310-734-4290
Modules |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
PLUG-IN ARCHITECTURE
When purchasing any business software the ability to fine-tune the application to the specialized processes of your business is an important consideration. Many applications provide this functionality by making their source code available. This allows you to reprogram the system to include the specialized processes of your business. Unfortunately it also prohibits you from being able to take advantage of any updates and bug fixes without having to reprogramming your changes in again.
To overcome the problems associated with customizing the source code, Interprise Suite was designed with an extendable "Plug-in" architecture that allows you to easily separate custom written code from the main application code via .NET user controls that have been designed to plug-in to the Interprise Suite forms.
In Interprise Suite every form is comprised of a base form that contains multiple .NET user controls (plug-ins) for the presentation of the user interface. By replacing one or more of the existing plug-ins with your own custom plug-in(s) you can change the functionality associated with that part of the form. As new updates and upgrades are available, you simply re-apply your custom plug-ins and your customizations are back in place.
This approach greatly simplifies a developer's ability to keep their customized application up to date while proving the customizations needed. In addition to the extendable architecture, Interprise Suite also contains a number of pre-written code objects that greatly simplify common tasks such as searching for data, reading data, saving data etc. By using these prewritten objects as much as possible you are able to take advantage to the enhancements of these objects as the .NET platform evolves allowing your customized application to move to 64bit windows and Microsoft Longhorn much easier.
WHAT ARE "PLUG-INS?"
Plug-ins are functional entities that define the business functionality of Interprise Platform - powered applications. Structure-wise, other than Interprise Platform’s framework which works in the background, everything else in the application is a plug-in.
Some characteristics of Interprise Platform plug-ins :
- Plug-Ins Can Either Be A Module, Dashboard, Tab, Tab Page, Form Or Any Control Within A Form.
- Plug-Ins Can Either Be A Consolidation Of The User Interface And The Business Logic, Or Composed Any One Of These Parts.
- Plug-Ins Can Interact And Exchange Data With One Another.
- Plug-Ins Can Be Reused And Extended Indefinitely.
- All Plug-Ins Are Dynamically Loaded At Runtime As Determined By The Plug-in Manager And The User Role.
BENEFITS OF A PLUG-IN SYSTEM
- Extensibility : the application has the ability to be extended to include new features
- Parallel Development: Since Features Can Be Put In As Separate Components, They Can Be Developed Side-By-Side By Different Teams
- Clear Development Roadmap : Since The Plug-In Framework Provides A Clear Interface And Documentation For Plug-In Writers, Developers Have Better Direction During Development
- Simplicity : A Plug-In Ideally Has One Function, Which Allows Developers To Have A Single Focus
