Order
pipeline functions let us keep track of orders at every stage in the process and provide auditing
information that we can refer to later or if something goes wrong during the order processing. We
can do all this without relying on a third-party accounting system, which can also reduce costs.
The bulk of this chapter deals with what a pipeline system is and constructing this system,
which also involves a small amount of modification to the way things currently work and some
additions to the database we??™ve been using. However, the code in this chapter isn??™t much more
complicated than the code we??™ve already been using. The real challenges are in designing the
system. After designing the order pipeline, the features you??™ll add to it in this chapter are
??? Updating the status of an order
??? Setting credit card authentication details
??? Setting the order shipment date
??? Sending e-mails to customers and suppliers
??? Retrieving order details and the customer address
By the end of the next chapter, customers will be able to place orders into our pipeline, and
we??™ll be able to follow the progress of these orders as they pass through various stages. Although
no real credit card processing will take place yet, we??™ll end up with a fairly complete system,
including a new administration web page that can be used by suppliers to confirm that they
have items in stock and to confirm that orders have been shipped.
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