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Re: [ic] Backend order entry
On Wed, Sep 19, 2001 at 12:15:42PM -0400, mheins@redhat.com wrote:
> Quoting Donal H. (donalh@online.ie):
> > Hi,
> >
> > Is there an API for entering orders from an external source i.e. other than
> > directly accessing the ASCII file(s) or SQL database?
> >
> > If not, are there any recommendations (or major "do'"s or "don't"s) for
> > doing this - I'd want to avoid any possible problems when upgrading to a new
> > release of IC.
>
> I can't fathom why you would do this, but it really is just a question
> of making sure the order number is unique (probably just a different
> number sequence) and inserting the entries in orderline, transactions,
> and userdb.
It's useful for a client that might take **all** their orders
through their online catalogs, eg including phone, fax, email,
whatever orders. The benefit for them is "single stream";
everything gets handled the same way. They can get order reports,
shipping, inventory all via intranet/web.
We still don't enter any original data directly into the orders table,
but run everything through the catalog, sometimes automated with LWP::UA.
Keeping the order number unique and sequential and funnelling everything
through the same validation routines is just too useful an organizing
principal.
> There is no real API other than the definition of those files, some
> of which can be found in icfoundation.html.
I'd suggest that the only useful API for this, if you can call it that,
is the GET/POST HTTP transaction sequence. That lets you treat IC
more or less as a black box. :-)
cfm
--
Christopher F. Miller, Publisher cfm@maine.com
MaineStreet Communications, Inc 208 Portland Road, Gray, ME 04039
1.207.657.5078 http://www.maine.com/
Content/site management, online commerce, internet integration, Debian linux
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