[Openinteract-help] Where to start?

[Timothy M. A. <ti...@ad...>]

Hello,

I've recently discovered and installed OpenInteract for a project I'm
working on and I'm overwhelmed with what it can do. I've never used an
application framework before, so I'm a little overwhelmed with what OI
offers.

Typical applications I've developed in the past have gone something like
this:

 * Design the database
 * Figure out what kinds of business rules are needed.
 * Code the business rules layer.
 * Design the front end using the implemented business rules.
 * Figure out what kinds of "behind the scenes" processing is needed.
 * Code the batch processing jobs.
 * Lather, rinse, repeat.

While searching through the OI docs, I didn't see much on the design
theory. For example, I've got a web-based sales application I need to
write and it some heavy logic requirements for commissions. Typically,
I'd implement the business rules as a set of pluggable classes to a
generic commission module and then batch process them at night. Is this
something that OI is well suited to?

I'm beginning to think that I need to look into coding most of those
"off-line" business rules and objects using the SPOPS framework and then
tie any needed functionality into an OI application. Am I on the right
track? And does anybody have examples on how to do this?

Thanks a bunch!

/tma