Re: [Openledger-developer] API Design Idea

[Klavs K. <kl...@vs...>]

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on 01-03-2005 22:43 Tony Fraser wrote:
[SNIP]
| What I'm thinking is that the API could sit on top of the GUI. In the
| past we've talked about something that could be used to re-implement the
| GUI but I really think that anything we do to that layer of SL would be
| best started as a re-write/re-implementation of SL that is DB schema
| compatible.
|
Which is exactly what we talked about - reimplementing the features the
GUI (and other programs/scripts) need in the API - and then make the GUI
use that instead of running SQL-ledger gui on the side, which will be
what I'll do until a new GUI, using the API is ready.

| In the meantime I think the immediate thing to do is to create an API
| that interacts with SL through a combination of LWP::UserAgent and
| HTML::Form. We could make the API SL specific or we could generalize the
| API and make a backend for it that interacts with the current SL.
|
This is what I'm doing now - using lynx and posting what I need to do.
One could use WWW::Mechanize to great benefit, but it is hard work, and
because of the way the GUI works - you'll have to duplicate the data
(like internal partnumbers etc.) unless, you use WWW::Mechanize (which
acts as a browser). I hate this approach with my entire soul - which is
why I wanted to start the openledger project :)

I currently post invoices this way - and am going to write the first 2
functions for the API this/next week:
1) a function for registering a simple transaction (I need to move money
around, when they've been charged from a credit card - I need to move
them to my bank account - to reflect what happens in real life :)

2) I need a "getInvoice" function, which will fill an Invoice object
(see CVS for how that object looks) - so I can give the API an
invoicenumber, and get the invoice, including the ordernumber, which is
what I need in this case.

| I have some UML (created with Dia) of a possible generalized API. I
| wouldn't mind getting some comments on the API. I'll post the UML on the
| SF.net project webspace later today.
|
| So what do you people thing of interacting with SL through HTTP
| requests? I think it will be the most straight forward and probably the
| most SL-version-non-specific way I can come up with.
|
AFAIK the DB structure of SL has been more stable than the GUI design,
and I have done what you are talking about - it is a very tiresome
approach - and if Dieter gets tired of us - it wouldn't be hard to
change the GUI a little bit -which would mean a lot of updating on our
part. I use the same method (WWW::Mechanize) for updating modules in
PostNuke.

I definetely prefer the path, which leads to a community-based
accounting system :)

- --
Regards,
Klavs Klavsen, GSEC - kl...@vs... - http://www.vsen.dk
PGP: 7E063C62/2873 188C 968E 600D D8F8  B8DA 3D3A 0B79 7E06 3C62

"Those who do not understand Unix are condemned to reinvent it, poorly."
~  --Henry Spencer
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