OFBiz Basic Technical Course Outline

Written By: David E. Jones
Email: [email protected]
Open For Business Site: http://www.ofbiz.org
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Founders and Lead Architects: David E. Jones & Andy Zeneski
Last Updated: January 4th, 2003

Day 1: Architecture, Configuration & Deployment Overview and a Simple Example

  1. Architecture Overview
    1. Model-Controller-View Pattern (an old story with a new name)
    2. Lots of Controllers
      1. Applying the Controller Pattern
      2. Data Level Controller (Entity Engine)
      3. Logic Level Controller (Service Engine)
      4. Web User Interface Level Controller (Control Servlet, Regions Framework, etc)
    3. The Model goes in the Database
    4. The View is what the user interacts with
    5. Everything else follows from those, and the only trick is to do it efficiently for initial implementation and maintenance.
    6. Data Flow Between Components
      1. Request from Browser
      2. Control Servlet Called
      3. Request Looked Up
      4. Security Checked (encryption, authentication)
      5. Event Called (if defined)
        1. Service Definition Looked Up
        2. Simple Method Called As a Service
          1. Handle Data Coming In
          2. Look Up Information From Database
          3. Save Information to Database
      6. Response Chosen and Called
        1. View Looked Up
        2. Region Looked Up
        3. Template Called, Sections Filled In
        4. Data Looked Up (directly through the Entity Engine or through a service)
  2. Configuration & Deployment Overview
    1. Choosing and Setting Up a Database
    2. Choosing and Setting Up an Application Server
    3. OFBiz Configuration
      1. entityengine.xml
        1. Transaction Manager Setup
        2. Database Setup
      2. serviceengine.xml
      3. debug.properties
      4. Other Configuration Files
  3. Beginning With the End in Mind
    1. What to build?
  4. Data (Entity) Layer
    1. Define Entities (configure data level controller)
  5. Logic (Service) Layer
    1. Define Services (configure logic level controller)
    2. Implement Services
  6. User Interface Layer
    1. Configure Web User Interface Level Controllers
      1. Define Web Requests (controller.xml)
        1. Simple Request
        2. Requests with an Event implemented as a Service
      2. Define Web Views (controller.xml)
      3. Define View Regions (regions.xml)
    2. Create Web User Interfaces
      1. Create a Region Template JSP
      2. Create a Header JSP
      3. Create an Editing JSP
      4. Create a Listing JSP
  7. Throwing a Wrench in the Works
    1. Adding a New Field
    2. Change the Entity Definition
    3. Change the Service Definition
    4. Add to the Listing JSP (if needed)
    5. Add to the Editing JSP
  8. Questions and Feedback

Day 2: Data, Logic & Applications

  1. The OFBiz Data Model (Common Data Components)
    1. Data Model Patterns
      1. Extensibility Pattern
        1. Types
        2. Attributes
      2. Entity Relationships
      3. Effective Dating
    2. Data Model Packages
      1. Common
        1. Enumeration, Status, TimePeriod, etc.
        2. UserLogin, Security
      2. Content
      3. Party
      4. Product
      5. Order
      6. Marketing
      7. Accounting
      8. Shipment
      9. Human Resources
      10. Work Effort
  2. The OFBiz Common Logic Components
    1. Parallels the Data Model Package Organization
    2. Services, Events and Workers
  3. The OFBiz Applications
    1. WebTools
    2. Content Manager
    3. Party Manager
    4. Marketing Manager
    5. Catalog Manager
    6. Facility Manager
    7. Order Manager
    8. Accounting Manager
    9. WorkEffort Manager