The basic system architecture leans strongly on objects. The 'biggest' object
is the mailPool -object. This mailPool contains all your mailbox -objects
that define the boxes you choose to view. You can create several mailbox objects, example
get the INBOX of your work mail and the INBOX of your scools email box. Now you can look
these two at the same time. These are all saved in the database and are downloaded from
there everytime you access the system. While you use the zandermail , the mailPool object is
stored in session, where the system uses it from.
All output is done through a pageFormatter object. The system creates a pageFormatter
to a user when the user enters, giving a profile object in the constructor. The profile
object is the corner stone of the architecture and the user can reshape it anyway she/he pleases..
that makes the system quite flexible. There is an lib/library.xml -file where the admin or the
developers have defined some basic profiles for several terminal equipment. The ProfileParser object
then reads out this file and constructs default profiles from this files. So when you access to the
login page this archotecture is used, and if the admin or the developers have made enough profiles,
you could login to the system in any terminal equipment. But how does the system know, to print
example WML or HTML ? Its really quite simple. In the profile, there is a attribute called mappedNames.
In the library.xml there is lets say 10 default profiles where each have a different mappedNames -value(s).
If example the mappedNames value is Nokia7110, the system maps this profile to every user who enters to the
page, with a string nokia7110 written his/hers user_agent environment variable. Now there is a also a output attribute
in the profile which defines the output language. In this case it would of course be WML. This way user
can create a own profile to every terminal equipment. There are a lot of attributes in the profile -object and user
can own, and of course must own, many profile objects, which are the saved in to databes, where the system
uses them from. Everytime you enter the system you get to use your own profile, and if there is not suitable
one system will automatically create such profile for you, from default profiles, which are defined in the lib/library.xml.
All the attributes and their functionality of the profileObject is explained later.
The menuObject is a collection of arrays, which each have there own place in the menu. When the menuObject
is printed out (note that the pageFormatter does that), the profile defines which items of the menu is allowed
to show. If the *configure_locales option false (User can define his/hers own profile), this option does not
show in menu. Same way, there are many is_something_visible attributes in the profile, but this way
we can create a neat and tidy view to every terminal equipment uniquely. Example in Nokias 7110 wap phone, when looking
your emails , all attributes are set to false, but is_subject_visible. That way we can define that the subject of the email
message of the only thing that is shown to the user. The subject of the message is actually the only thing that can fit basicly
in to a one row to this wap phones display, but it could as easily be the sender of the email, the arrival date, or just the number of attachments, this decision
we leave to you.
When writing this the pre-Aplha is not ready, and a lot of issues are still open. But the basic things like the security
is thinked out. The system supports fully IMAP over SSL, so if the email server does not, thats too bad, then the system uses just
plain IMAP -protocol. All the usernames and passwords of remote boxes are crypted to the database, like your system password as well. Next is the todo
list and below that is the presentations and documentation of the objects and scripts used. Also some screens are available....
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