, but the field can also be changed to „Enhanced“. Selecting this causes two additional fields to appear. They define a name and a path to a custom manager class. With a custom manager, it is possible to easily represent more complex workflows with multiple individual jobs in the Connector. For example, one could implement imports that perform validation checks, or that execute synchronisations with external systems.

The „exchangeLog“ entity stores logs of workflow executions.

The Connector module is available in the CoZi, and can downloaded and used for free. We are, of course, happy to receive your suggestions, error reports or patches.